Why did the chicken cross the road? facts for kids
"Why did the chicken cross the road?" is a common riddle joke, with the answer being "To get to the other side". It is an example of anti-humor, in that the curious setup of the joke leads the listener to expect a traditional punchline, but they are instead given a simple statement of fact. "Why did the chicken cross the road?" has become iconic as an exemplary generic joke to which most people know the answer, and has been repeated and changed numerous times over the course of history.
Variations
There are many riddles that assume a familiarity with this well-known riddle and its answer. For example, an alternate punchline can be used for the riddle, such as "it was too far to walk around". One class of variations enlists a creature other than the chicken to cross the road, in order to refer back to the original riddle. For example, a duck (or turkey) crosses "because it was the chicken's day off," and a dinosaur crosses "because chickens didn't exist yet." Some variants are both puns and references to the original, such as "Why did the duck cross the road?" "To prove he's no chicken".
Other variations replace side with another word often to form a pun. Some examples are:
"Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide"
"Why did the chewing gum cross the road? It was stuck to the chicken's foot"
"Why did the whale cross the ocean? To get to the other tide."
A mathematical version asks, "Why did the chicken cross the Möbius strip?" "To get to the same side."
As with the lightbulb joke, variants on these themes are widespread.
See also
In Spanish: ¿Por qué cruzó el pollo la carretera? para niños
