A man walks into a bar and sees a sign that says, "Free drinks for the person who can make our horse laugh." The man thinks this sounds like a fun challenge, so he asks the bartender about it.
The bartender explains that they have a horse out back who never seems to be in a good mood, and they would love to see someone lighten his spirits. The man agrees to give it a try and heads out to the back to meet the horse.
Sure enough, the horse looks grumpy as ever, staring off into the distance. The man tries telling jokes, making funny faces, and even doing a little dance, but the horse doesn't crack a smile.
Frustrated, the man walks back into the bar and tells the bartender that he couldn't make the horse laugh. The bartender nods sympathetically and points to a sign that says, "Free drinks for the person who can make our parrot cry."
The man, feeling determined, asks where the parrot is located. The bartender leads him to a cage in the corner of the bar where a sad-looking parrot sits quietly. The man tries everything he can think of to make the parrot cry – telling sad stories, making sad faces, and even pretending to be a therapist – but the parrot doesn't shed a tear.
Defeated, the man returns to the bar and asks the bartender, "What's the deal with your animals? I couldn't make the horse laugh or the parrot cry."
The bartender shrugs and says, "Well, for the horse, you were close. But for the parrot, you see, he's heard all those sad stories before. He just can't handle any more tears – he's already seen too much 'fowl' play."