Leonardo6/ny_cartoon_1k huggingface dataset:
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I'm only here for the summer. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: Lifeguards are traditionally seasonable employees that are only hired during the summer; these jobs usually require less dedication/training. Office jobs, on the other hand, are usually not temporary. It's funny to imagine this employee's surprise to find that his boss a seasonal employee (because he's dressed as a lifeguard); this might mean that the employee's work will have less oversight or that the company rotates management so frequently, they might as well be seasonal.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Let's just go with the open floor plan. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The intelligence of mice is tested in labs using mazes with lots of walls. But if the mice could build the maze themselves (as depicted), they might choose to put up no walls ("open floor plan") and go straight for the prize. It's funny to let them build it themselves because it defeats the purpose of the experiment.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I hate the way corporate thinking has taken over surfing, man. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: It's a funny contrast between the way one might expect corporations to take over surfing versus the way that they are depicted to be doing so. We might imagine a disconnected corporations soullessly promoting surfing products to make profits. But instead, the takeover involves businesspeople literally surfing, which is technically a takeover, but isn't as "corporate" in the cultural sense.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: To be fair, Martha, you did just kill one of their kids. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about mosquito parents being enormous --- it's common for people to kill mosquitoes by slapping them before they bite, but if mosquito parents were very large as depicted, they might try to beat up the person who killed their kid; the man nonchalantly says that this is an expected and justified outcome for a benign action.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: If their dog starts humping your leg - let it finish. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A crude joke about the enormous dog not pictured, but implied to exist. People often tie their dogs up with chains, but the chain here is enormous and powerful, suggesting the dog its attached to is very large and strong. So, if it were to start humping your leg (normally, one would push a dog doing this away), it's safer to just let it continue rather than anger it.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Not a commandment. Just a suggestion. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about overbearing parents --- moses received commandments from god. But here, in addition to the commandments, god suggests moses wear a sweater; "don't forget to bring a sweater" is a common thing an overbearing parent might suggest to a child. It's funny partly because of the contrast between the eternal truths of the ten commandments versus the gentle suggestion to wear a sweater.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Frankly, Sheila, I find this the most awkward part of our divorce agreement. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: During a divorce, couples compromise to divide assets, but a dog they both love can't be divided. Humorously, instead of sharing the dog by having it at different times, this couple has been ordered to walk the dog with two leashes at the same time, which partly defeats the point of the divorce because they have to awkwardly see each other frequently.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: It seems you promised them herd immunity, sir. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on words: "Herd immunity" refers to a group immunity to a virus, but here -- the herd refers to a herd of sheep, and the immunity isn't viral: it's legal immunity, as evidenced by the two wolves dressed as lawyers. The sheep are mad because they are in unexpected legal trouble.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Who has the floor? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the term "has the floor" --- a phrase that figuratively means "who has the right to speak right now in this meeting". But here, the question is literal: the meeting has no floor, and so the person is asking literally who took it.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: This part of the job is easy—it's the whoopee-cushion testing that annoys me. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The joke is about people who have the weird job of quality assurance testing of novelty items like nose/glass disguises and whoopee-cushions. This caption surprisingly implies that all of these items are made in the same factory.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I hate connecting through Roswell. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The US army used to do nuclear bomb testing in Roswell, New Mexico; nuclear radiation can cause defects. In this case, the passenger from Roswell is so irradiated he's comically turned into this gross blob, which the man doesn't like sitting next to.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Apparently, even the Fantastic Four can feel the pinch of the recession. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The diners are implying that the Fantastic Four had to get a job running a restaurant to make money during an economic downturn: the long arm is that of Reed Richards, a superhero with the ability to stretch his body. The contrast between superheros saving people vs. working in a kitchen during hard times is what makes this funny.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: It's alley mode. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the words "a la mode", which means "served with ice cream." Instead of this cake being served with ice cream (a la mode), it's served "alley mode", which sounds similar, but literally means in the modality of a street alley, as depicted.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: You wouldn't believe it! I met a man at the pet store. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: "Meeting someone" in everyday situations like a pet store is how many romantic relationships start. However, here, the woman on the phone actually bought a small pet man at the store.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: As an icebreaker, let's all share one interesting thing about ourselves. I'll start. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: An absurd joke about icebreakers --- sometimes, to get to know people in a group setting, everyone will go around and say a fun fact about themselves. Usually, because folks are strangers, the fact shared is benign, like a favorite food or vacation spot. But here, the man is keen to share his hobby of cross-dressing like a woman, which, while not socially unacceptable, is a more taboo personal fact to share versus the usual benign facts.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: On second thought, it's more of a sandals day. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The man is clearly not dressed for work properly (because he's naked), but while he recognizes that he's dressed inappropriately, he's focused on the innocuous choice of shoes rather than the glaringly obvious fact that he can't go to work naked.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Where were you between the hours of beddy-bye and nighty-night? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: If a teddy bear were to be accused of a crime, as depicted with the bear on the stand, they might get questioned about their whereabouts at particular times. But instead of normal times like noon or 11PM, because teddy bears are used as children's toys, it might be questioned about "beddy-bye" and "nighty-night" as time markers. It's funny because of the contrast between the seriousness of the trial context and the silliness of the time specifications.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Next week, I'll move Heaven for you. