s01e04 Ross: I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever

Is "I'm rubber, you're glue" some sort of popular saying?

Ross, Chandler and Joey are off to watch a hockey game. There Ross catches a puck not with his hands, but with his nose. An injury and a gift! After Ross gets his nose fixed he goes back to the hospital's lobby. There Ross sees the puck in some boy's hands and demands to have his trophy back. But the kid is not ready to let go.

Kid: I found it. Finders keepers, losers weepers.

Ross: Oh yeah? Well, I'm rubber, you're glue, whatever—

What is this string of words exactly?

This is what Ross was supposed to say to the kid with the puck: 

"I'm rubber you're glue, anything you say bounces off me and sticks to you." 

That one as well as the boy's initial "Finders keepers, losers weepers" are a popular comebacks among children. Where comeback is a witty reply people use, when they find themselves in a hit of an argument and can't think of anything else to say. Those comebacks can come in handy when you are a child and the lack of experience doesn't let you think of a better point, especially when emotions are running high. 

Let's look into the bones of a joke a little closer. 

You know that feeling of reverting to your child self, when you are at your parents house for the holidays? We all seem to be tending to fall back into those old patterns from ages ago. Maybe acting more playful, or arguing the old arguments, whining a bit - all those sort of behaviors, that we associate with children. 

I assume that in the scene above Ross feels a similar pull of an old communication pattern. The trigger here isn't his parents' house, but the type of argument he as a kid used to have. The one were there are no real points, but a pure shower of comebacks. 

Watching the respected PhD Ross Geller almost falling for that invitation is endearing. At the same time seeing Ross not actually following through and not finishing the comeback makes me think of him as an awesome dad. Because, hey, way too soon it is going to be season 7, episode 16 and Ross better act like a grown up, when his sweet little Ben unleashes on him all the kids' repertoire of the 90ies era.

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I'd love to hear your take on this joke,

Katia

P.S.: By the way there is an episode where Phoebe also uses one of the most popular comebacks: "Say it don't stray it. I want the news not the weather."