History Main / GermanHumour

* While not (yet) as legendary as the above mentioned, Mario Barth is the current (as of 04/2009) holder of the world record of the largest Live Comedy Show, filling the Olympia Stadium in Berlin with 70,000 people.
* Michael Mittermeier. Uses more sophisticated humour than the aforementioned Mario Barth who mainly aims for stereotypes.

* Volker Pispers, incredibly funny with serious themes, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4H_E8b-qmo like this, with subtitles]]. If you don't mind he gets very political, and by that, I mean "left".

* Dieter Nuhr, who is said to prove that humor and intelligence are not mutually exclusive (he's a German Language high school teacher by trade]]. His cabaret centers around human intelligence and brain (provided it exists and there is one to speak of), technical advancements, gender conflicts and perception of the world, religion, etc.

* Creator/MarcUweKling, who tells stories about his room mate, a communist kangaroo (better than it sounds)

* [[Creator/JanBoehmermann Jan Böhmermann]] is a comedian and hosts the late night program Neo Magazin, which has both absurdist humor and at times hard hitting political satire. Some of his biggest coups include insinuating that he had faked a picture of Greek finance minister Varoufakis flipping the bird and presenting a short "poem" about Turkish leader Erdogan that created a diplomatic incident between Germany and Turkey.

*** Near the end, when the 2005 election resulted in the possibility of a "Jamaica coalition" of the CDU/CSU, FDP, and Greens, Fischer famously shot down the proposal by saying, ""Can you really see Angela Merkel and Edmund Stoiber sitting round the table in dreadlocks? This is more our style. It's impossible."
* Literature/TillEulenspiegel was a legendary prankster from medieval Germany.
* Christian Ehring, Satirist and current host of Series/Extra3.
* [[Series/WalulisSiehtFern Phillipp]] WebVideo/{{Walulis}}

* Phenomenons like ''WebVideo/SinnlosImWeltraum'', ''WebVideo/LordOfTheWeed'' or Creator/{{Coldmirror}}'s ''Harry Potter''-GagDub.

* Jokes like [[http://www.ruthe.de/frontend/index.php?pic=12&sort=datum&order=DESC this]]. ("Splortsch" is just onomatopoeia.)

* While the Trabant joke wave was still rolling in TheEighties and into the early [[TheNineties Nineties]], a humorous semi-a cappella song single-handedly spawned its successor, a long series of jokes about the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Manta Opel Manta]], making it awkward practically over night to drive a Manta. The jokes aren't so much about the car itself as it's a decent sports coupé with no serious shortcomings. They rather focus on the [[RiceBurner clichés it is surrounded with]]; many of these are [[TruthInTelevision true]], but here they are cranked up. The Mantas themselves are lowered and fit with supersized bodykits, rear wings, wide tires, a Kenwood sticker on the rear window, and the inevitable "fox tail" on the radio antenna (among many other modifications). The drivers are utterly [[LowerClassLout dumb proletarians]] wearing tracksuit pants, cowboy boots, and [[EightiesHair mullets]], who always have DumbBlonde hairdressers as girlfriends. Almost all Manta drivers are from certain places in North Rhine-Westphalia, some are from the Ruhr area, but most are from Bergheim (Cologne is a city near Bergheim - yep, not the other way round). Last but not least, a Manta is ''always'' driven with one elbow out of the window.

* While the Trabant joke wave was still rolling in TheEighties and into the early [[TheNineties Nineties]], a humorous semi-a cappella song single-handedly spawned its successor, a long series of jokes about the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Manta Opel Manta]], making it awkward practically over night to drive a Manta. The jokes aren't so much about the car itself as it's a decent sports coupé with no serious shortcomings. They rather focus on the clichés it is surrounded with; many of these are [[TruthInTelevision true]], but here they are cranked up. The Mantas themselves are lowered and fit with supersized bodykits, rear wings, wide tires, a Kenwood sticker on the rear window, and the inevitable "fox tail" on the radio antenna (among many other modifications). The drivers are utterly [[LowerClassLout dumb proletarians]] wearing tracksuit pants, cowboy boots, and [[EightiesHair mullets]], who always have DumbBlonde hairdressers as girlfriends. Almost all Manta drivers are from certain places in North Rhine-Westphalia, some are from the Ruhr area, but most are from Bergheim (Cologne is a city near Bergheim - yep, not the other way round). Last but not least, a Manta is ''always'' driven with one elbow out of the window.

** A government inspector pays a Gymnasium (high school) German class a visit. The topic of the day is the famous play ''The Broken Jug'' by Heinrich von Kleist.

** On the subject of paper products an IncrediblyLamePun that even works in English:

** Despite this focus, he's not above making [[IncrediblyLamePun incredibly lame]] [[VisualPun visual puns]], such as when he was invited to the New Years Eve edition of Jochen Busse's 7 Tage 7 Köpfe (7 Days, 7 Minds): Having been asked to wear Black Tie for the occasion like all the male regulars of the show for this evening, he instead showed up in his usual High School Teacher getup – black sports jacket and turtleneck – while ''carrying'' his Black Tie ensemble on a hanger (the word for wearing clothes in German is the same as for carrying things), much to Busse's chagrin (who had made the mistake of leaving him this out by asking him to wear it instead of saying to come ''dressed'' in Black Tie). He switched during the next commercial break, showing he did this prank just for laughs and seeing the show host's reaction.

