It appears that dad jokes are having a moment. Some of the coolest fathers on the planet are airing their own dad jokes, and some decidedly less cool dads are following suit.
The dad joke is described by OxfordDictionaries.com as, ‘An unoriginal or unfunny joke of a type supposedly told by middle-aged or older men.’
In the lead up to Father’s Day on Sunday, September 3, we’re showing our appreciation of these fatherly funnies by taking inspiration from the trendsetters and some less well-known jokers.
Barack Obama and Ryan Reynolds are just two of the high-profile dads publicly displaying their proclivity for the dad joke.
At his final Thanksgiving celebration as President of the United States, Barack Obama famously took the opportunity to display his prowess with the dad joke. After saying that his daughters were not present because they couldn’t take his turkey-related puns anymore, he swiftly moved on to unleash a few of his best:
“When somebody at your table tells you that you’ve been hogging all the side dishes, you can’t have anymore, I hope you respond with a creed that sums of the spirit of the hungry people: Yes we cran.”
and
“I want to take a moment to recognize the brave turkeys who weren’t so lucky, who didn’t get to ride the gravy train to freedom, who met their fate with courage and sacrifice and proved that they weren’t chicken.”
Ryan Reynolds also got in on the act, posting this one to Twitter:
“Went to Disneyland because my daughter’s obsessed with Mickey Mouse. She was so excited when I got home and told her.”
Once confined to the privacy of the home, dad jokes are now doing the rounds on Twitter, with less famous dads joining Obama and Reynolds to share their best.
Twitter’s @baddadjokes has a whopping 33,000 followers. Some of @baddadjokes’ best include:
“What’s the difference between in-laws and outlaws? Outlaws are wanted.”
“What’s the leading cause of dry skin? Towels”
“RIP boiled water. You will be mist.”
If you want to give your dad some inspiration for his next dad joke this Father’s Day, consider the Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotes.
This hilarious collection of humorous quotations, full of wisecracks and wit, snappy comments and inspired fantasy, has been specially compiled by the late British broadcaster and raconteur Ned Sherrin, with a foreword by satirist, Alistair Beaton.
Fathers will be able to find the best lines from their favourite jokesters and wordsmiths, hopefully improving their own repertoire.
Entries range from Russell Brand’s cutting remark,
“No wonder Bob Geldof is such an expert on famine. He’s been feeding off ‘I don’t like Mondays’ for 30 years.”
to Arnold Schwarzeneger’s quip that deciding to run for governor of California was:
“The most difficult decision I’ve ever made in my entire life, except for the one in 1978 when I decided to get a bikini wax.”
Long live the dad joke!
Other Father’s Day gift ideas from Oxford University Press:
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