Leonardo6/ny_cartoon_1k huggingface dataset:
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I'm thinking about quitting the band. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A surreal joke about a marching band leader tirelessly marching into a desert, with her band following her. However, only two of the band's most dedicated members remain, and they look as if they have been travelling for many days. It's funny because, for these most committed members, they are only now considering quitting the band by not following the leader, whereas their more reasonable colleagues probably stopped following days ago.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Well, at least he made curfew. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about a nervous teenager trying to not get in trouble with his parents. Teenagers often have curfews, i.e., times by which they must be home by, otherwise they might lose, e.g., driving privileges. Here, the teenager was very close to being late and was rushing home so fast that they crashed into their house. The parents are nonchalant about the destruction, and look at the bright side: at least he technically made it home in time.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Wake up, Harold! You're having another of your delusions of grandeur. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: This scene takes place in a man's mind --- in his delusion, he is a judge in a courtroom, perhaps passing judgement on one of his rivals. This is a delusion of grandeur because judges have a lot of power. But, his daydream is interrupted by his wife entering the room, which manifests as her walking out of a door in the judges stand (in real life, she probably just walked into the room he was in).
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Botox. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The moai statues have been made more conventionally attractive via a face-lift --- the hiker explains to the other that this is the result of a botox injection. While botox can have this effect in humans, it's funny in part because it isn't possible to give a botox injection to inanimate stone carvings.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Come sweater season, you'll be back! Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The woman is breaking up with the man probably because of all of the goats he keeps in the house. His response is that when the weather gets cold, she will come back to their relationship because on of the benefits the goats provide is fur for sweaters.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Don't blame me—I voted for the other thing. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the term "Don't blame me—I voted for the other guy." which is what people say if the political party in power does something unsavory, but they voted for someone different during the election. Here, the "thing" is a monster terrorizing the city, and the person yelling apparently voted for a different monster during an election. It's funny to think about an election between two monsters, and why the person feels the monster they voted for wouldn't have terrorized the city.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Can you please pass the cow? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: When drinking coffee or tea, people often add cream, and may ask others to pass it if it's on the other side of a table. But here, the mugs are huge, so instead of asking for a small cup of cream, they are asking for the entire cow, which is the appropriately-sized cream dispenser for these huge drinks.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Throw us a doughnut! Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the word "doughnut." On the one hand, a doughnut is a sweet food that is often eaten with bitter coffee/teas for balance. But also, a doughnut looks like a life preserver, which is a flotation device that could be quite useful during a shipwreck, which is why the people in trouble are requesting it.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Gesundheit. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A physical joke about what might happen if someone sneezed while getting acupuncture. While this probably wouldn't literally physically happen, the implication is that the person sneezed, and all the needles transferred from her to the acupuncturist, which is funny. We know this because the doctor is saying "Gesundheit," which is what is said after someone sneezes.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Do you struggle endlessly through here often? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: "Do you come here often" is a common conversation starter at bars (where the woman is). Sisyphus would be unlikely to encounter such a woman, yet, she is trying to start a romantic conversation with him by adjusting the conversation stater to his eternally damned situation.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Gee, you guys really are having trouble meeting your recruitment quota! Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about the difficulty of recruiting of executioners. Being a member of a firing squad is likely not a popular job, and so instead of getting qualified people, this prison appears to be handing a gun to anyone willing, even a dog. The person about to be executed nonchalantly quips that they can't find qualified people.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: It's not magic. It's a Georgia ballot box. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A jab at the US state of Georgia's election processes. Historically, Georgia has a reputation for enacting policies that cause voter suppression. Here, the magician is making a ballot disappear (similar to a common magic trick of making a rabbit disappear), but instead of it being a trick he's just shredding ballots, and alluding to the idea that, in effect, this is what might as well happen to ballots when they are cast in unfair Georgian elections.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: It’s the new Mustang. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the term "mustang." A new mustang, in the modern world, refers to the Ford Mustang, which is a type of car. But, mustang is also a type of horse. Here, the cowboy's new mustang is an upgraded type of mechanical horse, which intersects both interpretations.