History Main / LowCountGag

This sort of joke subverts the audience's expectations by revealing that the amount of something is much less than typical. A band or TV show or movie's fanbase might be accurately referred to as "both of them", or a nation's air force might turn out to be just one person. A political party consists of three people. A prepackaged meal advertised as full dinner in a big container turns out to be just a single piece of fruit. This is usually hilarious. Or sad. Or [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs hilariously sad]].

For a trope that is similarly insulting by separating something into a smaller group, see MyFriendsAndZoidberg. AmusinglyShortList also mines humour from subverted expectations and comically small number of items on the list. ComicallySmallBribe, CriticalStaffingShortage, DecidedByOneVote, DownToTheLastPlay, OddlySmallOrganization, OnlyOneFindsItFun, and WorldsShortestBook are related, especially if these tropes are PlayedForLaughs. If the real number is extremely large, it's NotHyperbole, and someone asks "how many?", and the answer is AllOfThem, it goes in that trope.

* A sad example occurs in ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory3'', when we see that Andy's immediate toy family are all the toys he has left.

* A Low Count Gag punchline is used to highlight high textbook costs, stating that there was a theft at the campus book store, with losses initially estimated at tens of thousands of dollars, but both textbooks were recovered.

* ''Series/AlloAllo'', a britcom set in the Nazi occupied France:¨
** The British airmen talk to British agent Crabtree and complain about being stuck in France, blaming Michelle's resistance group for being ineffecive. Crabtree says they are indeed dissatisfied with de Gaulle's resistance people, hinting that even the Communist resistance has more going on. The airmen don't want to join Communists, though, and ask Crabtree about a liberal resistance. Crabtree retorts that yes, there is a liberal resistance, but he's in bed with the flu.

** "The Loobenfeld Decay": Penny is an aspiring actress. She's replacing a girl in a workshop production of ''Theatre/{{Rent}}''. It's a one night showcase, but they invite a lot of casting people and agents, so she hopes for a big break. She's not a good singer though, and there is a low count joke about the audience.

** In "Fancy Brudgom", Terry, Amy and Gina go on a very 'scientific' diet, despite them all being in perfect shape, as Captain Holt points out. All the meals are pre-planned and delivered. For example, the breakfast consists of an orange wedge, three cashew nuts and a solitary grape. Another meal is a single baby carrot (the container says "ingredients: carrot") or one almond.

** After going out on a shopping spree on her boyfriend Robin Colcord's money, Rebecca struts into the bar and says she wants to gab "with all my girlfriends". She immediately makes her way over to Carla and forces her to talk with her.

* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': After convincing Lyanna Mormont to join his alliance against the Boltons, Jon Snow is slightly disappointed when she tells him her army amounts to... sixty-two men, since House Mormont is a ''small'' (but brave nonetheless) clan.

* ''Series/RedDwarf'', "Future Echoes": The crew experiences a phenomenon that Holly names "future echoes", pieces of the future that they are catching up with as a result of light speed. It foretells the future accurately. Rimmer sees Lister getting killed and Lister has some regrets about dying young. He claims he has has never read... a book.

* ''Music/DreamTheater'' titled their greatest hits album "Greatest Hit (...And 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs)", joking about how most of their songs have never charted. This is likely due to them being too long, complex and unsuitable for mainstream radio play. Typical greatest hits albums have more than one hit.

* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': Deus, when negotiating ([[ShameIfSomethingHappened "negotiating"]]) with a Mozambique official, [[https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-1014-the-zambezi-high-club/ points out]] that if he has to fight to get what he wants, the resulting death toll will consist almost entirely of Mozambique citizens. He then offers condolences on their entire air force having been destroyed last time they met him with force... all seven jets of it.

* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': Deus, when negotiating ([[ShameIfSomethingHappened "negotiating"]]) with a Mozambique official, [[https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-1014-the-zambezi-high-club/ points out]] that if he has to fight to get what he wants, the resulting death toll will consist almost entirely of Mozambique citizens. He then [[PreemptiveDeclaration offers preemptive condolences]] on all seven jets in the air force.

[[folder: Magazines]]

* When the director of ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'' came to receive his UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward, he addressed a heartfelt thank-you to "the dozens and dozens of people… who went to see the movie."

'''Robin:''' Oh, I'm flattered you think we have two viewers.\\

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' gives us this subtle example in an analysis of the demographics of Minnesota

'''Rainer Wolfcastle:''' [[UpToEleven 1 highway]], [[BeyondTheImpossible 0 city]].

