Ofer Idels and Roni Cohen* Israeli Nonsense: humor, globalization and vegetables during the early nineties https://doi.org/10.1515/humor-2023-0164 Received September 8, 2023; accepted May 20, 2024; published online June 26, 2024 Abstract: Offering an inaugural analysis of Israeli Nonsense, this article explores humor, globalization, and Israeli identity since the early 1990s. Israeli Nonsense, a particular form of humor, emerged during Israel’s rapid shift towards neoliberal privatization and globalization. Influenced by the growing popularity of standup comedy and the rise of new commercial television channels, it became a distinctive humor style in an era marked by optimism and “normalization.” It quickly formed nostalgic classics, leaving a lasting impact on contemporary Israeli humor. Through interviews, newspaper excerpts, and sketch analysis, we identify five key attributes of Israeli Nonsense: (1) improvisation, (2) linguistic humor, (3) physical humor, (4) nostalgia, and (5) non-politicization. By challenging existing interpretations of 1990s Israeli culture and nonsense as “elitist” with anti-national and non-ideological tendencies, we highlight the popular manifestations of Israeli Nonsense to demon- strate that this distinct humor did not adopt a consciously critical and cynical stance towards society and culture but embodied an optimistic and empathetic attitude toward local identity in the age of globalization. Keywords: nonsense; globalization; commercial television; nineties; nostalgia; comedy shows 1 Introduction In June 1993, the Israeli Storytelling Festival (Mesaprim lakhem sipurim) showcased a diverse range of panels featuring several esteemed figures from Israeli culture. While most participants were well-known celebrities with established reputations and public standing, one particular session stood out. Titled “Nonsense Events,” it featured four youthful actors and comedians who had recently emerged onto the scene, aiming to introduce a new kind of humor to their local culture – nonsense *Corresponding author: Roni Cohen, Columbia University, New York, USA, E-mail: ronich1988@gmail.com. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8667-0619 Ofer Idels, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany, E-mail: oferidels@gmail.com. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2366-4083 HUMOR 2024; aop