As I walked through the maze of people and poster board today on the HUB lawn, I was bombarded with flyers and sign-up sheets begging me to join the organization. Whether it was club basketball (my roommate and I both border on 5′ 10″, but that doesn’t mean I could make a basket to save my life) or glee club (prepare for the musical stylings of a dying cat!), there seemed to be a group for just about anyone.
Oftentimes, there were even multiple permutations of a specific genre of organization. Amidst the barrage of hands attempting to give me free stuff in exchange for my PSU email, multiple comedy organizations poked their way through. From Second Floor Standup to Derby, an all-female troupe, numerous brightly colored flyers ended up in my hands. While being on stage is not my forte, I hope to attend a performance or two and write about it for the blog.
Today, I’d like to focus on another medium of comedy: the satirical newspaper. While sites like The Onion have risen in popularity because of their accessibility online, newspapers like Penn State’s Phroth have been in print for decades or longer!
When the newspaper ended up in my hands during the involvement fair, I’ll admit I was at first a little confused. The zany images and wacky headlines didn’t match up with my expectations of traditional news. However, after more exploring, I discovered the rich history of the newspaper, which started out as Froth magazine in 1910.
Over the past 109 years, the magazine has grown to include a website and Twitter feed, which includes such headlines as “Oops! Jonas Brothers have just arrived for THON but no one has the heart to tell them that it already happened,” or “Old Main set ablaze in solidarity with France’s Notre-Dame fire.”
However, the real stars of the newspaper are its articles. Ranging from politically topical to relatable to just plain wacky, Phroth has something for everyone. Upset about America’s controversial decision to bomb Yemen in April? Phroth reporters explain that it was all just an April fool’s joke. Just looking to have a laugh at something extremely odd? Phroth has you covered there, too (an article about Worm Boy, Horse Girl’s stranger, older brother should do the trick!).
All in all, I enjoyed my experience reading Phroth and learning a bit about its history. Who knew that Penn State was home to such a deeply engrained tradition of humorous writing?
Continue following along on my journey as I attempt to experience comedy through all types of mediums!
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