No soap radio
Encyclopedia
No soap radio is a traditional punch line
for a prank joke
. The body of the joke is not related to the punch line itself, but is made out to be humorous by participants in the prank. The first known reference to this form of anti-humor
was in the late 1940s.
The punch line is known for its use as a basic sociological
and psychological
experiment, specifically relating to mob mentality
and the pressure to conform. The basic setup is similar to the Asch conformity experiments
, in which people showed a proclivity to agree with a group despite their own judgments.
The punchline of the joke is known to the conspirators beforehand, traditionally the phrase, "No soap, radio." After the joke teller delivers the punchline, the co-conspirators immediately laugh uproariously, treating the story and the nonsensical punchline as though it were, in fact, a proper joke. In reality however, there is intentionally no humor in the content and punchline.
The purpose of the prank is to make the victim of the punchline have one of two responses:
as early as 1956–57.
The phrase "no soap" possibly originated around 1860, the time it was first recorded, meaning "I haven't any money" or "I will not loan you money." Its contemporary connotation is "not a chance" or "nothing doing." However, the phrase itself was being employed in an absurdist and humorous context as early as the 1750s, when it appeared in a well-known piece of nonsense prose improvised by the English dramatist and actor Samuel Foote in order to test the memory of a rival: "So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf to make an apple-pie; and at the same time a great she-bear, coming up the street, pops its head into the shop. "What! No soap?" So he died, and she very imprudently married the barber..."
. Of the outcomes listed, false understanding is the most desirable to the conspirators. The scenario resulting from false understanding is a demonstration of groupthink
and peer pressure
- the need to conform to one's peers. Despite the fact that the entire joke has no hidden meaning, nothing to "get" and no real punchline at all, the key is the conspirators laughing at it anyway.
s.
The long variety of the joke is normally made up on the spot, but may be reused after that. There are a few classic versions. One version is as follows:
episode ("Homer the Heretic
"), a popular podcast
named after the joke, and a band with the name appearing at the Crazy Horse on a The Sopranos
episode ("Pie-O-My"). It has been used as the name for rock
bands
, as well as a short-lived TV sketch comedy
show (à la Monty Python's Flying Circus
) starring Steve Guttenberg
that aired on ABC in the spring of 1982. It can also be seen in the movie Training Day
with a joke/metaphor referencing a snail that climbs onto a man's porch. GameFAQs
' 2010 April Fool's joke consisted of a poll with the phrase as a hidden choice. There even exists a line of bath and body products under the name "Not Soap, Radio".
No Soap Radio was also the name of a successful radio commercial production company in New York City formed in 1970. Because of its activity as a music company creating tracks for TV as well as radio, it changed its name in the early 1980s to No Soap Productions and is still active as of 2011.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s "No Soap Radio" was used among college students as a nickname for public radio, including college stations. Such radio had no commercials and was thus not like "Soap Operas" which did carry commercial advertisement.
Punch line
A punch line is the final part of a joke, comedy sketch, or profound statement, usually the word, sentence or exchange of sentences which is intended to be funny or to provoke laughter or thought from listeners...
for a prank joke
Joke
A joke is a phrase or a paragraph with a humorous twist. It can be in many different forms, such as a question or short story. To achieve this end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices...
. The body of the joke is not related to the punch line itself, but is made out to be humorous by participants in the prank. The first known reference to this form of anti-humor
Anti-humor
Anti-humor is a type of indirect humor that involves the joke-teller delivering something which is deliberately not funny, or lacking in intrinsic meaning. The audience is expecting something humorous, and when this does not happen, the irony itself is of comedic value. Anti-humor is also the basis...
was in the late 1940s.
The punch line is known for its use as a basic sociological
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and psychological
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
experiment, specifically relating to mob mentality
Herd mentality
Herd mentality describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items. Examples of the herd mentality include stock market trends, fashions in apparel, cars, taste in music, home décor, etc...
and the pressure to conform. The basic setup is similar to the Asch conformity experiments
Asch conformity experiments
The Asch conformity experiments were a series of studies published in the 1950s that demonstrated the power of conformity in groups. These are also known as the Asch Paradigm.-Introduction:...
, in which people showed a proclivity to agree with a group despite their own judgments.
Execution
The setup involves at least two conspirators and a target, or "victim". One of the two conspirators, the "joke teller," will catch the attention of the target and announce his intention of telling a joke, perhaps stating that it would be particularly to the victim's taste (e.g., "You're gonna love this one...").The punchline of the joke is known to the conspirators beforehand, traditionally the phrase, "No soap, radio." After the joke teller delivers the punchline, the co-conspirators immediately laugh uproariously, treating the story and the nonsensical punchline as though it were, in fact, a proper joke. In reality however, there is intentionally no humor in the content and punchline.
The purpose of the prank is to make the victim of the punchline have one of two responses:
- False understanding - when the victim acts as if the joke is humorous, when in fact the victim does not understand the joke at all.
- Negative understanding - when the victim expresses confusion about what the joke means and feels left out (e.g., "I don't get it"). The conspirators are now prepared to mock the victim for the victim's "inability to get it." Because of pressure to conform, the victim may switch to false understanding (pretending comprehension of the incomprehensible) after receiving facetious derision from the conspirators. Normally after some time of negative understanding, the prank is revealed in full to the victim.
Origin
The origin of the punchline remains mysterious, but it was circulating in a Philadelphia primary school by the early 1950s and in the suburbs of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as early as 1956–57.
