Comic ventriloquist is no dummy

"Shhhh," he admonished the dog, until he realized what the pup was trying to do:

"My little Chihuahua is chewing on José Jalapeño On-a-Stick," Dunham said. José is one of the main puppets in Dunham's comic arsenal.

"That's kind of funny, isn't it?" he then mused aloud with an innocent chuckle. "Mexican dog chewing on a Mexican jalapeño."

You would think that, after 20 years of making people laugh by channeling himself through a cast of puppets, Dunham would be a bit jaded to moments of spontaneous silliness. But when he chuckles that infectious laugh that sucks you in, you realize that laughter and silliness are woven into the fabric of his very being.

Fresh off his hugely successful Comedy Central special "Arguing With Myself," Dunham and his entourage — José, the irrepressible Peanut and cranky curmudgeon Walter — are tickling the funny bones of audiences nationwide, including a two-night stand at Tucson's Laffs Comedy Caffe next weekend.

The Comedy Central special, taped last August and aired in April, blew the ceiling off expected ratings. Three days later, it was released on DVD; in two months, the DVD was certified platinum (1 million copies sold).

"We've tried to figure out why it's doing so well and so much better than other stand-up titles, especially somebody who doesn't have a sitcom," Dunham said, and then deadpanned: "The bottom line is — it's funny. In all our wisdom and experience, that's the big result of our survey and knowledge."

These days, Dunham and Co. are getting big laughs from José's take on the heated immigration issue. José, a former immigrant in this country legally, is still sorting out his emotions, but it's a safe bet that his bottom-line take is ambivalence. He's here and that's all he really cares about, Dunham theorized.

Walter probably has a few thoughts on the issue, but he's consumed by the war on terrorism. He spouts off his theories and conspiracies, and pity the fool who disagrees. With his eyes crinkled and his lips curled in a pout, Walter will shoot you down without mercy, no matter who's watching.

Then there's Peanut, the adorable purple woozle, who resembles a monkey hyped up on attitude. Everything is fair game for Peanut, who pokes fun with a biting tongue at the audience, his host Dunham and his castmates.

Often, Dunham finds himself in the middle of the trio's mayhem, breaking up fights, keeping the peace or just staying out of the way of low-flying insults.

There came a point not long ago when Dunham realized that the characters he had created were stronger than the man pulling their strings. So he snatched a bit of the spotlight and started doing some stand-up on his own. And he tweaked the puppets' delivery, having Walter serve the punch line to him instead of the audience.

"It gets the bigger laugh," Dunham said of the changes. "It's like (Walter) is trying to explain it to me."

Much of Dunham's show is off-the-cuff. And in those moments of spontaneity he finds his biggest laughs.

"That's where I have fun. I pick on the crowd and have fun with them," he said.

What do woozle, jalapeño have in common? They're funny

Peanut the purple woozle: Sassy, snarky and so cute you excuse him all his transgressions, even if it's you he's cutting down when he scans the audience for possible targets.

José Jalapeño On-a-Stick: Perched at the end of a pogo stick, this Mexican immigrant speaks with a thick accent and occasionally relays the tale of his impalement. These days, though, he's tiptoeing into the ugly world of immigration reform.

Walter: He's the world's crankiest curmudgeon. This senior citizen has an opinion on everything, and he's not afraid to share. Don't try to disagree with him unless you don't mind being skewered in public.

Jeff Dunham: He should be at the top of this list, but Dunham's characters have overshadowed him. Lately, though, Dunham has been muscling his way back into the conversation, and he's stealing back the laughs.

Quick Take

Jeff Dunham in concert

When: 8 and 10:30 p.m. Aug. 18; 7 and 9:30 p.m. Aug. 19

Where: Laffs Comedy Caffe, 2900 E. Broadway, Suite 154

Cost: $22 early shows, $20 late shows

Reservations: 323-8669