"What do you call a guy in a soup…

The word “stew” sounds like the name “Stu” (as in “Stewart”). “Stu” is used in one of many name riddles. This was posted on the newsgroup net.jokes on January 14, 1985:

Q: What do you call a leper in a hot tub?
A: Stu.

“A guy with no arms and no legs in a pot?—-Stu” was listed under “Canonical No Arms/Legs Collection” on the newsgroup net.jokes on June 9, 1985.

A somewhat sanitized version was posted on Reddit—Cleanjokes on January 6, 2019:

Q: What do you call a guy in a soup pot?
A: Stu.

Google Groups: net.jokes
New joke category???
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
1/14/85
(...)
What do you call a lepper in a hot tub?
Stu.

Google Groups: net.jokes
Canonical No Arms/Legs Collection
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
6/9/85
(...)
16. A guy with no arms and no legs in a pot?—-Stu

Google Groups: net.jokes
Short answer jokes(really amputees)
Joe Portman
3/23/86
(...)
> What do you call a man with no arms and no legs sitting in a hot tub?
> Stu

Google Groups: rec.humor
Quikkies
Simon Travaglia
2/5/90
(...)
What do you call an Irishman in a Vat of Acid?
Stu

Google Groups: rec.humor
Henry III Joke List
WILLIAM B BENNETT
6/21/91
In article

, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (mark r rauschkolb) writes:
|> Does anybody have a name for these “armless - legless” jokes?

How about TORSO jokes? (Or maybe even: “Armless - Legless” jokes…)

|> What do you call an armless - legless guy in a jacuzzi?
|> Stew.

Isn’t this one a copyrighted “Leper” joke?
(What do you call 5 lepers in a jacuzzi/hot_tub?...)

Also, if you’re going to use it as a TORSO joke, it would be funnier to use “Stu” rather than “Stew”

Google Books
Rebellious Laughter:
People’s Humor in American Culture
By Joseph Boskin
New York, NY: Syracuse University Press
1997
Pg. 190:
“What do you call…?”
(...)
a leper in a hot tub?
Stu.

Google Groups: alt.tasteless.jokes
What do you call… jokes
Ken
10/19/98
What do you call an armless, legless guy in a pot of boiling water?
Stu

Google Groups: rec.humor
What do you call them?
Bleek
12/13/99
(...)
What do you call a man who has no arms and legs in a hot tub
Stu

Reddit—Jokes
Name Jokes
submitted June 11, 2012 by Dreadmonkey
What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs and sits in front of a door? Mat
What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs and swims? Bob
What do you call a guy with no arms and no legs and sits in a big steel pot? Stu

Reddit—Jokes
What are your favorite “No arms, no legs” jokes?
submitted January 28, 2014 by Yensooo
In case you don’t know the format, here’s a few examples.

What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a pond?
Bob.

What do you call a man with no arms and no legs in a pot?
Stu.

Reddit—Jokes
What do you call a leper in a hot tub?
submitted January 21, 2015 by rastaration
Soup
COMMENTS
[deleted]
Stu!

71er
Stu.. dumbass

Reddit—Cleanjokes
What do you call a guy in a soup pot? (self.cleanjokes)
submitted January 6, 2018 by GreasyGallimimus
Stu.

“What do you call a guy in a soup pot?”/“Stu.”