potter's american monthly came up with the riddle why did the chicken cross the road.
potter's american monthly came up with the riddle why did the chicken cross the road.
who came up with the riddle why did the chicken cross the road?
potter's american monthly
the riddle appeared in an 1847 edition of "the knickerbocker", a new york city monthly magazine:









































there are 'quips and quillets' which "seem" actual conundrums, but yet are none. of such is this: 'why does a chicken cross the street?['] are you 'out of town?' do you 'give it up?' well, then: 'because it wants to get on the other side!'









































in the 1890s, a pun variant version appeared in the magazine "potter's american monthly":









































why should not a chicken cross the road?









































it would be a fowl proceeding.









































section::::variations.
why did the chicken cross the road?
why did the chicken cross the road?









































"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.









































section::::history.
why did the chicken cross the road?