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: "I'd move heaven and earth for you" means: "I'd do anything for you". Here, the man is moving earth; in reference to this saying, this implies he will next move heaven for her.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Please! I have a wife and two thousand kids! Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the common plea people use in dire situations: "I have a wife and two kids;" this is stated to try to have people take mercy and not kill someone. But here, the victim of the bear is a fish about to be eaten, and fish tend to have many more than two kids, so the phrase is updated with the fish-version of it: two thousand kids.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: An optimist would see sushi. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about making the best of a bad situation. The man and the woman are struggling to survive on the island, when a massive shark beaches itself: the sharks looks scary and the man jumps in the water. The woman quips that the man is being unhelpful, and he should instead see opportunity in the shark's presence: they could kill and eat it (sushi). The shark looks pretty intimidating though, so this could be a difficult task.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: This new M.B.A. crop is so hard to break. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: To "break" a horse is the first step of training it. Here, the joke is that recent MBA graduates are also broken in the same way (e.g., by being ridden like a horse) by the new companies that hire them, as part of job training.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: How much did you spend at Macy's this year? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A reference to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, an annual event in New York City with large balloons. Here, the balloon in the parade looks like the man at the table: the joke is that Macy's constructed a balloon in honor of the man, presumably because he was a very good customer who spent a lot of money at the store.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Anything to declare? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: "Anything to declare" is a question asked by customs at airports. Heaven's gates are adorned with barbed wire, implying that, oddly, heaven has as high of security as international borders. It's funny because one might assume heaven would be free of worldly security concerns, but apparently not.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: You were right—putting him on commission changed his attitude. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A "bull in a china shop" refers to someone who is not careful and breaks things in situations that require care. In this case, the literal bull has surprisingly reformed to be more careful simply by changing occupations within the store.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Is the funny voice really worth all this trouble? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: When people inhale helium, their voice becomes high pitched and funny. Also, helium is lighter than air, and thus levitates what it fills like balloons. The man has inhaled helium because he wants a funny voice, but the doctor is worried about his weightlessness from a medical perspective.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Sure, I’ve got a few minutes to kill. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the term "a few minutes to kill" --- this is an expression that someone might say when they are not in a rush; if the person at the bar was a normal person, this would mean that they would be happy to have a beer. Here, because death is at the bar "a few minutes to kill" means that death has a few minutes available to literally kill someone during.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I have some good news—we're letting you go. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the words "letting you go" -- normally, if your boss was to "let you go" it would be bad news, because they would be firing you. In this context, "letting you go" means removing you from your straight jacket, which would be good news. Because the boss also has a straitjackets, the employee might be getting fired from this company where everyone wears straitjackets, but that would still be good news because this is a terrible workplace.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Hi Hon. Can you meet me at the hospital in about ten minutes? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The man on the phone is pre-planning his own hospital visit. This is unusual, because one would think that he would be focused on avoiding injury from the currently-occuring situation instead of, in a surprisingly carefree and cheerful manner, telling his friend to meet him at the hospital.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Crazy people have sat in yours. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The woman is going to therapy, but refuses to sit on the office couch because "crazy people have sat in it". But, by being this neurotic and replacing the couch for her appointment, she outs herself as a crazy person herself. The therapist has a lot to work on.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Ever have the feeling you forgot to turn something off? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The nonchalant statement of forgetting to turn an oven or burner off would be common to hear in a bar --- but coming from the man in the nuclear hazmat suit, who presumably is some sort of safety operator at a nuclear plant, is quite alarming, because it implies a nearby nuclear plant is likely to explode in short order.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: This better be good. That floor was waxed last night! Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about a surprisingly callous emergency hotline office. The people answering calls are presumably trying to help people with emergencies. But, when presented with someone in an emergency directly in front of them, the crawling man needing help, they react without empathy, saying that their office was just cleaned and the person asking for help better have a good reason for messing up their floor.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I wear the pants but my wife controls them. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke that plays on two marriage tropes: who "wears the pants" in the relationship (i.e., who takes on the traditionally masculine role) and who is really in control (i.e., the trope is that women exert most of the control behind the scenes). But here, these tropes are literal: the man is literally wearing weird pants held up by drones, and the wife is literally controlling the contraption via remote control access of the drones.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Then maybe you should just tell me what you want for your birthday instead of saying you don't care. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: People often claim they "don't care" what others get them for their birthday, but this isn't literally true: if someone got them a dozen monkeys (as pictured), they probably would be mad because dealing with the monkeys is a lot of work.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Decaf. They can't be far away. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A joke about the impact of caffeine. The two wild-west police officers have encountered the previous night's hide-out of the criminals, but because the criminals drank decaffeinated coffee instead of caffeinated, they likely have less energy to be on the run because caffeine energizes people. So: because they drank decaf, they aren't as far as if they had caffeniated.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: You two seem oddly suited. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: Two people being "oddly suited" usually means that their personalities are surprisingly compatible, despite having many differences. But here, they are literally "oddly suited," i.e., they are wearing odd suits for a party (diving suit, space suit).
