“What’s red, white and blue at Christmas time?”/“A sad candy cane.”

The American flag is red, white and blue. Candy canes are usually white, with red stripes. A riddle was printed in Boys’ Life magazine in March 1980:
 
Teacher: What’s red, white, and blue?
Jasper: A sad candy cane.
 
A usual form of the riddle was posted on the newsgroup rec.crafts.textiles.quilting on December 11, 2011:
 
Q: What’s red, white and blue at Christmas time?
A: A sad candy cane!
 
         
Wikipedia: Candy cane
A candy cane is a cane-shaped stick candy often associated with Christmastide, as well as Saint Nicholas Day. It is traditionally white with red stripes and flavored with peppermint, but may also be a variety of other flavors and colors.
             
Google Books 
March 1980, Boys’ Life, “Think & Grin,” pg. 81, col. 2:
Teacher: What’s red, white, and blue?
Jasper: A sad candy cane. — Carl Risch, Bloomsburg, Pa.
 
23 December 1989, Pensacola (FL) News Journal, “Just for Laughs,” Pennywhistle Press, pg. 3, col. 3:
Question: What is red, white and blue?
Answer: A sad candy cane.
Josh Brewer
Sandusky, Maine
   
Google Books
Awesome Jokes
By Charles Keller
New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
1997
Pg. 90: 
What’s red, white and blue?
A sad candy cane.
 
23 December 1999, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “The Kids’ Reading Room: Jokes & Riddles,” pg. E8, col. 1:
What’s read, white and blue? A sad candy cane.(Ryan, 7, Inglewood)
 
23 December 2004, Los Angeles (CA) Times, “The Kids’ Reading Room: Jokes & Riddles,” pg. H3:
What’s red, white and blue? A sad candy cane.
Sara, sixth grade
Porter Middle School
Granada Hills
 
Google Groups: rec.crafts.textiles.quilting
Too cornball not to share….
Jo Gibson
12/11/11
(...)
What’s red, white and blue at Christmas time?
A sad candy cane!
 
Twitter
UoN Libraries‏
@UoNLibraries
What’s red, white and blue at Christmas time?
A sad candy cane!
#uonlibrariesfestivejokes
9:31 PM - 15 Dec 2015
   
Twitter
Nancy Herberholz‏
@nanron5350
Q: What’s red, white and blue at Christmas time?
A: A sad candy cane!
2:18 AM - 24 Dec 2015
   
Twitter
Michael J Smith‏
@oldmikey50
What’s red white and blue @Christmas?  A sad #candycane.
12:25 PM - 3 Dec 2016
   
Google Books
Katie Woo’s Hilarious Holiday Jokes
By Fran Manushkin
North Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, an imprint of Capstone Press
2017
Pg. 14:
What’s red, white, and blue?
A sad candy cane.

Twitter
TroiFromTroy‏
@CMeTNow
What’s red, white and blue at Christmas time?
A sad candy cane!
7:50 AM - 9 Dec 2017