Ole and Lena are characters persistent in jokes by Scandinavian-Americans, dominantly in the Upper Midwest region of the U.S., particularly in Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota where Lutherans are common. 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. A joke is a short story or short series of words spoken or communicated with the intent of being laughed at or found humorous by the listener or reader. ... Scandinavia, Fennoscandia, and the Kola Peninsula. ... The Upper Midwest is a region of the United States with no universally agreed-upon boundary, but it always lies within the US Census Bureaus definition of the Midwest and the states of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as at least the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ... State nickname: North Star State Other U.S. States Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) Official languages None Area 225,365 km² (12th)  - Land 206,375 km²  - Water 18,990 km² (8. ... State nickname: Badger State State motto: Forward Other U.S. States Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Governor Jim Doyle (D) Official languages None Area 169,790 km² (23rd)  - Land 140,787 km²  - Water 28,006 km² (17%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,453,896 (18th)  - Density 38. ... State nickname: Peace Garden State, Roughrider State, Flickertail State Other U.S. States Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Governor John Hoeven (R) Official languages English Area 183 272 km² (19th)  - Land 178 839 km²  - Water 4 432 km² (2. ... The Lutheran tradition is a group of Christian denominations who accept the main theological insights of Martin Luther. ...

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.

An example of a joke involving all three:

Ole, Lena, and Sven are lost out in the freezing wilderness, when they stumble across an Arabian-style lamp.

Lena says "Hey, this looks like one of them Genie-lamps like in the movies!"

So Ole says "Hey, let's rub it and see what happens!" So they do, and a ghostly figure emerges.

"I am the Genie of the North," says the spirit, "and will grant you each one wish. Think carefully now, and choose your wishes."

Lena takes the lamp and says "Well, gee, it's awfully cold here, and we've been lost for days. I really wish I was back home in front of the fire!"

Says the Genie, "It shall be done!" He claps his hands together and Lena vanishes, leaving the lamp on the ground.

Ole then picks it up. "Well, home in front of the fire sounds good to me. I wish I was home with Lena!"

Says the Genie, "It shall be done!" Again, he claps his hands, and Ole vanishes.

So Sven picks up the lamp and thinks for a bit. "Well, it sure is cold here, and I'm feeling a bit lonely out here all by myself. I really wish Ole and Lena were back here with me..."

Prudence Johnson and Garrison Keilor live on-stage at Shelburn, Vermont as part of the 2005 Rhubarb tour A Prairie Home Companion is a live radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor. ...

See also

• Uff da

  This culture-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. Uff da is a common exclamation for Norwegian immigrants to the United States, meaning roughly drats, oops!, or ouch!, especially if the ouch! is an empathetic one. ... Look up Culture on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikinews has news related to this article: Culture and entertainment Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Cultural Development in Antiquity Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Culture and Civilization in Modern Times Classificatory system for cultures and civilizations, by Dr. Sam Vaknin... Shortcut: WP:STUB stub, please see Stub (disambiguation). ... Shortcut: WP:STUB stub, please see Stub (disambiguation). ...