"Why did the chicken cross the road?" joke archive

The basic joke (given in 1.) is a classic. The humour lies in the common-sense punchline; in other words, it is funny just because it is not funny. The listener expects a humorous answer, probably connected to some difference between chickens and people. However, the unexpected (and therefore humorous answer) is that the chicken's motive in crossing is the same as the common-sense human motive: to get to the other side of the road... The variations build on no.1, and its fame, in various ways.

1. Why did the chicken cross the road?

• I don't know. Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get to the other side!

• How can you call this a joke? Cats must have a different sense of humour from chickens...

2. Why did the chicken run across the road?

• Because it was being chased by a cat, of course! I expect the cat caught it as well and...

That's not funny! We're meant to be telling jokes.

• I thought it was very funny but OK:
  

  • I don't know. Why did the chicken run across the road?

Because the lights were about to change!

3. Why did the turkey run across the road?

• Perhaps it wanted to talk to the chicken urgently.

A good try, but my answer is better, even though it's rather an insult to us chickens:
To prove it wasn't a chicken! (If you don't understand, check a dictionary to see why brave chickens are not chicken, or to find out when you could say "Don't chicken out!" to someone.)

4. Why did the kitten run across the road?

• It was practising how to catch chickens, of course!

No, that's beyond a joke. Who would ever mistake a kitten for a chicken? The answer is:
Because it was a copy-cat!

5. Why did the the other kitten jump across the road?

• Perhaps it wanted to prove it wasn't a chicken either..

You have a tasteless sense of humour. This kitten was trying to prove that it wasn't a copy cat!


6. Why did the skeleton not want to cross the road?

• It didn't want to go trick or treating with the witch and her cat.

Trust you to bring a cat in. The real answer is that it had no body to cross with!

7. Why did the other skeleton want to cross the road?

• Perhaps it had seen some body on the other side.

That's good, for a cat! The real answer is:
To get to the Body Shop sale!

8. Why did the dinosaur cross the road?

• It had probably seen the chicken and wanted a snack.

No, Darwin would turn in his grave if he heard that answer! The correct answer is obviously:
Because chickens hadn't evolved yet.

9. Why did the other dinosaur not cross the road?

• The first dinosaur was so big and slow that by the time it had finished crossing, chickens had evolved.

No, but that's another good attempt. The right answer is:
Because the first dinosaur was so heavy that there was no road left to cross.

10. Why did the chicken and the egg race across the road?

• This seems rather dangerous, but of course chickens have less brains than us cats, and chicken eggs probably have even less brains than chickens.

That's not even an answer, and sounds like speciesism!
The correct answer is:
To see which came first, the chicken or the egg!

11. Why did the penguin cross the road disguised as a chicken?

• The mind boggles. I can't imagine a cat ever wearing a chicken disguise.

(Really?) Because the chicken asked the penguin to take her place while she did some Christmas shopping.

12. Why did the chicken cross the road when it saw Mary with her friends?

• Was it Mary's little chicken?.

No! That was a lamb! It wanted to wish Merry (Mary) Christmas!

13. Why did everyone on the other side of the road run across to this side?

• Perhaps they saw a mouse. If they are that scared of mice, I'll go and catch it for them.

No, wrong again! They were escaping from all the animals (particularly the dinosaur) that had arrived on the other side as part of various crossing the road jokes.

• Then they must have forgotten about the dinosaur who was unable to cross (because the road had been destroyed by the first dinosaur)...