Who doesn’t love a good dad joke? There’s nothing more hilariously cringy than a corny, yet belly-laugh-inducing (or simply a strong chuckle) dad joke. The internet started giving dads some praise for those jokes back in 2003. It wasn’t until 2013, though, that funny dad jokes started to make some noise on the internet. Even former President Barack Obama hopped on the dad joke train in 2016 when he was giving the annual turkey pardon at the White House before Thanksgiving.
Dads have always enjoyed telling those jokes. While tweens and teens don’t exactly love them now, they will when they’re older and think back on those silly dad jokes for kids that they always told on the way home from practice. When they’re dads, the jokes will eventually come full circle. Even though every father has their go-to funny dad jokes; who told the first dad joke?
First dad joke
Dads have been telling their signature jokes forever, but it wasn’t until 1987 that those pun-ny jokes were given a name. In one of his columns, writer Jim Kalbaugh coined the term “dad joke” in the Gettysburg Times in honor of Father’s Day. Kalbaugh’s wish was that those corny dad jokes never lose traction, and they haven’t.
Why we love a dad joke
No matter how corny or cringy the dad jokes, they always elicit laughter, even if it’s accompanied by a strong eye-roll. They are also primarily pretty clean and appropriate for the whole family, which is just one of the many reasons we love them. Dad jokes are quick, typically one-liners that are easy for kids of all ages to understand. Lots of dad jokes are so un-funny that their ridiculousness makes you laugh.
The idea behind the dad joke is they’re not meant to be funny but instead a means of using humor to communicate, often with kids. Nothing can alleviate a tense moment or bring levity to a nervous situation quite like a well-timed dad joke.
Best dad jokes
We’ve all heard them growing up, but what exactly is a dad joke? Dad jokes are usually pretty short and involve puns. A dad joke can also start with a question, with the answer being a punchline. It’s the pun part that usually gets the tween and teen eyes rolling. However, younger kids will almost always giggle, or at least smile at a funny dad joke. Your family probably had ones that are memorable, but what are the top dad jokes of all time? Here are 15 of the best ones.
- What did one plate say to the other? Dinner is on me.
- Try the seafood diet. First, you see food. Then, you eat it.
- Why did the scarecrow win an award? He was outstanding in his field.
- What are the strongest days of the week? Saturday and Sunday. All the rest are weekdays.
- How do you stop a bull from charging? Cancel his credit card.
- What did the baby corn say to the mama corn? Where is popcorn?
- What do you call two monkeys who share an Amazon Prime account? Prime mates.
- Why did the orange lose the race? It ran out of juice.
- How do you fix a broken pumpkin? With a pumpkin patch.
- Why are fish so smart? They live in schools.
- What has ears but can’t hear? A cornfield.
- Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven ate nine.
- What do houses wear? An address.
- What did the ocean say to the beach? Nothing. It just waved.
- What happens when a snowman throws a tantrum? He has a meltdown.
Of course, we could keep going. What type of tree fits in your hand? A palm tree.
What makes dad jokes so fun is that they are corny. Dads always manage to pull one out just at the right moment when the kids need a laugh or a pick-me-up. So, keep the tradition going, dads. If you need some inspiration, here are 15 that are guaranteed to get a giggle, or at least an eye roll, or both.
