All About Knock Knock Jokes

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Have you ever heard or told a knock-knock joke? If yes, you know just how fun they can be!

Knock-knock jokes are a type of play on words, where one person tells the joke and another person answers.

They have been a big part of American humor since the early 1900s, and you can usually hear them at school, home, or family gatherings.

a group of people sitting around a table with drinks

But have you ever wondered where knock-knock jokes actually come from?

Most experts think they came from the works of William Shakespeare, a famous writer. Some believe these jokes date back to 1606, when Shakespeare used a similar style in his play Macbeth.

There’s a scene where a porter, who is hungover, hears someone knocking at the door. He says, “Knock, knock! Who’s there?” during his funny speech.

Here it is:

Knock, knock! Who’s there, i’ the name of
Beelzebub? Here’s a farmer, that hanged
himself on the expectation of plenty: come in
time; have napkins enow about you; here
you’ll sweat for’t.
Knock, knock! Who’s there, in the other devil’s
name? Faith, here’s an equivocator, that could
swear in both the scales against either scale;
who committed treason enough for God’s sake,
yet could not equivocate to heaven: O, come
in, equivocator.

Another interesting idea is that it started with castle guards who worked at night. When someone came to the castle wanting to get in, the guards would ask, “Who’s there?” This helped them figure out who was trying to enter.

brown concrete palace surrounded by body of water during daytime

But did you know that even though the first “knock knock” joke was created in 1606, it didn’t become very popular until much later?

In 1929, a fun game called Buff used a similar idea. Kids would hit the ground with a stick and say this:

Knock, knock!

Who’s there?

Buff.

What says Buff?

Buff says Buff to all his men, and I say Buff to you again.

On August 19, 1936, a magazine named Variety said that everyone in America loved knock-knock jokes!

Then, on November 14, 1930, a radio performer named Wee Georgie Wood made people in England laugh with his funny knock-knock jokes.

That same year, Bob Dunn wrote a book called Knock Knock: Featuring Enoch Knox. Many people believe he invented the knock-knock joke style we know today.