9 “Boy Meets World” Jokes That Made The Show Great

Boy Meets World became one of the core comedies of the TGIF era during the '90s. Kids everywhere tuned in Friday nights to see Cory Matthews, Shawn Hunter, Topanga Lawrence, and Eric Matthews in the beloved sitcom.

The comedy, drama, romance, and adolescent lessons spanned over seven seasons from 1993-2000. The show followed Corey, Sean, and Topanga beginning in their middle school years. Eric began as a high school student. The later seasons took place with most of the main cast at the fictional college of Pennbrook.

The days at John Adams High in an unnamed Philadelphia suburb always included a little bit of insecurity for Cory, a down-to-earth (not so slick) kid with a girlfriend everyone said was way out of his league.

The camaraderie of the main characters grew in serious and lighthearted storylines.

The episode outcomes even emphasized intense emotional maturity at certain points. The style was consistent with the era of TV in the 1990s with similar shows like Step By Step and Full House. 

Boy Meets World succeeded, however, because the writers consistently used running jokes that endeared the show to its fans. A sitcom focused on teenagers getting into trouble and exploring their love lives was great, but the humor made the show stand out above the rest.

Children growing up during the ‘90s will never forget Harley Keiner chasing Corey and Shawn around, the brains of Stuart Minkis, or the most iconic fictional teacher of the era.

‘90s babies started to look at Mr. Feeny, who also lived next door to the Matthews, as the gold standard for teachers everywhere. That perception has lasted decades after the show’s final season. 

Running jokes helped build the characters into favorites of the time period for a generation that will never forget Boy Meets World.

It's the first running joke you think of when you remember Boy Meets World. The Feeny call morphed throughout the seasons. It started when Eric would gradually raise his voice calling for Mr. Feeny in the adjoining backyards. It morphed into a joking tone of the “Fe-he-he-eeny” call.

It even included a pull-string doll of Eric saying Feeny at one point.

Eric develops a funny yet heartwarming relationship with his Mr. Feeny throughout the show. The experienced teacher mostly just rolled his eyes at his student’s antics.

Cory and Shawn once started a bed and breakfast inside Feeny’s house while he was on vacation. They ran back and forth between a wrestling match and Topanga’s Sweet 16 birthday party. They dressed up as girls to gain a woman’s perspective on dating.

Did they really think their ideas were going to work? It wouldn’t have been nearly as funny if they actually thought things through. The two best friends were always reliable for a huge blunder.

They became the show’s power couple with consistent conversations as teenagers about spending their whole lives together. The show lightened the teenage drama with some self-aware jokes about the couple’s bizarre sense of emotional maturity about a life-long relationship.

Shawn’s role as the ladies' man makes Cory a little bit insecure at certain points in the show. The “30-foot range” of Shawn’s hair flip draws all the girls, and the show made the best of a great contrast to Corey’s curly hair, a good way to characterize as the loveable average guy.

Wise old Mr. Feeny seemed to have life advice for just about every problem that Cory and Eric ever encountered. Coincidentally, he always seemed to be in his backyard gardening whenever these issues came up. It’s a wonder how a teacher lived next door to his students and constantly interacted with them outside of school. Feeny really deserved a raise.

It was the perfect contrast. Mr. Feeny was the wise, experienced teacher handing out life advice, and Mr. Turner was the cool, edgy teacher riding a motorcycle to school. Both teachers were very central to episodes in the early seasons. They regularly disagreed on how to handle the students, helping to stir up some excitement for the plotlines related to school.

Eric’s misuse of the words niche and niece could’ve easily gone over the heads of some viewers. The writers placed his mistakes with multiple seasons in between.

It was especially interesting in Season 7 when Eric changes his name to “Plays With Squirrels” as part of a future outlook. The joke even made it into the Disney remake Girl Meets World.

Boy Meets World wasn’t afraid to ‘break the fourth wall” of television with some ironic humor taking the viewer behind the scenes. Two of the funniest instances involved the return of discontinued characters.

The show recast Cory and Eric’s sister Morgan after about half of a season without the character. When she returned, the writers decided not to ignore the elephant in the room. 

“I was in my room for a real long time,” the new Morgan, played by Lindsay Ridgeway, says in her first appearance.

Another quirky reintroduction came up again when Stuart Minkus, a mainstay in the first season, returned for the graduation episode in the fifth season finale. When Cory and Shawn wonder where he was in the meantime, Minkus just points to the “other part” of the school not shown on the set.

There was the Feeny call. There was Feeny at the fence. His relationship with Mr. Turner even made the list. Overall, anything to do with the iconic Mr. Feeny gave the show its best elements. Boy Meets World could’ve never existed without him.