What do you call a mischievous pea?

This joke gets its chuckle from some clever wordplay, a classic humor mechanism. The punchline, "a rebel pea," plays on the phonetic similarity to "repel," as in to push something away. It conjures up the image of a defiant little legume refusing to stay on your plate, perhaps rolling off onto the floor in a tiny act of vegetable rebellion.

The humor also comes from the absurdity of attributing human traits like mischievousness and rebellion to a humble pea. Peas, small and round, are notorious for their ability to roll away, making the idea of a "rebel pea" surprisingly fitting. This combines with the common experience of trying to keep them on a fork, or perhaps even a childhood memory of a pea escaping the plate.

So, the joke works by taking a common, unassuming food item and giving it a rebellious personality through a simple, yet effective, pun. It’s a lighthearted twist that makes you look at your dinner plate with a new, slightly more mischievous, perspective.