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I don't need your approval. I just need you to tie the laces. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The joke is about an indignant horse insisting that they should be allowed to wear these unusual shoes, despite the cowboy's skepticism. The horse needs the cowboy to tie the shoelaces because its physically unable, but the cowboy is skeptical if the shoes should be allowed. It's funny in part because the horse is acting like a teenager asserting its independence, rebelling against a parent by wearing unusual clothing.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: She told me she had protection. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A reversal of traditional gender roles: usually, women are the ones who become pregnant after unprotected sex, but here, the man is pregnant. He laments that his partner claimed to be using protection so he didn't expect to become pregnant. It's funny because it's not clear what sort of protection he thought she had, or how the couple reproduced in the first place.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Can't I just laugh till it hurts? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A dominatrix is a person who consensually inflicts pain on people who have a particular fetish for experiencing pain. Here, the clown does not have that fetish for physical pain, and instead, is asking if he can laugh until it hurts, instead of undertaking the usual physical pain from the dominatrix, e.g., being whipped. It's funny because of the juxtaposition of physical pain and laughing pain.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: What’s it going to take to get you in this car today? Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: When a car salesman says this line, usually, the buyers inhibitions are related to the price of the car, and the salesman will negotiate price. Here, the car is a scary monster, so the exact same line takes a second meaning where the inhibition is about not being attacked by a monster.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: They call it kitsch and release. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the term "catch and release", which refers to the process of returning fish to the water after a fisherman catches them. Catch sounds like "kitsch", which refers to objects with poor aesthetics, but are ironically appreciated: such an object would be a mounted game fish (or the even kitschier, Big Mouth Billy Bass toy), which one of the fish has been transformed into by the fisherman instead of just catch-and-releasing him.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I told you we should have salted the roads. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: Usually, salting the roads would prevent ice from building up, and so a politician might advocate for that for transportation safety. But here, salting the roads would cause the giant snail to dry out because moisture would be removed from its body, killing it, and saving the city.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I shall offer you three settings. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: Genies stereotypically offer three wishes and come out of a lamp. If a genie were to come out of a toaster as shown, instead of three wishes, he might humorously offer three different heat settings on a toaster instead, which is an underwhelming offer compared to the usual.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: I am useless until I have my morning turkey. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: People often drink coffee in the morning because it contains caffeine, an energizing drug: many people report that they are incapable of working without coffee, i.e., that they are "useless" without it. The surreal joke here is that the man is holding an entire turkey, and instead of having coffee every morning, eats an entire turkey, and is apparently useless without it.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: Not now—I'm in the middle of a big case. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on words: to be "in the middle of a big case" to a lawyer would usually mean that they are busy in the process of litigating an important legal case. But here: the "case" is a literal briefcase, and the lawyer is standing in the middle of it.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: It’s only a 12 second flight. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: The wright brother's plane, depicted at this modern airport, famously first flew for only 12 seconds. The idea that the modern commercial airline would be running this flight for business travelers like the man with the suitcase is funny. Usually short flights are good because you get to your destination faster, but the 12 second flight here won't get the man anywhere.
user: Given a cartoon image and a caption. Caption: As a weasel, I need your vote. Question: Generating an explanation of why this image/caption combination is funny. Answer: 

assistant: A play on the idea that politicians are figurative weasels --- i.e., they are deceitful/shady. This politician is strangely trying to get votes from woodland creatures, and is trying to relate to the animals by embracing his identity as a (figurative) weasel to the group of animals who may know (or may be) literal weasels.