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: We should be able to finish the album today, as long as no one rings the doorbell. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: When a doorbell rings, its common for dogs to become startled, stop everything they are doing, and bark loudly: in this case, that would set a chain reaction of havoc off -- the cats would become scared of the barking and run away, etc. The recording people are confident that this is the only thing that could foil their odd plan to record this pet-band playing music.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Welcome to the greatest living room on Earth! Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The slogan for the popular Ringling circus is "The Greatest Show On Earth", and while there is a circus ring here, instead of being a show, this ring doesn't contain any of the interesting parts of a circus like the animals or performers, and instead just exists in a living room.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: For God's sake, Dave, you're thirty-five—just use the stairs. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The romantic story of Rapunzel details two young lovers who endure significant hardship to be together: the prince must climb the princess' hair in the cover of night, etc. But here, the couple is older and more accessible to each other -- Rapunzel is "over" the romantic hair climbing of their past and is telling her partner to just use the stairs. A play on the trope that long-term relationships get more boring over time.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: When they said, "Take us to your leader." I don't think they meant your mother's house. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: This is a joke about in-laws. Pop culture depictions of aliens often have them requesting that the first humans they make contact with take them to the leaders of humanity. The woman is driving them to her mother's house, and the man, who feels stifled by his mother-in-law, is reminding his wife that her mom isn't their all-powerful leader. It's funny that this benign concern is on his mind in light of the fact that a giant spaceship is tailing them.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: You're just like your mother. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: This line is commonly stated by exacerbated and frustrated parents when their child is misbehaving in a way that reminds them of their partner. But here, the line takes on an additional odd/humorous meaning because these are centaurs and reverse-centaurs. The ambiguity of the genetics, the other parent, what the bad behavior is, etc. contributes to the joke being funny, because it's still a topical/appropriate comment for this hereditarily-confused centaur world.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Oh, great. More office drama. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A nonchalant response to the death of a coworker. The co-worker literally died and was buried in the cubicle, and the only thing the other employees think is that they will have to deal with office drama. This is a usual response to a benign drama like someone spilling coffee, but not appropriate for someone who literally died.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Regime change is never easy, dear. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the phrase "change is never easy" --- this is a phrase that couples might say to each other to comfort them after, e.g., a family member passes, or their children move out. Here, "regime" is inserted, which forms the term "regime change", which refers to the usually violent change of governments during, e.g., revolutions. The nonchalance of the woman and the worry of the man looking at the soldiers enacting the regime change is what makes it funny.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Should we try that new place in the corner? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about "on the corner" vs. "in the corner" --- a "new place on the corner" would be a new restaurant that just opened on the corner of a city block. but here, there's a new place "in the corner" of the current room they are sitting in: the out-of-place food truck. It's funny to think how they could have possibly not visited this food truck before, it's literally next to them in their living room.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: You always get like this when there's a full Earth. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: Odd/scary behaviors are said to occur during a full moon; in this case, the "full earth" out the window either implies that these people live in a space house, or that the house occasionally jumps into orbit. The contrast between the man's nonchalance and the woman's lucidity about the absurdity of being in space is humorous.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Damn, I loved that giraffe. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: People sometimes have pictures of loved ones or pets on their desk. While we can't see what's in the frame, it's very tall, and giraffes have long necks, so we assume that this man has a picture of his deceased pet giraffe on his desk. It's a funny, straightforward, but unusual explanation for the very tall picture frame.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: If you see something, say something. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: Waiters at restaurants will often ask if people want anything from the menus by saying, e.g., "see something you like?" ---but this restaurant is on the new york subway station, which broadcasts "If you see something, say something." as a terrorism fighting message, e.g., if you see someone doing something that could potentially be dangerous, the message encourages riders to say something and contact a number. The restaurant and subway intersect via this message: "if you see something [on the menu you want to order], say something [to the waiter]"
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Have you considered writing this story in the third monkey rather than the first monkey? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: Stories can be told in first person (e.g., "I did X") or third person ("The character did X"), and editors will sometimes critique this choice or offer suggestions about the writing style. But here, the monkey is writing, so instead of first/third person, the suggestion about perspective is first/third "monkey".
