HRWiki Running gag

A WikiProject to discover (or rediscover) the definition of a running gag, and what to do with topic-unifying articles that aren't.

Definition

Shortcut:
HRW:RG

A running gag may have several definitions and requirements:

• A running gag is an amusing situation or line that constantly reappears throughout the site. Often the repetition of the running gag is exactly what makes it so humorous. (Running Gags)
• The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. A running gag is an amusing situation or line that reappears throughout the work. They are often unintentional at first, but familiarity or popularity of such gags among viewers encourage their reappearance. Often, the humor in a running gag derives entirely from how often it is repeated. (Wikipedia)
• A running gag is like an inside joke, only bigger in scope.
  • Its appearances are connected or may refer to its previous appearances.
  • There may be an underlying trigger that kicks off the joke and future appearances of it.
  • It has to be the same joke, or similar enough in premise.
• A running gag is a simple comedic element that recurs.
• An inside joke is something that's not funny unless one knows what it's referring to. A running gag is something that's funny per se, but is funnier if one knows it's been done many times before on the site.
  • However, to someone familiar with the recurring element but not with what it refers to, an inside joke's appearance can be funny based solely on the absurdity of its recurrence. The laughter is not at the unknown reference, but at the incongruity of the element in context.

There are many articles in the , however, that unify a certain topic, subject, or idea which is used as a foil for making jokes. These articles are more like compilations of many unrelated jokes or just plain appearances that have the same topic. Future discussion will decide which articles these are, what they will be called, and what will be done with them.

What to do

Since questionable running gags are simply lists of appearances, they should be counted as such. For simplicity, the articles should be put into subcategories in in the same way they are put into subcategories in . Such categories could be called:

• (needs possible rename if fake RGs can be found)
• (needs possible rename if fake RGs can be found)

(Note that then names for the categories might change.)