The phrase "no soap" possibly originated around 1860, the time it was first recorded, meaning "I haven't any money" or "I will not loan you money." Its contemporary connotation is "not a chance" or "nothing doing." However, the phrase itself was being employed in an absurdist and humorous context as early as the 1750s, when it appeared in a well-known piece of nonsense prose improvised by the English dramatist and actor Samuel Foote in order to test the memory of a rival: "So she went into the garden to cut a cabbage-leaf to make an apple-pie; and at the same time a great she-bear, coming up the street, pops its head into the shop. "What! No soap?" So he died, and she very imprudently married the barber..."
Psychology
The trick is an example of anti-humorAnti-humor
Anti-humor is a type of indirect humor that involves the joke-teller delivering something which is deliberately not funny, or lacking in intrinsic meaning. The audience is expecting something humorous, and when this does not happen, the irony itself is of comedic value. Anti-humor is also the basis...
. Of the outcomes listed, false understanding is the most desirable to the conspirators. The scenario resulting from false understanding is a demonstration of groupthink
Groupthink
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within groups of people. It is the mode of thinking that happens when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without...
and peer pressure
Peer pressure
Peer pressure refers to the influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms. Social groups affected include membership groups, when the individual is "formally" a member , or a social clique...
- the need to conform to one's peers. Despite the fact that the entire joke has no hidden meaning, nothing to "get" and no real punchline at all, the key is the conspirators laughing at it anyway.
Examples
Since the short variety of joke is usually thought of beforehand, there are a few commonly used ones. They often involve animals in bathtubBathtub
A bath , bathtub , or tub is a large container for holding water in which a person may bathe . Most modern bathtubs are made of acrylic or fiberglass, but alternatives are available in enamel over steel or cast iron, and occasionally waterproof finished wood...
s.
- Two polar bears are sitting in a bathtub. The first one says, "Pass the soap." The second one says, "No soap, radio!"
- A foreign man is flying in an airplane. He points out of the window at the unfamiliar countryside below and exclaims, "No soap... radio?"
- Two penguins are sitting in a bathtub. The first one says, "Pass the soap." The second one says. "What do I look like, a toaster?"
The long variety of the joke is normally made up on the spot, but may be reused after that. There are a few classic versions. One version is as follows:
- Two ducks walk into a bar but find that they have no money to buy drinks. They decide to go beg on the street. The first person they see is a white man. They ask him for money and he says, "Sorry, I left my wallet at home". The second person they see is a black man. (If the listener laughs here, anticipating a black joke, it is customary to reprimand them, saying things like, "Why did you laugh? Do you think black people are funny? Are you a racist?" until the train of thought is lost, then abruptly resume the joke.) The third person they see is a Czechoslovakian pianist. They ask him for money, and he turns to them, and says, "No soap... Radio?"
Use in popular culture
Over the years the joke has become widely known and entered popular culture in other forms, including a shower radio labeled "No Soap-Radio!" on a The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode ("Homer the Heretic
Homer the Heretic
"Homer the Heretic" is the third episode of The Simpsons fourth season, which originally aired on FOX in the United States on October 8, 1992. In the episode, Homer decides to forgo going to church and has an excellent time staying home. His behavior quickly attracts the wrath of God, who visits...
"), a popular podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
named after the joke, and a band with the name appearing at the Crazy Horse on a The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
episode ("Pie-O-My"). It has been used as the name for rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
bands
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, as well as a short-lived TV sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
show (à la Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python's Flying Circus
Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
) starring Steve Guttenberg
Steve Guttenberg
Steven Robert "Steve" Guttenberg is an American actor and comedian. He became well known during the 1980s, after a series of starring roles in major Hollywood films, including Cocoon, Three Men and a Baby, Police Academy, and Short Circuit.-Early life:Guttenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, the...
that aired on ABC in the spring of 1982. It can also be seen in the movie Training Day
Training Day
Training Day is a 2001 crime drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by David Ayer, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. The film follows two LAPD narcotics detectives over a 24-hour period in the gang neighborhoods of South and East Los Angeles.The film was a box office success and...
with a joke/metaphor referencing a snail that climbs onto a man's porch. GameFAQs
GameFAQs
GameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...
' 2010 April Fool's joke consisted of a poll with the phrase as a hidden choice. There even exists a line of bath and body products under the name "Not Soap, Radio".
No Soap Radio was also the name of a successful radio commercial production company in New York City formed in 1970. Because of its activity as a music company creating tracks for TV as well as radio, it changed its name in the early 1980s to No Soap Productions and is still active as of 2011.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s "No Soap Radio" was used among college students as a nickname for public radio, including college stations. Such radio had no commercials and was thus not like "Soap Operas" which did carry commercial advertisement.
See also
- The AristocratsThe Aristocrats (joke)"The Aristocrats" is an exceptionally transgressive dirty joke that has been told by numerous stand-up comedians since the vaudeville era...
- Anti-humorAnti-humorAnti-humor is a type of indirect humor that involves the joke-teller delivering something which is deliberately not funny, or lacking in intrinsic meaning. The audience is expecting something humorous, and when this does not happen, the irony itself is of comedic value. Anti-humor is also the basis...
- Mornington CrescentMornington Crescent (game)Mornington Crescent is a spoof game, featured in the BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, which satirises complicated strategy games....
- Shaggy dog story