Herd of cows

A herd of cows is what one calls a large grouping of cows.
Frequently, the pun of "herd" and "heard" has been used by the Muppets in several productions, mainly pertaining to cows, but also referring to other groupings of animals as well. The typical exchange is as follows:
The joke was used multiple times by Abbott and Costello, including burlesque, the 1942 film Ride 'Em Cowboy, and episodes of their radio and television shows.
==Uses of joke==
* The earliest known use of the joke in a Henson production was in an Esskay commercial featured on the December 5, 1958 edition of Sam and Friends, delivered by Kermit and Moldy Hay. Sam and Friends: The Story of Jim Henson's First Television Show by Craig Shemin, page 42
* Rowlf the Dog and Jimmy Dean do the joke in a 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
* The joke is used as the centerpiece of the Veterinarian's Hospital sketch in episode 211 of The Muppet Show.
* Fozzie and Kermit do the joke in episode 322 of The Muppet Show.
* In Episode 0912 of Sesame Street, a cow does an impression that the Count correctly guesses is of an elephant. The cow tells him it's a "herd of elephant," and the Count responds, "Yes, I've heard of elephants."
* Fozzie Bear attempts to tell the joke to an actual herd of cows in Jim Frawley's Camera Tests for The Muppet Movie (though he fumbles with the wording). He successfully pulls off the joke with Kermit the Frog in episode 322 of The Muppet Show. The two reuse the joke when setting up a clip of "Elegance" in Muppet Treasures.
* While participating in a puppet show on The Saturday Show in 1984, Kermit and a child puppeteer perform the routine in response to what kind of a farmer she is.
* The joke is used in Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along following the elephant song.
* Episode 109 of The Jim Henson Hour features the exchange between Kermit and Bean Bunny, only about the herd of sentient garbage bags that have invaded Muppet Central.
* In a Global Grover segment, Grover and Fred the Wonder Horse watch a film about cow herding. Following the film, Grover asks Fred if he's ever herd a cow before. They hear a nearby moo and Fred replies, "I heard one now."
* Upon hearing Elmo and Abby Cadabby mooing like cows in Episode 4157, Gladys the Cow arrives saying, "Methinks I heard a herd of cows".
*The Muppets episode "Walk the Swine" has Fozzie trying to set up the joke (using a "heard of buffalo") to an unreceptive audience.
* In Episode 4603 of Sesame Street, safari tour leader Grover says he, Elmo and a monkey passenger can pretend to be a herd of elephants. "Of course Elmo's heard of elephants," Elmo replies.
* A second season episode of Sesame Tree is called "Potto's Heard of Cows".
==Sources==
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Category:Joke References
Category:Running Gags