“A contortionist in the Philippines would be a Manila folder”

Many offices use manila folders. A riddle about them is:
 
Q: What do you call a contortionist from the Philippines?
A: A Manila folder.
 
The joke has been cited in print since at least 1974.
 
     
Wikipedia: Manila folder
The manila folder is a file folder designed to contain documents. It is generally formed by folding a large sheet of stiff card in half. Though traditionally buff, sometimes other colors are used to differentiate categories of files.
 
The manila envelope is a specific colored envelope designed for transporting documents. It is made of thick, durable Manila paper and sized so that full sheets of paper can fit inside without being folded.
   
Wikipedia: Manila
Manila (/məˈnɪlə/; Filipino: Maynilà, pronounced [majˈnilaʔ] or [majniˈla]), officially the City of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynilà [luŋˈsod nɐŋ majˈnilaʔ]), is the capital of the Philippines and the most densely populated city proper in the world.
         
2 January 1974, Lowell (MA) Sun, pg. ?:
Not too bright. Thinks a manila folder is the Filipino contortionist.
(Camel cigarettes. This ad appeared in many newspapers in 1974.—ed.)
   
14 November 1975, Dayton )OH) Daily News, “Outrageous Carlin Almost Like a Series, and Why Not?” by Tom Hopkins, pg. 54, col. 1:
This one broke the “Clubhouse 22” joke meter this week: “What do you call a Filipino contortionist?” And the answer: “A Manila folder.”
 
6 April 1993, Chicago (IL) tribune, sec. 7, pg. 11, left masthead:
What do you call a contortionist in a Filipino circus?
A Manila folder.
 
Google Groups: alt.tasteless.jokes
Filipino Jokes
Jandro
2/9/98
(...)
What do you call a contortionist from the Philipines?
A Manila folder.
   
Google Groups: rec.sport.rugby.union
Glasgow vs Bourgoin Spoiler
caspar milquetoast
1/24/06
(...)
Did you hear about the contortionist from the Philippines?
He was a Manila folder.
—rick boyd
       
Twitter
JamesChong
@JamesChong
what do you call a filipino contortionist? ............................drum roll….................. a manila folder!
7:18 PM - 3 Mar 2009
   
Twitter
Michele Woodward
@michelewoodward
what do you call a Filipino contortionist?  A Manila folder.  yuk, yuk, yuk
2:01 PM - 7 Apr 2009
 
Google Books
Conch Killers
By Chip Giles
LaVergne, TN: Trafford On Demand Pub,
2010
Pg. 199:
Ramon brightened up, “Hey, that reminds me of a joke — What do you call a contortionist from the Philippines?”
(...)
“That would be a manila folder.”
 
Reddit—3amjokes
What do you call a contortionist from the Philippines? self.3amjokes
Submitted August 9, 2015 by BeyoncesWetFart
A Manila Folder!!
   
Reddit—Jokes
what do you call a contortionist from the Philippines?
submitted October 14, 2016 by tampared
A Manila folder.
 
Reddit—Oneliners
A contortionist in the Philippines would be a Manila folder.
submitted June 11, 2018 by Kas585