Dead baby jokes are a joke cycle reflecting dark comedy. The joke is presented in riddle form, beginning with a what question and concluded with a grotesque punch line answer.[1]
According to the folklorist scholar Alan Dundes, the dead baby joke cycle likely began in the early 1960s.[1] Dundes theorizes that the origin of the dead baby joke lies in the rise of second-wave feminism in the U.S. during that decade and its rejection of the traditional societal role for women, which included support for legalized abortion and contraceptives.[2] It has also been suggested that the jokes emerged in response to images of graphic violence, often involving infants, from the Vietnam War.[3]
What's the difference between a truckload of dead babies and a truckload of bowling balls?
You can’t unload bowling balls with a pitchfork.[4] What's more fun than nailing a baby to a post?
Ripping it off again.[5] What's bright blue, pink, and sizzles?
A baby breastfeeding on an electrical outlet.[5] How do you get 100 dead babies into a box?
With a blender![5]
How do you get them out of the box?
With nacho chips![5] How many babies does it take to paint a house?
Depends on how hard you throw them.[5] Why did the dead baby cross the road?
Because it was stapled to the chicken.[5]