* When John Brown led a slave rebellion at Harper's Ferry that ended in him being captured and put on trial for treason, Congressman Thaddeus Stevens (R-PA) reportedly declared that Brown deserved to be hanged... because "[[DoWrongRight he attempted to capture Virginia with seventeen men when he ought to know it would require at least twenty-five.]]" (Stevens, like Brown, was a hardline abolitionist, so naturally he only opposed Brown's failure, even though general consensus at the time among Northerners was that Brown was a nutjob, a fanatic, and a criminal.) (Alas for Brown and Stevens, capturing and holding Virginia would take the lives of [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar many thousands of Northern men]]--though shame be upon anyone who says [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil the sacrifice wasn't worth it]].)

** [[DependingOnTheWriter The Springfield Police Department sometimes do have a large force]] (even if we only know the names of three). At other times it is explicit they're just three people: Chief Wiggum, and his subordinates Eddie and Lou.

** The Springfield Police Department sometimes do have a large force (even if we only know the names of three). At other times it is explicit they're just three people: Chief Wiggum, and his subordinates Eddie and Lou.

--->'''PBS Guy:''' (''chuckling'') Classic. Not hard to see why it's England's longest-running series, [[BritishBrevity and today, we're showing all seven episodes]].

* Twice in ''The Very Big Cave Adventure'', both in the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Gotham City]] area. One in the Art Gallery:
-->You are in the Art Gallery. It is featuring a special international exhibition of modern art. You are astounded to see that only three people are present. \\

And the other in the Library:
-->The entire literate population of Gotham City is here. She has a small Pekingese dog under her arm, called Toodloo.

* When John Brown led a slave rebellion at Harper's Ferry that ended in him being captured and put on trial for treason, Congressman Thaddeus Stevens (R-PA) reportedly declared that Brown deserved to be hanged... because "[[DoWrongRight he attempted to capture Virginia with seventeen men when he ought to know it would require at least twenty-five.]]" (Stevens, like Brown, was a hardline abolitionist, so naturally he only opposed Brown's failure, even though general consensus at the time among Northerners was that Brown was a nutjob, a fanatic, and a criminal.)

* When John Brown led a slave rebellion at Harper's Ferry that ended in him being captured and put on trial for treason, Congressman Thaddeus Stevens (R-PA) reportedly declared that Brown deserved to be hanged... because "he attempted to capture Virginia with seventeen men when he ought to know it would require at least twenty-five." (Stevens, like Brown, was a hardline abolitionist, so naturally he only opposed Brown's failure, even though general consensus at the time among Northerners was that Brown was a nutjob, a fanatic, and a criminal.)

** The British airmen talk to British agent Crabtree and complain about being stuck in France, blaming Michelle's resistance group for being ineffecive. Crabtree says they are indeed dissatisfied with de Gaule's resistance people, hinting that even the Communist resistance has more going on. The airmen don't want to join Communists, though, and ask Crabtree about a liberal resistance. Crabtree retorts that yes, there is a liberal resistance, but he's in bed with the flu.

** The British airmen talk to British agent Crabtree and complain about being stuck in France, blaming Michelle's resistance group for being ineffecive. Crabtree says they are indeed disatisfied with de Gaule's resistance people, hinting that even the Communist resistance has more going on. The airmen don't want to join Communists, though, and ask Crabtree about a liberal resistance. Crabtree retorts that yes, there is a liberal resistance, but he's in bed with the flu.

* ''Series/AlloAllo'', a britcom set in the Nazi occupied France:

For a trope that is similarly insulting by separating something into a smaller group, see AndZoidberg. AmusinglyShortList also mines humour from subverted expectations and comically small number of items on the list. ComicallySmallBribe, CriticalStaffingShortage, DecidedByOneVote, DownToTheLastPlay, OddlySmallOrganization, OnlyOneFindsItFun, and WorldsShortestBook are related, especially if these tropes are PlayedForLaughs. If the real number is extremely large, it's NotHyperbole, and someone asks "how many?", and the answer is AllOfThem, it goes in that trope.

* In the ''WebVideo/CinematicExcrement'' review of ''Film/TheOogielovesInTheBigBalloonAdventure'', Smeghead reacts to Music/ToniBraxton as Rosalie Rosebud sneezing without covering her mouth by criticising her for "teaching poor hygiene to the children who saw this movie - both of them!"

* In ''The Very Big Cave Adventure'', in the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Gotham City]] Library: