Well, one reason is that they can quickly deliver a punchline or a humorous situation. For example, in a short story, there's no need for a long build - up like in a novel. They can surprise you right away.
Sure. 'The Ransom of Red Chief' by O. Henry is a great one. A couple of kidnappers take a boy, but he turns out to be such a wild and unruly brat that they end up paying the boy's father to take him back. It's full of unexpected twists and turns that are really humorous.
Funny comedy short stories often have unexpected twists. For example, the characters might find themselves in situations they never anticipated, like a plumber who goes to fix a sink and ends up in a secret underground party. They also usually involve humorous characters, like a very forgetful wizard or an overly - confident but clumsy knight. Another characteristic is the use of absurd situations, such as a town where all the traffic lights are replaced with disco balls.
Sure. There was a man who went to a magic show. The magician asked him to pick a card, any card. So he picked one. Then the magician said he'd make the card disappear. After some waving of hands, the magician asked the man to check his pocket. The man found the card in his pocket and said, 'I thought you were making it disappear, not moving it to my pocket!'
One element is the unexpected. In a funny story, things don't go as planned. For example, like in the story of the magician and the man with the card. The man expected the card to truly disappear, but instead it just moved to his pocket. Another element is the innocence, like the boy at the zoo thinking the camel could carry a water bottle. It's a simple and naive thought that makes us laugh. Also, the element of surprise, like the driver having three other children when his wife was having her first baby.
Well, there's a really funny one. A guy went to a costume party dressed as a 'ceiling fan'. When people asked him how he was doing, he just stood there and said 'I'm going around in circles, how do you think I'm doing?'. Another story is about a cat that got into a box of flour and then ran around the house leaving white paw prints everywhere, making it look like a mini snowstorm had hit the place. And there's this story of a group of ducks that followed a man home because he had a bag of breadcrumbs that he was constantly dropping.
A cat went to the vet. The vet asked, 'Is this cat male or female?' The owner said, 'Well, I think it's male because he's lifting up his leg when he pees.' The vet said, 'Well, that's not necessarily true. My cat is female and she lifts her leg when she pees.' The owner replied, 'Oh. Well, why does your cat do that?' The vet said, 'She likes to show off she's been to the vet.' This is a light - hearted and funny story for kids with a bit of silly animal - related humor.
They are brief. Usually just a few sentences can tell the whole story. For example, 'I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. She looked surprised.' It gets the humor across quickly.
Here's another. Two fish are in a tank. One says to the other, 'Do you know how to drive this thing?' This is short and funny as it gives fish the ability to talk and have a humorous misunderstanding about their environment which is a tank not a vehicle.
One characteristic is simplicity. They are short so they need to convey the message simply. For example, they might have a single, easy - to - understand situation like the story of the boy and the doorbell. Another characteristic is the element of surprise. In the story of the bad - voiced singer, the unexpected outcome of making the patients feel better through his bad singing is what makes it both funny and inspirational. Also, they often have a positive core. The girl's simple painting about her family's happy moment is positive and inspiring.