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Think it over. I'm still the only one here who can use a can opener. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The giant cat has the power to kill the man, who is attempting to defend himself. His best defense: he reminds the cat that he's the only one who can open canned cat food by using a can opener. It's funny because, even though the cat is big and powerful, the point the man brings up about the cat's reliance on him is still a valid reason for the cat to not kill him.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: It took us years to get somebody in the inside. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about birds being undercover agents. Law enforcement agencies and governments will often undertake long-term reconnaissance operations to infiltrate organizations they want to spy on. Here, the birds have their agent, the bird on the gun, as an inside source who will report to them the activities of the bird hunter. It's funny to think that birds could plan that long, and that they have a spy agency.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Don't move. I think I have something in my teeth. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The man's balding head serves as a mirror for the woman. Instead of noticing that he might feel a bit insecure about his balding, she takes advantage of it like any other mirror: to identify food stuck in her teeth and remove it.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: This is the last time I park on this side of town! Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: When people park on the wrong side of town, sometimes their cars are robbed. But here, the wild-west parallel is that, if a cowboy "parks" his horse on the wrong side of town, a robber might steal the skin from it. It's funny not only because the caption frames a modern concern in a wild-west light, but also, because the robbers were quite thorough.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Past the alligator, through the ring of fire, first door on your left. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about a weird restaurant with many comical traps like the depicted alligator pit and the not pictured ring of fire. The waiter is giving directions to the customer about the extreme perils of going to the bathroom in this establishment.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: And my hourly fee is six hundred dollars. You're not in Kansas anymore. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: In the "Wizard of Oz," the movie that the characters in the chairs are from, the main character says "We're not in Kansas anymore" in reference to the fact that they have been transported to the magical land of Oz. Here, they are in an expensive lawyer's office instead of Oz, and the reason why it's "not Kansas" is not whimsical --- it's because the lawyers in this city (probably New York) are more expensive than in Kansas. The lawyer uses the same line from the movie to justify his high price.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I let my mother-in-law move in with us. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: There's a trope that an angel might be given a big halo in heaven after they die if they did a particularly selfless act in their life. Here, the above-and-beyond act was letting a mother-in-law live with him and his partner. In general, having a partner's parents move in is very hard, because the in-law may interfere with the couple's independent, day-to-day romantic relationship, and so agreeing to this is a huge sacrifice. It's funny in part because this isn't the biggest possible sacrifice in life, but is under-rated as a selfless act.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Miley’s here. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A reference to the Miley Cyrus music video "Wrecking Ball", in which she rides a wrecking ball into a side of a building. Instead of being surprised by the destruction, the everyday people react as if they invited Cyrus to their house and were anticipating that she would arrive in this destructive fashion.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: And this is our new incentive plan. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: An "incentive plan" is usually a type of employee compensation that rewards people financially for meeting specific performance targets. But here, the company can't afford to pay extra, so their incentive plan is the electric chair: the implication is that employees must meet targets or they will simply be killed. A dark but humorous joke about how some companies view their employees as disposable.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: You knew your wife might remarry. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The angel is scolding the deceased man for trying to stop his mortal wife from re-marrying another person by throwing the lightning bolt at her back on earth. When people die, it's common for their spouses to get married, but this man, despite being dead, isn't comfortable with that. It's funny in part because one would think that ascending to heaven would alleviate petty, earthly concerns like jealousy, but, it didn't for this man.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Stop me if you've heard this one. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The bartender is nonchalantly responding to a bar joke occurring in real life. "A rabbi, a priest, and a minister walk into a bar..." is a popular, stereotypical beginning of a bar joke. This sort of joke is commonly viewed as overdone, and the humorous part is that, even if it were happening in real life, a very jaded person might say something indicating their boredom at the overdone-ness of the situation, i.e., "stop me if you've heard this one" means "stop me if you have heard this stereotypical joke before."
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: How about some help carrying the groceries? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The shark is carrying a human which the sharks plan to eat. When humans are carrying their food, they might be coming back from the grocery store with bags, and might request help from their partner to carry the bags. While the sharks are having a similar benign discussion about carrying groceries, but the implication of the human as groceries to be eaten makes it funny.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Well, where did you think baby grands came from? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A baby grand piano is a small type of piano: the joke is that instead of being manufactured normally, pianos actually reproduce sexually, and the "piano farm" is in a fancy mansion in this house.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Yes he's still out there...and he looks serious. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: Suburbanites are notorious for watching for crime in their neighborhoods, and this man is doing that from his window onto his lawn. But, he sees a Moai statue and is treating it as if it were a suspicious person, e.g., expecting it to be able to move or expecting it to be dangerous. While it looks serious, unlike a person standing on the lawn who looks serious, the statue is probably not a real threat.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: So, for the record, are you a duck or a rabbit? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A shadows make a reference to a popular optical illusion depicting both a duck and a rabbit: the doctor is asking a biological question to prescribe the best care, but can't tell if he should be treating a duck or a rabbit.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Thank God, Fashion Week is over. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The man with the unusual outfit is going to the bar on Friday after his bad week at the office: "fashion week". "Fashion week" is an industry event where clothing designers showcase extravagant, unusual, and highly artistic outfits: the duck and no pants look depicted might be one of them. But here, instead of displaying the outfits on trained models, this office is displaying outfits on regular office employees who might not enjoy the eccentric clothing.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I know I have a book in me. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: "I have a book in me" is said by aspiring writers, but it's easier to say that one has a book idea than to actually write it. Here, the turtle literally has a book in him, somewhere in the stack.