- You've heard the one about what people would change about their lives. You've even read about Putin, the ruble and the oil price "all hitting 63 next year."
- Still, Russians' creativity and their tendency to default to dark humor mean new ruble jokes keep cropping up every day.
- So here's a collection that will help you entertain your guests on New Year's Eve — or make sure your final Facebook post of 2014 leaves your friends grinning.
1. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
- Proclaimed the joke of the month by one Twitter user, this one offers a double insight into Russian life these days: "What, is it still falling?" — "Are you talking about the snow or the ruble?"
2. Hitting rock bottom
- Fans of SpongeBob SquarePants will recognize the locale straight away, and for everyone else, there is a helpful caption: "The ruble is so low now, it will soon be the official currency of Bikini Bottom."
3. Pain in pictograms
From middle age to old age to death. The RuNet jokes about the Russian ruble's lifespan. pic.twitter.com/R89MKYg76i- These symbols are pretty self-explanatory. The only question left is: What happens in the New Year?
4. Okay, ruble
- A spoof of the "Ok, Google" video ad campaign, these little clips shown by one of Russia's state-run television channels have a man asking questions that start with "Okay, ruble" instead.
- But the answers he gets are increasingly bleak. Where to go for New Year's? "This year, nowhere." Ideas for a fun night out with friends? The service suggest some free outdoor activities. What to cook for a New Year's feast? "Nothing, go visit someone else."
- Watch until the end to see the uneasy Russian finally dare to ask about tomorrow's ruble exchange rate — then see what search results he gets as a distraction from the dark truth. Kitten videos, anyone?
5. The Ruble-Euro Singularity
- (And now that we've written it, that headline would make a great episode of "The Big Bang Theory.")
6. Doc Brown to the rescue
- The franchise is "Back to the Future," so Marty McFly has a point when he asks: "Doc, why are we flying into the past this time?" Doc, however, has a plan: "We're going to change ruble for dollars," he says.
7. Russian engineering
- Forget about space travel, Russia has just performed a new technological feat!
As seen on
themoscowtimes.com
