"What did the TV do at the…

“Channel surfing” means changing television channels. It is not like water surfing, but a riddle is:

Q: What did the TV do at the beach?
A: Channel surf.

The joke has been cited in print since at least 2009 and appears to have originated as a Popsicle stick joke.

Twitter
David
@fivestarsforme
What did the tv do at the beach?........................channel surf
4:31 PM - 23 May 2009

Twitter
Master of Puppets
@TimSWiseman
What did the tv do at the beach? Channel Surf!!!! lol
3:34 PM - 23 Jun 2009

Twitter
Sydney_Louise
@Sydney_Louise
popsicle joke #2 What did the tv do at the beach?....Channel Surf…LOLOL….not funny
12:16 AM - 6 Jul 2009

Yahoo!Answers (August 24, 2009)
I got these joke from a popsicle stick.?
1. why was the bad baseball team so hot?
2. what did the tv do at the beach?

Twitter
Emilee
@forever_us143
Answer to the stupid question: What did the television do at the beach?
Answer: Channel Surf
5:10 PM - 28 Jun 2011

Reddit—PopsicleSticks
What did the TV do at the beach? (self.PopsicleSticks)
submitted July 23, 2013 by ElDiablo666
Channel surf.

Twitter
popsicle stick jokes
@popsiclelaughs
what did the TV do at the beach??
CHANNEL SURF!!
#LOL #popsicle #sourpatchkids #delicious #iwantanotherone #thesearegood #funny #humor
3:47 AM - 23 Jul 2015

Reddit—Dad Jokes
What did the television do at the beach? (self.dadjokes)\
submitted July 21, 2017 by BloodyDaft
Channel surf!
Courtesy of my 6 y/o

Hays (KS) Post
KZ Country Cheesy Joke of the Day 6/18/18
JUNE 18, 2018 BY THERESA TRAPP
What did the television do at the beach?
Channel Surf

Reddit—Jokes
What did the TV do at the beach?
submitted July 11, 2018 by nerofur
Channel surf!

“What did the TV do at the beach?”/“Channel surf.”