Top 10 Running Gags That Defined Our Childhood

“How I Met Your Mother” (2005–14)
There are many ways one could settle a bet with a friend. But if you’re a “How I Met Your Mother” fan, you might have been inspired to try Marshall and Barney’s approach. In season two, the friends establish the Slap Bet while trying to uncover the reason for Robin’s mysterious aversion to malls— incidentally, the revelation leads to another beloved running gag. When Barney “suffered from premature slapulation,” he’s offered an ultimatum. While we’re not sure we agree with Barney’s choice, at least it gave us this hilarious running gag. In the end, a total of eight slaps were delivered by Marshall, and yet the joke never got stale. It also gave us this hilariously slappin' holiday classic[1].

“SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999–)
Whether you lightly graze your knee or full on bash your shin, if you were a repeat visitor to Bikini Bottom, you might have been tempted to yell out “my leg!”. Whenever chaos bubbled up under the sea, we were practically guaranteed to hear those cries from somewhere in the thick of it all. This brief soundbite, voiced by series writer and voice actor, Doug Lawrence, has been heard countless times. And sure, they sometimes mix it up a bit, but they never stray too far and always reel it back to its hilariously painful origins. Also, you know a standing joke is pretty iconic when it inspires the premise of an entire episode.

“The Simpsons” (1989-)
The couch gag from the end of “The Simpsons” opening credits is probably one of the best-known TV running jokes. Starting from its second episode, we’ve become accustomed to watching the family head toward their sofa and encounter any number of situations— and no doubt, we all have our favorites. Hardcore fans will notice that some are recycled, but there are plenty of new ones to look out for all the time—especially during holiday specials or milestone episodes. In recent years they’ve even invited outside talent like Banksy, Guillermo del Toro, Eric Goldberg, and others to spice things up. Even after several decades and countless variations, this gag remains fun and fresh.

“Full House” (1987–95)
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were just nine months old when they started playing the adorable youngest member of the Tanner family, Michelle. Audiences got to watch her grow up and accumulate a series of hilarious catchphrases that we’re still quoting today! When things don’t quite go our way, you’ll likely hear us declaring, “Aw, nuts.” When we spot trouble brewing, we can’t help but say, “You’re in big trouble, mister.” Also, when we want to emphasize our derision, we tack on an “Oh puh-lease.” And of course, when we want someone to know we’re on board, we hit them with the ol’ “You got it, dude!”

“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990–96)
In one of the funniest recurring bits from the show, we see Uncle Phil quite literally throwing Will’s friend Jazz out of their house. And given that Jazz and the Banks’ didn’t always see eye-to-eye, it happened often. Heck, even other characters took a shot at giving him the boot. Jeffrey Allen Townes, a.k.a DJ Jazzy Jeff, revealed that they retook the shot so many times that he ended up covered in bruises. So, they decided to reuse the same clip throughout the series. Ever notice that he’s almost always wearing the same shirt in the episodes where he gets chucked out? And we just thought he was really into its bold pattern.

“The Office” (2005–13)
Growing up, perhaps nothing was funnier than hearing an accidental innuendo and tagging on a “that’s what she said.” And if you grew up watching “The Office,” you, like Michael Scott,
probably looked for any occasion to say it. Although, unlike Michael, hopefully, you were better at reading the room and knowing when to hold back. The gag made its way around Dunder Mifflin; soon enough, other staff members were saying it too. Even David Brent from the U.K. version got in on the joke! And sometimes Michael even set himself up. There are so many memorable variations that fitting them all in would be too hard. That’s what she said. Yes, we went there.

“iCarly” (2007-12)
Let us start by saying do not try this at home. Although, we’re not really sure what ‘’this’ is. Carly’s big bro had an unexplainable talent for setting things on fire. And nothing—no matter how inflammable you might think it is—nothing was safe in his clutches. Remember when he accidentally burned down Carly’s bedroom on her birthday? How about the time he fixed a drum set only for one of the cymbals to catch fire? Also, did you know desk bells could burn? We didn’t. And we’ll never understand how he turned a fire extinguisher into a fire lighter. The man is a walking flamethrower!

“That's So Raven” (2003–07)
Raven was prone to getting caught in a multitude of sticky situations. Fortunately, she had the perfect snappy catchphrase for those times. While we typically don’t find ourselves imbued in as much chaos as she does, there’s no denying that we’ve all had our own “Oh snap!” moments. Much like the teen psychic, we find that we can whip out this catchphrase for a plethora of occasions. Indeed, we have actress Raven-Symoné to thank for it, who, alongside “Ya nasty,” improvised this iconic quote. In fact, it was such a quintessential part of the character that it even made a comeback in the spinoff series, “Raven’s Home.”

“That '70s Show” (1998–2006)
With “not a thing to do,” the “That ‘70s Show” crew would often sit around trading insults, pulling pranks, and getting up to all sorts of hijinks. They often voiced appreciation for a particularly good zinger by yelling, “Burn.” It was usually Kelso who called out the catchphrase, even when he was the butt of the joke. And who could forget the time he delivered a string of “burns” to all his friends and even Eric’s parents? Needless to say, we were more than happy to adopt the quote for our own teenhood shenanigans, and we occasionally bust it out in adulthood too. It’s such a classic that it works in any decade.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Audiences Became Quite Acquainted with His Colorful Collection of Drawers

Eric Had a Unique Way to Summon His Mentor & Neighbor

We Dedicate This to All Siblings Who Lived with “Drake & Josh” Fans

Say It with Him…

An Ad-Lib by Zach Braff Became One of the Series’ Most Loved Running Gags

“Friends” (1994–2004)
Joey Tribbiani might not be the most ‘wisdomous’ member of the gang, but that doesn’t mean he never taught us anything. This ladies’ man has more than anyone’s fair share of luck in the romance department, and believe us, we were taking notes. Whenever someone catches his eye, he utters these three magic words, and more often than not, he sweeps them off their feet. He’s even tried it on his friends to varying results. It’s simple, to the point, and, based on Joey’s dating history, clearly has a decent success record. We imagine it’s a pretty effective way to woo any “Friends” fan. And don’t pretend you haven’t tried it!