The Real-Life Crappy Christmas Gift Behind ‘Seinfeld’s ‘Human Fund’ Gag
No matter what George Costanza may try to tell you, Seinfeld’s classic “Human Fund” gag wasn’t conjured over a fresh pot of Monk’s coffee or the humming red light of 82nd Street’s short-lived chicken roaster.
According to Seinfeld writer Alec Berg, the concept of Costanza making up a fake charity to avoid buying holiday presents in Season Nine’s “The Strike” was inspired by the ghosts of real Christmases past. More specifically, Castle Rock Entertainment’s strange seasonal employee gifts. (Castle Rock being the production company behind Seinfeld.)
“Every Christmas, Castle Rock would send everybody a card saying, ‘A donation has been made in your name to a charity,’ Berg explained to Uproxx of the company’s holiday tradition.
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Yet much like George’s unenthused colleagues at Kruger Industrial Smoothing, this present left Berg and other members of the Seinfeld team with more questions than holiday cheer. Namely, why this equally vague and sweet gift couldn’t keep on giving come Tax Day.
“We always wondered how much they had donated, and if it was made in our name, why couldn’t we use the tax write-off,” Berg said, noting that this non-present ultimately became “a running joke in the office.”
After a few years, however, Berg and his Seinfeld co-workers decided to take these inside gags to TV screens across the nation in what would later become one of Seinfeld’s most iconic moments. “George realized that really the scam is that he doesn’t have to give gifts anymore,” Berg added. “He can just send cards saying, ‘A donation has been made in your name,’ to a made-up charity. That’s how that came about. Let’s make up a charity that nobody could possibly bust you on, that’s so generic. So, that was the Human Fund.”
That said, a donation to the fictitious Human Fund sure as hell beats having to square off with Frank Costanza in a Festivus-inspired test of strength.