* Henning Wehn, a German comedian based in the UK (self-styled as the "German Comedy Ambassador in London"), most known for his appearances on shows such as ''Radio/TheNewsQuiz'', ''Radio/TheNowShow'' and ''Radio/TheUnbelievableTruth''. His act is typically based upon English stereotypes of the Germans. Henning also has been known to turn the tables on England though, including referencing England's performance in the [[UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup 2010 Soccer World Cup]] "Nobody mention the World Cup! I mentioned it once, but [[Series/FawltyTowers I think I got away with it!]]"

* Dieter Nuhr, who is said to prove that humor and intelligence are not mutually exclusive. His cabaret centers around human intelligence and brain (provided it exists and there is one to speak of), technical advancements, gender conflicts and perception of the world, religion, etc.

* UsefulNotes/EastGermany jokes, for example (From Wiki/TheOtherWiki):

There also are strong cultural differences. Bavarian (and Austrian, if they can be counted here) humor is more down-to-earth and gritty, while the Western Germans seem to carry their Karneval/Fasching/Fastnacht (Mardi Gras/Carnival) lightheartedness in all their comedy. Since the major low-brow TV stations are based in that area, this translates into almost unwatchable fare nationwide. Between these, the national character of GermanHumor is [[BlackComedy darker than what many Americans are comfortable with]]. However, it is seldom as dark as RussianHumor, which can veer straight into BlackComedy.

*** How do you double the value of a Trabant? Fill up the tank! And how do you triple it? Buy a fuel cap! (The Czechoslovak Skoda cars were subject to similar jokes, but unlike Trabant, Skoda didn't fold and now makes decent cars--as a subsidiary of the formerly West German Volkswagen)

* While the Trabant joke wave was still rolling in TheEighties and into the early [[TheNineties Nineties]], a humorous semi-a cappella song single-handedly spawned its successor, a long series of jokes about the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Manta Opel Manta]], making it awkward practically over night to drive a Manta. The jokes aren't so much about the car itself as it's a decent sports coupé with no serious shortcomings. They rather focus on the clichés it is surrounded with; many of these are [[TruthInTelevision true]], but here they are cranked UpToEleven. The Mantas themselves are lowered and fit with supersized bodykits, rear wings, wide tires, a Kenwood sticker on the rear window, and the inevitable "fox tail" on the radio antenna (among many other modifications). The drivers are utterly [[LowerClassLout dumb proletarians]] wearing tracksuit pants, cowboy boots, and [[EightiesHair mullets]], who always have DumbBlonde hairdressers as girlfriends. Almost all Manta drivers are from certain places in North Rhine-Westphalia, some are from the Ruhr area, but most are from Bergheim (Cologne is a city near Bergheim - yep, not the other way round). Last but not least, a Manta is ''always'' driven with one elbow out of the window.

->''[[GermanicEfficiency There's a certain efficiency about it.]] [German accent] "He does something and falls over! It is very amusing! Before he was valking in the straight line, zen he walked into ze door! Zis is genius!"''

Contrary to [[GermanicDepressives the popular stereotype]], Germans ''do'' have a sense of humor. Well, considering that a person who lived in Chemnitz from 1900 to 2000 would have to go through [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany the Kaiserreich]], two [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI World]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Wars]], UsefulNotes/NaziGermany, UsefulNotes/EastGermany (during which time his city would have to endure being called "Karl-Marx-Stadt" even though poor old Karl was born and raised in Trier--about as far from Chemnitz as you can get in Germany) and UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic, possession of one would become pretty much mandatory.

Contrary to [[GermanicDepressives some opinions]], [[NoSenseOfHumor Germans have a sense of humor]]. Well, considering that a person who lived in Chemnitz from 1900 to 2000 would have to go through [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany the Kaiserreich]], two [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI World]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Wars]], UsefulNotes/NaziGermany, UsefulNotes/EastGermany (during which time his city would have to endure being called "Karl-Marx-Stadt" even though poor old Karl was born and raised in Trier--about as far from Chemnitz as you can get in Germany) and UsefulNotes/TheBerlinRepublic, possession of one would become pretty much mandatory.

Britons may even be surprised to hear that German (especially Northern German) humor is actually very similar to their own -- a bizarre combination of dry wit and slapstick. The "NoSenseOfHumour" stereotype appears to originate in a combination of the Prussian reputation for [[GermanicEfficiency efficiency]] and a perceived lack of the habit (more or less unique to Britain, although the Irish, Australians, and New Zealanders have picked it up in whole or in part) of using humour as a "default mode" for dealing with the world in general.

