A manatee joke is a kind of humour popularised by Family Guy and satirised by South Park. A manatee joke is when one of the characters says something that has nothing to do with the plot or characters in the show, but leads into a flashback of the scene described
"Remember that time you slept with Bill Clinton?"
(Cuts to a scene of Lois boinking Bill).
"Oh Peter, remember when this show used to not rely on manatee jokes?
(Cuts to a scene of Lois boinking Bill).
"Oh Peter, remember when this show used to not rely on manatee jokes?
by Jlarge October 27, 2007
a joke format popularized by Family Guy... usually involves little or tangential connection to the plot, and includes two or three unrelated references put together into an irreverent mini-scene. South Park's parody of Family Guy suggested that the show is written by manatees pushing around floating colored balls with cultural references written on them.
Peter Griffin: "this is worse than when Fonzie jumped his motorcycle over Kevin James"
TV Viewer: "that was a total manatee joke"
TV Viewer: "that was a total manatee joke"
by murraythandman December 19, 2016