I’d say Sarah doesn’t know much about cats or is just lazy.
Cats love toys, but it needs to be engaging. They love their pray to feel alive, to move, to hide. A crumpled up piece of paper on a string tied to a stick works wonders. That means the owner needs to participate, but most don’t. Also cats are crepuscular so for maximum success keep play limited the evening or morning. You might be surprised how much of a hunter your cat actually is.
I feel like jokes are a reflection on the people making them, based on their own experiences and biases. Jokes also need to be rooted in some kind of reality we all agree on in order to subvert and become funny.
A dumb joke about cats not wanting toys still tells me the owner has no idea or doesn’t care. And I’ve met these owners many times before. So many people see their pets as furniture and understand nothing about them, their personalities or their needs.