Abstract: Political humour, lampooning of political figures and political satire have been part of political life since ancient times. Political parties that used humour as a means to an end in the political process emerged in the second half of the twentieth century criticizing the political elite and the electorate. This comparative paper analyses the phenomenon of modern joke/satirical parties and their use of political humour, focusing on the second generation of centrist anti-establishment joke parties that emerged and boomed amidst the 2007–2008 financial and economic crisis. This group includes the German Die PARTEI, which sends representatives to the European Parliament, and the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party (MKKP), which is present in local governments. Both of these successful joke parties are characterised by their mockery of the political elite and its messages, criticising the whole establishment, using the tools of satire, irony and humour. In the case of the second generation of joke parties, the joke is no longer just an end but also a means of drawing attention to corruption and political anomalies.