About

In Soviet Russia, also known as the Russian Reversal, is a joke format and phrasal template popularized by stand-up comedian Yakov Smirnoff. The joke was extremely popular in the late 1980s but fell out of vogue in the 90s. Online, the joke format has been given new life among various online communities particularly in ironic memes. The snowclone follows a variation on this template:

In [country X], you [verb Y]. In Soviet Russia, [Y verb] to you.

Origin

The origin of the meme is unknown. The earliest recorded version dates back to the 1938 Cole Porter musical Leave It To Me! In the show, a man attempts to tip a messenger. The messenger refuses. "No tipping," he says. "In Soviet Russia, messenger tips you."^[1]

Spread

In 1958, comedian Bob Hope told a variation of the joke, according to an April 7th, 1958 issue of Time.^[1] They write:

As things got underway, Jimmy Stewart told the home audience that the uninterrupted program was “being brought to you in living black and white.” Bob Hope, back from his Russian junket, noted that there had been TV in all the rooms of his Moscow hotel--”only it watches you”--also called attention to the parades of expensive talent being given away free to television, proving that “the motion-picture industry isn’t frightened. It’s off its rocker.”

Ukrainian-born American comedian Yakov Smirnoff grew in popularity in the 1980s with an act that used wordplay to satirize the differences between his life in the United States of America and his old life in what was then part of the Russian-led Soviet Union (example below). One style of joke, in particular, that he told was known as the Russian Reversal, or simply referred to as, "In Soviet Russia…"

Over time, the joke became a cultural reference uttered on television and cartoons, usually as a parody of Smirnoff, who had become closely associated with the form. On June 27th, 2000, the Family Guy episode "There's Something About Paulie" aired in the United States.^[2] In the episode, the character Peter shows off his car's global positioning system, which has a Yakov Smirnoff voice. It says, "In Soviet Russia, car drives you! Turn right at fork in road. In Soviet Russia, road forks you!" (video below).

Two years laterOn February 24th, 2002, the King of the Hill episode "The Bluegrass Is Always Greener," the character meets Smirnoff in his home Branson, Missouri. Bobby performs a variation of the Russian Reversal. he says, " In America, you put 'In God We Trust' on your money. In Russia, we have no money!"^[3]

In 2002, The Simpsons ^[4] also referenced Yakov Smirnoff's Russian Reversal in the March 10th, 2002 episode "Old Man and the Key." In the episode, Abe Simpson and his girlfriend Zelda visit Branson, Missouri where they see a Yakov Smirnoff comedy review. Smirnoff, who guest stars on the episode, subverts the format by reciting a variation without affectation. He says, "In Russia, stage is for performers only."

Throughout the 2000s, the snowclone was adopted in various meme formats, including Demotivational Posters, which take advantage of the forms set-up-punchline template (examples below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References