* French comedy actor Creator/LouisDeFunes was ''hugely'' popular there. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9hw9tRSpM One particular German-dubbed scene]] from his movie ''Film/{{Jo}}'' has reached [[MemeticMutation memetic status]]. Believe it or not, ''Film/LeGendarmeEtLesExtraTerrestres'' was once the most successful French film ever released there, with 5,6 millions cinema admissions (and that was only West Germany). It took ''thirty three years'' to beat it (''Film/{{Intouchables}}'' with 9,2 million in 2011 in a reunified Germany, if you ask).
* Germany is one of the many non-English speaking countries where Series/MrBean is famous.
** In the same vein, while the perceived sexism and crassness of Creator/BennyHill's show has made him somewhat of a national embarassment in his native England, his show remains very popular in Germany.
** And Creator/MontyPython was so well received in Germany that the Pythons recorded two specials for German TV, despite none of the six speaking a word of German - they had to be extensively vocal-coached to recite their lines phonetically.

* Brandt also contributed to the massive success of Creator/BudSpencer and Terence Hill movies in Germany.

* French comedy actor Creator/LouisDeFunes was ''hugely'' popular there. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9hw9tRSpM One particular German-dubbed scene]] from his movie ''Film/{{Jo}}'' has reached [[MemeticMutation memetic status]]. Believe it or not, ''Film/LeGendarmeEtLesExtraTerrestres'' was once the most successful French film ever released in Germany, with 5,6 millions cinema admissions (and that was only West Germany). It took ''thirty three years'' to beat it (''Film/{{Intouchables}}'' with 9,2 million in 2011 in a reunified Germany, if you ask).

* French comedy actor Creator/LouisDeFunes was ''hugely'' popular there. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp9hw9tRSpM One particular German-dubbed scene]] from his movie ''Film/{{Jo}}'' has reached [[MemeticMutation memetic status]].

-->Q: Why do they make the toilet paper so hard in the GDR?
-->A: Because the Party wants to make every asshole Red.

-->''Mit Verlaub, Herr Präsident, Sie sind ein Arschloch.'' ("[[WithDueRespect With respect, Mr. President]], [[SophisticatedAsHell you are an asshole]].")

** Compare Creator/MarkTwain's essay on [[http://www.kombu.de/twain-2.htm "The Awful German Language"]].

** Hitler and Goering are standing on a high balcony. Below them is a great crowd. Goering whines, "They're so dour. Can't we cheer them up a bit?" The Führer looks him up and down. "Well," he says, "you could jump."

--> * A joke from 1944: How do you tell an Optimist German from a Pessimist German? The Optimist studies English, while the Pessimist studies Russian.[[note]]This one dates back to World War I, and has since been rehashed with other countries; a common Cold War one was that optimistic Russians learned English, while pessimistic ones studied Chinese.[[/note]]
--> * Did you hear? Berlin is now the city of warehouses! "''Where'' is my house? ''Where is my house''?!" [[note]](This works much better in German, as "Warenhaus", the German word for warehouse, is a homophone to "war 'n Haus", the contraction of "War ein Haus", which means "[there] was a house". That's why, as seen above, in English the plural is a better/more homophonic translation.)[[/note]]
--> The Führer is on vacation in the countryside, and as they pass a farm his driver manages to run over a chicken. Hitler himself enters the farmhouse to apologise, and leaves with a black eye, understandably furious. The next time they pass by a farm, they run over a pig, and Hitler tells his driver to go in his stead. He returns, carrying a large basket full of bread, meat and other produce, and no sign of lacerations. The Führer asks him, "How did you do that? What did you tell that farmer?" His driver responds, "Well, I knocked at the door, went inside, took off my cap and said, 'Heil Hitler! The pig is dead!'"
--> ''"Have you heard? The Reichstag is on fire!" "Shhh! Not 'til tomorrow!"'' It was widely believed in Germany at the time that the Nazis started the fire themselves. [[note]] They didn't, as recent investigations have shown. But as they say, 'let no crisis go to waste'. The Nazis certainly didn't. [[/note]]
--> Hitler and Goering are standing on a high balcony. Below them is a great crowd. Goering whines, "They're so dour. Can't we cheer them up a bit?" The Führer looks him up and down. "Well," he says, "you could jump."
--> "When the war's over, I think I'll take a walking tour around the borders of the Greater German Empire." "Oh, that's nice. And what will you do in the afternoon?"

* Danish crime comedy movie series [[Film/OlsenBanden Olsen Gang]] is especially popular in East Germany. Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR - Central German Broadcast), which holds the rights to the series in Germany, got even involved in the co-production of the last movie ''The Olsen Gang's Last Trick''. It also became popular in West Germany when the East German DEFA dub ([[EliminatedFromTheRace which was far better than the West German ZDF ''Synchron'']]) started circulation.

* Danish crime comedy movie series Olsen-banden is especially popular in East Germany, mostly due to the DEFA dub being far better than the West German ''Synchron'' (For which the series' popularity in West Germany only came with the East German dub).

* Danish crime comedy movie series Film/Olsen-banden is especially popular in East Germany, mostly due to the DEFA dub being far better than the West German ''Synchron'' (For which the series' popularity in West Germany only came with the East German dub).