65 Light Bulb Jokes: 2021 – The Global Reboot

In 2021, we emerged from the great indoors into a world of “new normals.” It was the year of the sea shanty, the terrifying playground of Squid Game, and the sudden obsession with “Bernie’s Mittens.” We saw billionaires racing to space, the birth of the “Metaverse,” and learned that a single ship could literally block global trade. The humor of 2021 is viral, decentralized, and heavily influenced by “stonks” and streaming hits.

The 2021 Top 10: Sea Shanties & Survival

1. The Sea Shanty Singer: One to screw it in, and a chorus of five to sing: “Soon may the bulb-man come, to bring us wattage and light and hum!”
2. The Squid Game Contestant: One. But if the bulb flickers while the giant doll is looking, they’re eliminated. “Red light… Green light!”
3. The Bernie Sanders (Mitten Edition): One. But he’s just sitting on the ladder in his parka and handmade mittens, waiting for the light to change itself.
4. The Ever Given Captain: None. They tried to bring the bulb into the room but got it stuck sideways in the doorway, blocking the hallway for six days.
5. The NFT Collector: They don’t change the bulb. They just buy a digital receipt of a JPEG of a light bulb for $2 million and call it “ownership.”
6. The Meta (Facebook) Employee: They don’t change the physical bulb; they just put on a VR headset and pretend the digital darkness is “the future of connection.”
7. The Dogecoin Millionaire: One, but they’ll only pay for it in “memecoins” and keep shouting “To the moon!” while on the ladder.
8. The Olivia Rodrigo Fan: “Good 4 u, you look happy and healthy… but my light bulb is dead and I’m crying in the dark.”
9. The Ted Lasso Fan: “I believe in believe! And I believe this 60-watt is gonna do its best today!”
10. The Space Tourist: One (billionaire). It costs $200,000 per turn of the bulb, and they only stay in the room for 10 minutes.

The Full 2021 Archive (Extended List)

11. The Adele (30) Fan: “Go easy on me, baby… I was still a 40-watt when the power surged.”
12. The Lil Nas X (Montero) Fan: One, but they have to slide down a pole to hell to get the replacement.
13. The Mare of Easttown: One, but they spend seven episodes investigating who broke the bulb while eating a hoagie.
14. The Loki Variant: There are thousands of them changing the bulb in different timelines, but the TVA keeps pruning the bright ones.
15. The Bo Burnham Fan: “Welcome to the internet… have a look around. Everything that brain of yours can think of (except a working bulb) can be found.”
16. The Spider-Man (No Way Home) Fan: Three. One from 2002, one from 2012, and the current one, all pointing at each other in the dark.
17. The Dune Fan: “Light is the mind-killer. I must not fear the darkness.”
18. The WandaVision Fan: One, but the bulb keeps changing its aesthetic from 1950s black-and-white to 1990s neon.
19. The Wordle Player: One, but they only get six tries to guess which bulb works (G-L-A-S-S is not the answer).
20. The “Bones or No Bones” Pug: If it’s a “No Bones” day, the bulb is staying in the box.
21. The Italian Euro 2020 Winner: “It’s coming to Rome! (The new light bulb, that is).”
22. The “Is It Cake?” Judge: One, but they’re terrified to touch the bulb in case it’s actually a vanilla sponge with fondant.
23. The Scientist: “We launched the James Webb Telescope to see the beginning of time, but I still can’t see the dust on this fan.”
24. The Librarian: “Darkness is the most reliable archive.”
25. The Gym Teacher: “If you can’t reach the bulb, it’s because you didn’t ‘trust the process’!”
26. The Chef: “I’ll change it, but only if it’s ‘cloud kitchen’ compatible.”
27. The Optimist: “At least I can’t see the ‘Out of Stock’ notices on the grocery apps now!”
28. The Pessimist: “The light is back on. Time to go back to the office. Great.”
29. The Pro-Wrestler: One, but they have to do it during a ‘Stadium Stampede’ match.
30. The Detective: “The bulb was clearly a victim of the global supply chain crisis.”
31. The Tourist: “I’m on a ‘workation,’ so I’ll change the bulb as soon as my Wi-Fi reconnects.”
32. The Reality Producer: “Can we get the bulb to sit down for an ‘interview with Oprah’?”
33. The Bodybuilder: “I’m not changing the bulb, I’m ‘holding the space’ for the light.”
34. The Sailor: “A dark room is just a sea with the ‘Wellerman’ on repeat.”
35. The Poet: “The filament is a ghost wire humming a song of fire.”
36. The Bus Driver: “Please show your ‘Proof of Wattage’ before entering the socket!”
37. The Ghost: “I liked the old bulb. It was more ‘paranormal activity’ friendly.”
38. The 2021 Legend: One, but they do it while wearing a ‘brown north face puffer’ and ‘flared leggings’.
39. The Starbucks Fan: “One Venti-Watt, extra hot, oat milk, with a pump of brown sugar.”
40. The Succession Fan: “I’m the eldest bulb! I should be the one in the socket!”
41. The White Lotus Guest: One, but they’ll complain to the manager for three hours about the ‘vibe’ of the light.
42. The Peacemaker: “I cherish peace with all my heart. I don’t care how many bulbs I have to kill to get it.”
43. The Encanto Fan: “We don’t talk about… the burnt-out bulb. No, no, no!”
44. The Shang-Chi Fan: Ten. One for each ring, plus a dragon to help reach the ceiling.
45. The Black Widow: One, but she has to do a hair-flip and a tactical pose on the ladder first.
46. The Cruella Fan: One, but the bulb has to be black and white and look ‘absolutely fabulous, darling’.
47. The Luca Fan: “Silenzio, Bruno! (That’s what I say to the flickering light).”
48. The Squid Game “Old Man”: “Gganbu doesn’t let gganbu sit in the dark.”
49. The TikTok “Life Hack” Guy: He doesn’t say anything, he just stares at the camera and shows you how to use a normal ladder instead of a complex contraption.
50. The “Anakin & Padme” Meme: “I’m going to change the bulb.” “For the better, right?” “…For the better, right?!”
51. The Peloton Addict: One, but they have to maintain 90 RPMs on the ladder while the instructor screams “You are enough!”
52. The Gen Z “Middle Part” Enforcer: One, but the bulb is cancelled if its filament has a side part.
53. The “Cheugy” Critic: “Using an incandescent bulb is so cheugy. Get an LED.”
54. The Godzilla vs. Kong Fan: Two. They fight over the socket until the whole house falls down.
55. The Fast 9 Fan: One, because nothing is stronger than… family (and a good ladder).
56. The Free Guy Player: One, but they’re just an NPC who realized they can do whatever they want.
57. The West Side Story (2021) Fan: One, but they have to snap their fingers rhythmically while climbing the ladder.
58. The No Time To Die Fan: One. It’s the last time he’ll change it, and it’s very emotional.
59. The “Two Trucks” Fan: One, but it’s very weird and specific to the internet.
60. The “Måneskin” Fan: One, but they do it while wearing leather pants and winning Eurovision.
61. The “Red (Taylor’s Version)” Fan: One, but the bulb is 10 minutes long and comes with a short film.
62. The “Everything is Cake” Baker: Cuts the ladder. It’s cake. Cuts the bulb. It’s cake. Cives up.
63. The Meta Quest 2 Owner: One, but they keep hitting their hand on the real ceiling while trying to reach the virtual one.
64. The Resident Evil Village Fan: One, but they’re being chased by a 9-foot-tall lady the whole time.
65. The 2021 Icon: One, but they do it while checking their ‘Year in Review’ on three different apps.