Unintentional humor

Unintentional humor (or unintentional humour) is the act of making other people laugh without actually meaning to. There are several different kinds of unintentional humor that arise out of various situations.

Contents

Unintended contradiction

It is possible for unintentional humor to arise when two different well-meaning people contribute independent pieces of information, but in combination, they contradict each other. The images on the right are an example of this.

Missteps

A misstep in the (in)appropriate environment is often considered humorous, that is the tension or embarrassment it creates is released by laughter. Examples are misspeaks or falls by a famous individual, catching somebody at an official event with inappropriate manners or embarrassing body noises.

Taking one's creation too seriously

Some books, movies, and other literary works end up being unintentionally funny because they are comically clichéd or overwrought, despite appearing to be earnest and serious efforts by their creators. Examples are "so bad they're good" movies, such as Plan 9 from Outer Space, and the style of bad writing celebrated by the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest.

Unintentional humor in popular culture

The TV show Mystery Science Theatre 3000 often watched B-movies and their unintentional funny scenes to provide them with equally amusing commentary. The Flemish tv comedy series Alles Kan Beter also poked fun at unintentional funny scenes from Flemish television broadcasts. Many Internet reviewers such as The Nostalgia Critic also feature unintentionally funny films.

See also

Examples

Comics

  • The religious fundamentalistic comics of Jack Chick which often feature moralistic tales that are so far-fetched that they become ridiculous.

Literature

Film

Internet

Locations

Certain place names have an unintentional funny name. Sometimes only in other languages.

Malapropisms

Music

Performing arts

Television

Other

Types

Other