Ole and Lena (also Sven and Ole) are characters persistent in jokes by Scandinavian-Americans, particularly Norwegian-Americans, dominantly in the Upper Midwest region of the U.S., particularly in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota where Scandinavian immigrants and Lutherans are common.
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Context
Ole and Lena jokes are self-deprecating (usually told by Americans of Scandinavian heritage about their own). This self-effacing humor comes, at least in part, from the strongly egalitarian sense permeating the cultural code in the Nordic countries. It was brought to America by emigrants from these countries, who frowned upon attempts to appear to elevate oneself or claim to be better or smarter than others. It is strongly related to the emphasis on social equality and fairness that also appears in Upper Midwestern social movements like Populism - a consensus oriented and issue oriented approach to problems and an unwritten law to stress social equality and emphasize fairness for all. This cultural code has been described in Sandemose’s Jante law, which captures the underlying philosophy by emphasizing its less favorable aspects. None-the-less, self-deprecating or self-effacing humor of this sort gives us the ability to laugh at ourselves; to make fun of our human foibles and maintain a sense of perspective. It is also powerful in defusing confrontations. A major aspect of the humor is in the heavy Scandinavian accent given to the characters.
Format
Ole and Lena jokes can be long and drawn-out stories, or as short as two or three sentences. Lena is typically portrayed as the smarter of the two, often explaining where Ole went wrong in his misadventures. Another common character is Sven, who usually shows up in jokes along with Ole, making Sven and Ole jokes, though all three may appear together. Sven isn't as bright as Ole and Lena, but he means well. Ole and Lena are typically Norwegian, and Sven and his wife are Swedish.
Example
Ole goes out one day to use the outhouse, and he finds Sven there. Sven has his wallet out, and he's throwing money down into the hole of the outhouse. Ole asks, "Uff da! Sven, watcha doin' there, fella? You're throwing the five dollar bill and the ten dollar bill down into the hole of the outhouse! Whatcha doin' that for?" Sven answers, "Well, when I pulled up my trousers I dropped a nickel down there—and I'm not going down into that mess for just a nickel!"
Sources
In addition to the Prairie Home Companion joke books, there are various collections in print under the name of editor Red Stangland.
