It is a quiet, suffocating kind of silence. You are crouching behind a rusted Chevy, heart hammering against your ribs because a Clicker is twitching just ten feet away. The world is ending. It has been ending for twenty years. And then, Ellie pulls out a thin, weathered book and asks what the person who invented the door knocker got.
The "No Bell" prize.
It’s stupid. It’s a terrible joke. Honestly, in any other game, it would be an immersion breaker that makes you roll your eyes and turn off the console. But The Last of Us puns aren't just filler; they are the emotional connective tissue of a franchise that otherwise spends its time drowning you in misery. If you've played the games or watched the HBO adaptation, you know that humor in the post-apocalypse isn't just about a laugh. It is a survival tactic.
The Origin of No Pun Intended
Naughty Dog didn't just throw these jokes in because they thought the script was too dark. The book Ellie carries—No Pun Intended by Will Livingston—is a literal lifeline. In the first game, finding these joke opportunities is one of the few ways the player can actually see Joel’s icy exterior start to melt.
Think about the context. Joel is a man who lost his daughter to a bullet and his soul to two decades of raiding and killing. Ellie is a kid who has never seen a movie theater in operation or eaten a real slice of pizza. When she reads from that book, she isn't just reciting words. She is reclaiming a childhood she was never allowed to have.
I remember the first time I triggered the pun sequence in Pittsburgh. You have to stand around for a weirdly long time after a fight. If you’re rushing, you miss it. But if you wait, Ellie sighs, opens that book, and starts reading. One of my favorites involves a scarecrow. Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field. It’s a groaner. Joel’s reaction—that low, grumbling "Jesus, Ellie"—is the sound of a man remembering what it feels like to be a father.
Why We Lean Into The Last of Us Puns During Dark Times
Psychologically, there is a reason why "The Last of Us puns" became a massive search trend and a recurring meme. It’s called comic relief, but in a very specific, "gallows humor" sort of way.
The world of Cordyceps is relentless. It is gray, brown, and blood-red. By introducing these puns, Neil Druckmann and the writing team created a "safe space" within the gameplay loop. These moments are "Optional Conversations," which means the game doesn't force them on you. You have to earn them by slowing down.
A Few Classics That Still Land (Or Crash)
- The Moon Joke: Ellie asks why the moon went to the tanning salon. Because it wanted to be a "full" moon.
- The Bakery Disaster: I'm reading a book on anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down.
- The Keyboard Conundrum: Why did the man get fired from the calendar factory? He took a day off.
Most of these are recycled from real-world dad joke tropes, but in Ellie's voice, they feel like found artifacts. To her, these jokes are as ancient and mysterious as the "Dawn of the Wolf" posters she sees on the walls. She doesn't always get the context of the pre-outbreak world, but she understands the rhythm of a punchline.
The Left Behind Connection
If you want to see where the puns actually become tragic, look at the Left Behind DLC. This is where we meet Riley. In the mall, the pun book becomes a bridge between two girls who know they are probably going to die.
When they find the joke book in the "Phantasm" shop, it’s a moment of pure, unadulterated joy. They aren't survivors there. They are just teenagers. One of the lines that always sticks out is about the 3.14% of sailors being "pi-rates." It’s a silly play on words, but in that flickering neon light of a dying mall, it feels like the most important thing in the world. It’s the contrast that kills you. Ten minutes later, they’re fighting for their lives. The humor makes the tragedy sharper.
How the HBO Series Handled the Humor
Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann knew they couldn't leave the puns out of the show. Bella Ramsey’s delivery of the "diarrhea" joke in the truck with Pedro Pascal’s Joel is a masterclass in pacing.
"It’s hereditary... it runs in your jeans."
The way Pascal tries to hide a smile while looking out the window is exactly what the fans wanted. It proved that the The Last of Us puns weren't just a video game mechanic to keep players engaged during long walks. They were character beats. The show used the puns to track the evolution of Joel and Ellie's relationship. In the beginning, he hates them. By the end, he’s the one asking for more.
The Meta-Humor of the Fanbase
Beyond the screen, the community has turned these into a sort of secret handshake. If you go to a convention and say, "What is a Clicker's favorite food?" and someone answers "Corn on the cob," you've found your people.
Actually, that's not a real one from the game, but the fans have started writing their own. It’s a way of engaging with a world that is otherwise too depressing to inhabit 24/7. We need the levity. We need to laugh at the fungus because the fungus is terrifying.
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Misconceptions About the Jokes
A lot of people think Ellie wrote the jokes. She didn't. Will Livingston is a fictional author in the game's universe, and finding the second volume of his book is a major milestone for Ellie.
Another misconception: the puns are random. They aren't. They are scripted to trigger in specific areas that offer a brief respite from combat. If you're in a high-tension stealth area, Ellie isn't going to start joking about why the bicycle couldn't stand up (it was two-tired). The developers used humor to signal to the player's brain: "You can breathe now. For a second."
How to Find Every Pun in Part I
If you’re trying to get the "That's All I Got" trophy, you have to be patient. It’s one of the most missed achievements because it requires specific triggers.
- Pittsburgh (Alone and Forsaken): Wait after killing the hunters near the bus. Just stand there. Eventually, she’ll pull the book out.
- Pittsburgh (Bookstore): Clear the hunters on both floors. Wait. Do not leave through the exit. She needs time to process the "culture" around her.
- Pittsburgh (After the flooded hotel): When you reach the street with the hanging bodies, wait near the poster of the model.
- The Suburbs: This is the tricky one. You have to trigger all the optional conversations first—the kitchen, the "I'm Armed" sign, and the ice cream truck. Only then will she tell the jokes.
It’s almost like the game is rewarding you for being observant. For looking at the world instead of just running through it.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Writers
The success of the puns in this franchise offers some pretty cool lessons for anyone interested in storytelling or just wanting to enjoy the game more deeply.
- Contrast is King: If your story is 100% dark, it becomes monochromatic. You need the light to show how dark the shadows actually are. Use humor as a spotlight.
- Character Bonding through Cringe: Nothing brings people together like a shared bad joke. If you're writing a story or trying to break the ice in real life, a "dad joke" is a low-stakes way to test the waters.
- The Power of Props: Ellie’s joke book is a physical object. It has weight. It gets dirty. If you're playing the game again, notice how she handles it. It’s her most prized possession because it represents a world where people had the luxury of being silly.
Next time you find yourself in a tense spot, whether in a game or just in a stressful week, try to find your own version of No Pun Intended. Maybe don't tell a joke about a "clicker" at a funeral, but remember that humor isn't a distraction from the struggle—it is the tool we use to get through it.
Go back and play the "Left Behind" chapter specifically to look for the pun book. Don't rush the combat. Just sit with the characters in the moments where nothing is exploding. That is where the real story lives.