Back to School: Jokes and Tags

Build laughter by tagging your jokes with more jokes!

One of my favorite ways to build overwhelming laughter during a stand-up comedy routine, is to add jokes, on top of jokes, with even more jokes!  In this article, I’m going to show you how to build laughter by tagging your jokes with another joke.

What is a tag?

• Tag – a joke that plays off the previous joke

Stand-up comedians tag jokes with more jokes to build audience laughter. You can get a quick laugh, right after another laugh, by adding jokes that plays off each other.

Example of a Joke + Tag

In grade school, I had a Richie Rich lunchbox. I thought the lunchbox would spoil me with riches. The only thing that got spoiled was my thermos of milk.

• The only coins were carrots!

Turns out, the only people who got rich made the lunchbox!

Explanation of the Joke

In the previous example, the opportunity to tag the joke comes from listing the possible contents of the lunchbox.

• The joke is “The only thing that got spoiled was my thermos of milk.”
• The tag is “The only coins were carrots!”

The carrot coin joke adds to the list of items in the lunchbox. Each item gets a laugh because they play off the idea that the lunchbox would spoil me with wealth.

Additionally, you may have noticed that either joke gets a laugh. When I perform this bit, I’ll keep playing with the order of words, jokes and tags.

Follow these steps to write your own Back-To-School Joke

1. Brainstorm topics and ideas
2. Identify potential set-ups and punchlines
3. Outline one idea for jokes
4. Write a joke
5. Add tag(s)
6. Edit
7. Try the jokes on stage

STEP 1: Brainstorm topics and ideas

To write jokes and stand-up comedy material about a topic, such as Back-To-School, you can start by making a lists and notes for joke ideas. This process is called brainstorming.

Topics and Ideas for Back-To-School Jokes

• Back-To-School Sales
• Lunch Boxes
• School Busses
• Keg Parties
• Tests and Homework

To get started on your jokes, make a list of ideas, topics and premises associated with Back-To-School season.

STEP 2: Identify potential set-ups and punchlines

Of all the ideas for Back-To-School jokes listed above, the one that I chose for this article is lunch boxes. That’s because I immediately thought of a corny joke.

“Lunch Box? That’s what my Twink calls his girlfriend!” – Chuck Roy

If you need that joke explained, then I’ll need to write another blog article.

With my corny joke out of the way, the next thing to do was to make lists of ideas for jokes based on lunch boxes. So, I asked myself a series of questions and jotted down the answers and other notes in my notebook. Here’s an example.

• What type of lunchboxes do audiences remember?
• What goes in the lunchbox?
• Who makes the food in the lunchbox?
• Smells
• Thermos

That’s when I connected the concept of a thermos spoiling milk. Connecting concepts is a good brainstorming process. So, I asked other questions and got funny answers.

• Who is the funniest character to spoil milk? Richie Rich because wealthy people can be spoiled.
• What other items in a lunchbox are a double entendre for money? Since coins are money, therefore, carrot coins are a good play on words for items in a lunchbox.

I had an idea for a joke that tags well, a Richie Rich lunchbox with a thermos that spoils milk.

Continue working on your ideas for jokes by reviewing the topics you brainstormed and identify the best potential premises and concepts for jokes.

STEP 3: Outline one idea for jokes

After brainstorming a list of ideas for Back-To-School jokes, I focused my attention on the Richie Rich lunchbox premise. To organize my thoughts, I wrote a quick outline.

Richie Rich Lunchbox

• Thermos spoiled the milk
• Carrot coins

Now, it’s time to focus on your idea for a Back-to-School joke. Write a quick outline of your premise, jokes and tags.

STEP 4: Write a joke

Sometimes, when I’m creating comedy for my stand-up comedy material, it’s best to write the idea in my notebook. I leave room to edit and add more jokes.

Writing my Back-To-School Joke

In grade school, I had a Richie Rich lunchbox. I thought it would make me rich. Turns out, the thermos spoiled my milk!

Now, you can write the first daft of your joke. Next, you’ll write the tag.

STEP 5: Add tag(s)

Writing out the joke helps me connect to the tag line. Generally, the first draft of my jokes are clunky and full of extra words.

Adding my Back-To-School Joke Tag

In grade school, I had a Richie Rich lunchbox. I thought it would make me rich. Turns out, the thermos spoiled my milk!

• The only money in it was carrot coins!

Now, you can write as many funny tags to your joke as you think are possible. Enjoy making the audience laugh again, and again, and again!

STEP 6: Edit

Sometimes, as I write the words the edits become apparent. For example, in my back-to-school joke, it became obvious that I would need to clarify and simplify the connection between Richie Rich and a poor kid’s lunchbox. I try to write the words to match my speaking voice. Then, the words and jokes continue to change during memorization and rehearsal.

Final Draft of my Back-To-School Joke

In grade school, I had a Richie Rich lunchbox. I thought the lunchbox would spoil me with riches. The only thing that got spoiled was my thermos of milk.

• The only coins were carrots!

You’re almost done! Now it’s time to edit your joke to improve the comedy and laughter.

STEP 7: Try the jokes on stage

I’m excited to try my new jokes on stage! I’ll memorize them and add them to the set list for this weekend’s show. Over the next few weeks, I’ll keep performing the jokes until Back-to-School season is over. Afterwards, I’ll probably retire the joke until it fits into a set list for another show.

Now, you can try your new Back-To-School Jokes at your next comedy show. Plus, you can look for more opportunities to tag jokes in your act.

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