Date Collected
Winter 12-2017
Place item was collected
Hyde Park, Utah
Informant
Zach Hamp
Point of Discovery/Informant Bio
Zach Hamp is a 22-year-old student at Utah State University from Hyde Park, Utah. We went to Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah together and attended the same congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He enjoys movies, certain video games, and having fun with friends.
Context
Zach and I were talking in my living room in Hyde Park when I recorded this conversation. My parents were in the other room so there was quite a bit of background conversation, but Zach knows my family, so he was comfortable. We have been friends for at least nine years and so during the whole talk we were laughing and reminiscing about funny high school stories. I had originally told this joke when Zach and I were at scout camp during middle school.
Text
There's two friends in high school and they're really close but after graduation they go their separate ways. And then they meet up again and he sees this one friend driving in this beautiful sports car and then he's got this giant orange head and he's like, 'Woah, dude! What's changed since I've seen you last? What's going on with your life?' And he's like, 'Well, you're not going to believe this but I found a magical lamp with genie in it and he gave me three wishes. So, the first thing I wished for was a beautiful wife, and I got it. The second thing I wished for was this awesome sports car, and I got it. But it all went down hill when I wish for a big orange head'.
Texture
Zach knew that I knew this joke, so it wasn't as detailed as some renditions I've heard. We both still laughed at the ridiculousness of the joke because we have a similar sense of humor. Normally the joke is a little more drawn out, with the wishes being fulfilled the day after they were wished for. Sometimes the first wish is a million dollars and the second wish is a hot girlfriend. This joke is intended to be a sort of anti-joke – a joke that is usually funnier to the teller than the listener because the teller gets to see the confused reaction of the listener trying to understand the ridiculousness of the somewhat anticlimactic punch line.
Course
Intro to Folklore - ENGL 2210
Instructor
Lynne McNeil
Semester and year
Fall 2017
Theme
G4: Jokes
EAD Number
3.9.101
Recommended Citation
Perkes, Tanner, "Giant Orange Head" (2017). USU Student Folklore Fieldwork. Paper 103.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/student_folklore_all/103