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Yeah. There's a certain efficiency about it. [German accent] "He does something and falls over! It is very amusing! Before, he was walking in a straight line, then he walked into the door! This is genius!"
Okay, Joke #1...
Contrary to some opinion, Germans have a sense of humour. Well, considering that a person who lived in Chemnitz from 1900 to 2000 would have to go through the Kaiserreich, two World Wars, Nazi Germany, East Germany (during which time his city would have to endure being called "Karl-Marx-Stadt" even though poor old Karl was born and raised in Trier—about as far from Chemnitz as you can get in Germany) and The Berlin Republic, possession of one would become pretty much mandatory.
There also are strong cultural differences. Bavarian (and Austrian, if they can be counted here) humor is more down-to-earth and gritty, while the Western Germans seem to carry their Karneval/Fasching/Fastnacht (Mardi Gras/Carnival) lightheartedness in all their comedy. Since the major low-brow TV stations are based in that area, this translates into an almost unwatchable fare nationwide.
Britons may even be surprised to hear that German (especially Northern German) humour is actually very similar to their own - a bizarre combination of dry wit and slapstick. The " No Sense Of Humour" stereotype appears to originate in a combination of the German Prussian reputation for efficiency and a perceived lack of the (uniquely British) habit of using humour as a "default mode" for dealing with the world in general.
Germany has a strong tradition of satirical cabaret shows dating back to the 19th century, with some cabaretists becoming nationally famous. This satirical fixation somewhat mirrors a perceived whinyness in the German nature generally. However, the nature of the medium means it doesn't travel well.
Some examples of German humour:
East-Germany jokes
- While the Trabant joke wave was still rolling, a humorous semi-a cappella song single-handedly spawned its successor, a long series of jokes about the Opel Manta
 , making it awkward practically over night to drive a Manta. The jokes aren't so much about the car itself as it's a decent sports coupé with no serious shortcomings. They rather focus on the clichés it is surrounded with; many of these are true, but here they are cranked Up to Eleven. The Mantas themselves are lowered and fit with supersized bodykits, rear wings, wide tires, a Kenwood sticker on the rear window, and the inevitable "foxtail" on the radio antenna (among many other modifications). The drivers are utterly dumb proletarians wearing tracksuit pants, cowboy boots, and mullets, who always have Dumb Blonde hairdressers as girlfriends. Almost all Manta drivers are from certain places in North Rhine-Westphalia, some are from the Ruhr area, but most are from Bergheim (Cologne is a city near Bergheim - yep, not the other way round). Last but not least, a Manta is always driven with one elbow out of the window.
- Basically the same stereotype that attached to Chevy Camaros in America and Ford Capris in Britain at about the same time.
- The shortest Manta joke of all: A Manta is parked in front of a university (shortest in german: "Steht 'nen Manta vor 'ner Uni").
- Why do so many Mantas have triangular gas pedals? Because cowboy boots aren't rectangular.
- What remains when a Manta burns down? A golden necklace and a crying hairdresser.
- Why are Manta drivers buried on Mondays only? Because that's the hairdressers' day off.
- Where do Mantas rust first? On the top edge of the driver's door due to armpit moisture.
- Why do some Mantas have eight additional headlights? That way they can be driven at night with sunglasses on.
- What's a Manta without a rear wing? Broken.
- How does a Manta driver make a family portrait? He puts everyone in the Manta and races through a speed trap.
- What does a Manta driver do at a gas station for four hours? He tries to quit smoking.
- What's the last thing that goes through a Manta drivers head, when crashing into a wall? The rear wing.
- What's a Manta Light? An Ascona B.
- Saxon / Bavarian / Austrian / East Frisian / whatever stereotypes.
- Puns, including humorous 'kennings' (e.g. 'Groschengrab', 'dime grave' for parking meters).
- Schadenfreude, which is taking pleasure from another's misfortune.
- ...which goes so far that Germans have A-class jokes since it failed the moose test.
- One good example: On a small Allgäu farm, a kid runs home during a terrible rainstorm. His mother opens the door and then asks him, where his dad has gone to. The son, who is totally soaked and cold, but tries to explain,
- "D-D-Daddy... h-he... oh g-g-god... o-o-on t-the field... r-rain..."
- "For god's sake, spit it out, son! If you can't say it, then sing it!"
- "*to the tune of Mary Had A Little Lamb* ♪ Daddy got struck by a bolt, a lighting bolt, a lightning bolt... ♫"
- Black Comedy such as Nichtlustig. The english version can be found here.
- Jokes like this. It should be understandable even though it is not translated.
- Forklift Driver Klaus - The First Day on the Job, which is Bloody Hilarious.
- The German dub of Hogan's Heroes.
- Raumschiff GameStar.
- Phenomenons like Sinnlos Im Weltraum, Lord Of The Weed or Coldmirror's Harry Potter-Gag Dub.
Famous humorist writers from Germany:
- Heinrich Heine, of Loreley fame (yes, he wasn't exclusively humorist / satirist)
- Wilhelm Busch (creator of Max and Moritz (spiritual predecessors of The Katzenjammer Kids) and many other famous characters)
- Christian Morgenstern
- Joachim Ringelnatz
- Walter Moers
- Janosch
Famous German comedians:
The all-important smallish Austrian subsection (they love being counted as Germans every bit as much as Canadians enjoy being lumped in with Americans.)
- Christoph Grisseman and Dirk Sterman, hosts of the Austrian late-night show 'Willkommen Österreich' (Welcome Austria). As mentioned above, the show's humour is typically Austrian, which is quite dark, often dealing with deportation of immigrants or the antics of the far-right parties in Austria.
- Also: Alfred Dorfer, host of 'Dorfers Donnerstalk'. Quite similiar to the above mentioned show, though the humour is more of the random and satirical variety. A popular segment on the show are the comedy group maschek (másik in Hungarian, meaning 'from the other side') who dub television reports or similiar passages, giving them entirely new meanings. They also made three puppet theater shows, each making fun of the current Austrian chancellor or president.
- Not to mention that he created MA 2412, a hilarious show about Austrian bureaucracy.
- Michael Niavarani, who was voted "funniest Austrian of all times". Uses his partly Iranian ancestry and rich body hair, among other things.
- He does a couple of shows with Viktor Gernot, another famous comedian and a good friend of his.
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