Four Expectant Fathers and the Waiting Room Joke

Four fathers are waiting at a hospital when a nurse comes out with news for the first man. His wife has just had twins. The man laughs at the coincidence and explains that he works for the Minnesota Twins. The next father hears that his wife has had triplets. He works at 3M. The third hears that his wife has had quadruplets. He works at the Four Seasons.

By this point everyone is paying attention to the fourth father. He looks more worried with every announcement. Asked what is wrong, he explains that he works for 7UP.

This is a waiting room joke built on an easy pattern. Each father gets some news, then associates the number with the name of his workplace. The numbers are important because the first three outcomes give the last man a reason to be nervous. He hears two, three and four, then thinks about the number in his own employer’s name. The other men can follow exactly how he got there without anybody needing to say aloud what he expects.

The setting also contributes to the joke. A hospital waiting room is where people spend time with very little to do except think about news they cannot control. Every time somebody comes through the door, there is a brief possibility that it is their turn. The fourth man starts out in the same position as everyone else. As each announcement arrives, he becomes the only person who thinks the pattern might continue…………READ MORE NEXT PAGE 2