36 Halloween Jokes: The 2000 “Y2K Survivor & Gladiator” Edition

In 2000, Halloween was a victory lap. We survived the “Millennium Bug,” bought our first Razr-thin (not yet, but soon!) phones, and realized that the future looked a lot like the 90s, but with more hair gel. It was the year of the “Wassup!” yell and the beginning of a new era of pop culture obsession.

The 2000 Top 10: “Cyber-Optimism & Low-Rise Jeans”

1. Y2K Survivors: Why were people wearing “I Survived Y2K” shirts as costumes? Because on January 1st, we realized we spent $500 on canned beans for no reason, and now we needed to feel like heroes.
2. Gladiator: Why did every guy at the party think he was Russell Crowe? Because “Are you not entertained?!” was the only thing people shouted before doing a belly flop into the punch bowl.
3. The “Wassup!” Commercial: Why was the 2000 Halloween party so loud? Because you couldn’t enter a room without four guys sticking their tongues out and yelling “WASSUUUP!” into their Nokia phones.
4. Cast Away: Why was the most popular costume a volleyball? Because Tom Hanks made us all emotionally attached to a piece of sporting equipment named Wilson.
5. X-Men: Why was there so much black leather? Because the first X-Men movie convinced us that yellow spandex was out, and looking like a futuristic biker was the only way to save the world.
6. Scary Movie: Why was the ghost mask so high? Because the parody movie turned Ghostface into a “stoner” icon, making the original Scream mask look almost adorable.
7. The Sims: Why were people walking around with green diamonds over their heads? Because we spent all year controlling virtual humans, and now we just wanted someone to click on us and tell us to eat.
8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Hype): Why was Jim Carrey everywhere? Because even before December, everyone was practicing their “mean one” face and trying to dye their fur green.
9. Britney’s “Oops!… I Did It Again”: Why was there a red latex jumpsuit in every neighborhood? Because Britney Spears went to Mars, and every girl in school wanted to follow her there.
10. The PlayStation 2 Launch: What was the ultimate “trick” of 2000? Telling your friends you got a PS2 for Halloween when they were actually sold out everywhere until 2001.

The Full 2000 Halloween Jokes Archive

11. Final Destination: Why were the trick-or-treaters afraid of everything? Because after that movie, even a loose shingle or a lukewarm cup of tea felt like a complex plot by Death to take them out.
12. Charlie’s Angels: Why were there so many groups of three girls doing “finger guns”? Because Cameron, Drew, and Lucy made “independent women” the ultimate squad goal.
13. Survivor (Season 1): Why was the host wearing a buff and carrying a torch? Because Richard Hatch proved that you could win a million dollars just by being naked and good at math on a desert island.
14. Mission: Impossible 2: Why was the vampire doing slow-motion backflips? Because John Woo directed the sequel, and even the undead needed more doves and explosions.
15. The Millionaire (Who Wants to Be a…): What was the most popular phrase at the door? “Is that your final answer?”—usually asked after someone chose a toothbrush over a Snickers bar.
16. Bring It On: Why were the cheerleaders so aggressive? “Brrr! It’s cold in here! There must be some Toros in the atmosphere!”
17. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Why were the ninjas “flying” on invisible wires? Because gravity was so 1999, and 2000 was all about tree-top sword fights.
18. The Razor Scooter: Why did everyone have bruised shins? Because the “must-have” transport of 2000 was a foldable piece of aluminum that acted like a lethal weapon for your ankles.
19. Billy Elliot: Why was the boxer wearing a tutu? Because he just wanted to dance, and he didn’t care if the coal miners approved.
20. Meet the Parents: Why was the father-in-law costume so scary? Because Robert De Niro was watching you, and he had a lie detector test hidden under the snack table.
21. The “Oops” Heart Necklace: Why was every girl wearing a silver heart on a toggle chain? Because Tiffany-style jewelry was the only way to signal you were a true 2000s princess.
22. Napster vs. Metallica: Why was the ghost of Lars Ulrich so angry? Because he found out you were downloading “Enter Sandman” for free on your 56k modem.
23. Snatch: Why did the British gangsters have such thick accents? Because Brad Pitt taught us that if you talk fast enough about “dags” (dogs), nobody will know you’re actually a movie star.
24. The “Dora the Explorer” Debut: Why was the toddler carrying a map and talking to a monkey? Because the backpack-wearing explorer just started her 20-year quest to find things right in front of her.
25. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book): Why were the kids reading 600-page books in the dark? Because the “Potter-Mania” was reaching a fever pitch and they needed to know who survived the graveyard.
26. High Fidelity: Why was the ghost organizing his records? Because he was going through a break-up and needed to list his Top 5 songs about being “undead.”
27. The “Zen” Trend: Why were the houses full of bamboo and water fountains? Because everyone in 2000 thought “minimalism” and “feng shui” would help them forget the chaos of the 90s.
28. American Psycho: Why was the businessman wearing a transparent raincoat? Because Patrick Bateman had “reservations at Dorsia” and a very specific opinion about Huey Lewis and the News.
29. The Olympic Games (Sydney): Why was the kangaroo wearing a gold medal? Because the 2000 Olympics were “down under,” and the world was obsessed with boomerangs for exactly two weeks.
30. Unbreakable: Why was the guy in the green poncho so depressed? Because Bruce Willis realized he was a superhero, but he still had to deal with Samuel L. Jackson’s glass bones.
31. The “Justin Timberlake” Curls: Why did the boy band members look like they had ramen noodles on their heads? Because ‘N Sync was at their peak, and “Bye Bye Bye” was the national anthem.
32. The “Naked” Song: Why was the guy at the party so “honest”? Because Shaggy told him that if he got caught, he should just say, “It wasn’t me.”
33. Requiem for a Dream: Why was the “party” so depressing? Because the soundtrack was haunting everyone’s dreams and making them afraid of their own refrigerators.
34. The Nokia 3310: Why was the “indestructible” ghost so confident? Because he was carrying a phone that could survive a nuclear blast and still play Snake II.
35. Almost Famous: Why was the girl wearing fur-lined coats and sunglasses? Because she was a “Band Aid,” not a groupie, and she was with the band.
36. The Final 2000 Vibe: Why was it a “New Age” Halloween? Because for the first time in history, we could take a blurry 0.3-megapixel photo of our costume and wait 10 minutes to upload it to a personal website no one would ever visit.