Monkey business

TIM TOM AND LYN ARE HAVING A MEETING

TIM
So with the credit crunch we're having to lower our staffing budget by 25%

TOM
Guys I fear we're avoiding the elephant on the table.

LYN
No we're not, now how do we save on our stationary budget? Spend less or individualise budgets?

TOM
Damn it we're still avoding the elephant on the table!

LYN
That is such an offensive expression and inapropriate.

TIM
It implies that our discussions are irrelevant and we're avoiding the key issues.

TOM
There is an elephant on the table...and it's pooing in my tea!

LYN TASTES TOM'S TEA.

LYN
Ooh that does taste of poo and central African plant life, Tim I think there is an elephant pooing in Tom's tea.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL AN ELEPHANT STANDING ON THE TABLE.

TIM
I never noticed funny that.

TOM
Finally now about the monkey business in accounts the shits about to hit the fan.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL THE 4TH PERSON AT THE TABLE IS A CHIMPANZEE IN A SUIT NONCHALANTLY PLAYING WITH A FAN WITH A LOAD OF POO IN IT'S OTHER HAND.onke

Isn't the expression "Elephant in the room"?

The sketch? Ok, a bit obvious though.

I wonder if elephant poo is as tart as bear poo?

Quote: Nil Putters @ June 9 2009, 11:38 PM BST

Isn't the expression "Elephant in the room"?

The sketch? Ok, a bit obvious though.

View original

Surprisingly tricky to write, it kinda telegraphs it's self pretty early.

I may have another pop.

Quote: Nil Putters @ June 9 2009, 11:38 PM BST

Isn't the expression "Elephant in the room"?

The sketch? Ok, a bit obvious though.

View original

Surprisingly tricky to write, it kinda telegraphs it's self pretty early.

I may have another pop.

Agree with Nil. A bit too obvious early on.

But I like the idea, as always. Very visual.

Quote: LIME5000 @ June 10 2009, 1:19 AM BST

I wonder if elephant poo is as tart as bear poo?

View original

There's only one way to find out. Can you let me know the results?

Nice imagery here, but echo the above. It's difficult to do this one without telegraphing too quickly.

Agree with the above.

I liked it SootyJ I thought it was nicely off the wall.
If I was stealing the sketch I'd just do something like this in the middle.

TOM
Damn it we're still avoding the elephant on the table!

LYN
I think that you'll find the expression is Elephant in the room

TOM
Sorry my mistake, The Elephant in the Room, is on the table, and It's pooing in my tea.

LYN TASTES TOM'S TEA.

I think its a good idea but maybe if you just mentioned 'elephant on the table' once almost as a fly away remark it may be a little less obvious where you were going with it.

Its nicely weird though, I like that.

Quote: sootyj @ June 9 2009, 11:33 PM BST

TIM TOM AND LYN ARE HAVING A MEETING

TIM
So with the credit crunch we're having to lower our staffing budget by 25%

TOM
Guys I fear we're avoiding the elephant on the table.

LYN
No we're not, now how do we save on our stationary budget? Spend less or individualise budgets?

TOM
We're not looking a the big issue.

LYN
Those are such an offensive expressions and inapropriate.

TIM
It implies that our discussions are irrelevant and we're avoiding the key issues.

TOM
The big issue is there is an elephant on the table...and it's pooing in my tea!

LYN TASTES TOM'S TEA.

LYN
Ooh that does taste of poo and central African plant life, Tim I think there is an elephant pooing in Tom's tea.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL AN ELEPHANT STANDING ON THE TABLE.

TIM
I never noticed funny that.

TOM
Finally now about the monkey business in accounts the shits about to hit the fan.

PULL BACK TO REVEAL THE 4TH PERSON AT THE TABLE IS A CHIMPANZEE IN A SUIT NONCHALANTLY PLAYING WITH A FAN WITH A LOAD OF POO IN IT'S OTHER HAND.onke

View original

Yeah 'On the table' made it stand out more than it might have done had it been 'in the room'

Another twist. Maybe the Elephant could then say something, "Thank you Tom..." and then have some really clever point to make. Don't ignore the Elephant because they are so smart!

I think we're actually ignoring the fact that there are three elephants in this room (including Sootyj and Shoepie!).

It's a good idea but not quite working yet for me.

I'd say most people will guess there really is an elephant from the start. Therefore the punchline loses any surprise element. And the expression is in the room so pedantics like me aren't happy.

But you could possibly make it work by not hiding the fact from the reader/ viewer instead.

I'd like to see it as an animation. They're trying to have the meeting and Nellie is causing havoc or as SP suggests joining in the business discussion. A punchline could be a twist on another saying. Or have a little series of them. Eg get your thinking caps on - and all their hats start talking.

Or not.

Jx

Ok there is an expression elephant on the table exists I may even have heard it in a film

I suppose the easiest route is just to make it smaller.

We're ignoring the elephant in the room.

Well we are but you're not, leave him alone and he won't bother you/

OK I'll admit I was wrong - I've never heard it said that way but there are several instances of it around, including this:

"Even for non idealists the coherence theory of truth is a useful concept because we continually work at fitting our beliefs together into a coherent system. For example, if I say 'There is a green elephant on the billiard table' you will test this for coherence with other beliefs that you have, for example:

1.Elephants are grey.
2.There are no elephants known to be in the area.
3.The billiard table could not take the weight of an elephant.
4.I appear drunk.
5.You cannot see a green elephant.

In short, my claim fails to cohere with a great many other claims that you believe and have good reason not to abandon. You therefore reject my claim as being false."

Hope that helps.