Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Baby

2020-09-12 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
You are viewing an older revision of this explanation (2026-03-14 18:15:26). View current version →
Baby
Votey panel for Baby
This explanation is incomplete or may contain errors. It was generated by AI and has not yet been reviewed by a human editor.

Explanation

The Joke

A man at what appears to be a bar or social setting uses a pickup line on someone: "Hey girl... are you prolonged social isolation? ...Because you are making me crazy tonight!" The person he is talking to pauses, and then asks "Well?" The final panel reveals that the man is actually talking to a mop, desperately asking "Well are you?!"

The comic depicts a person who has been so thoroughly isolated that they have lost touch with reality and are now attempting to flirt with a mop. The pickup line itself is self-aware in a darkly comic way -- he compares the object of his affection to "prolonged social isolation" that is "making him crazy," which is literally what has happened to him. He is crazy from isolation, and the proof is that he is hitting on cleaning equipment.

The Humor

The humor works through a misdirection. The first two panels set up what looks like a standard awkward pickup line at a bar. The pause in the third panel builds tension as if the woman is considering her response. The final panel then reveals the punchline: there is no woman, just a mop, and the man is genuinely desperate for a response from it. The comic was published in September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, making the "prolonged social isolation" reference a timely commentary on how lockdowns and quarantines were affecting people's mental health and social skills.

View History (1) Original Comic