Did you know that NASA launched a rocket to say sorry to aliens for humans wrecking Earth so badly? It’s called the Apollo G.
Did you laugh? I know that I did. After all, this is my type of humor. I love the kind of jokes that reel me in and then hit me with a punchline that is just complex enough to require a moment before the meaning truly dawns on me. Wordplay is key; corniness is expected. These jokes are awe-inspiring feats of humanity, trophies passed down from generation to generation: dad jokes.
I love dad jokes. I love them to a near ridiculous extent, not only for their delightful humor, but for the confidence they have instilled in me and the lightness they can bring to any conversation. Dad jokes are jokes that rely on predictable punchlines or word puns, told primarily by dads. My father has been an avid user and creator of dad jokes for as long as I can remember. “Knock-knocks” and “why did the chicken cross the road?s” filled my house as I grew up, and I would giggle non-stop as he spun variant after variant of them, all filled with clever puns. Soon enough, I found myself his successor. It began with simple wordplay in fourth grade, rather heavy-handedly describing the over-easy breakfast on my plate as egg-ceptionally egg-cellent and eggs-quisite. The rest of my family feigned horror; my dad gleamed with pride. There was no going back.
In no time at all, I had started Googling “funny dad jokes” and scouring the web for the perfect things to crack my family up (Did you know french fries weren’t made in France? They were fried in Greece!) Soon after, I was flipping through a book of puns at the bookstore, memorizing each one I felt I could use or, if not, repurpose into something else (What kind of bagel can fly? A plane bagel!)
I became a dedicated student of the art of dad jokes, an archive of humor. I learned the basics of dad jokes from my father, but I developed a skill for them myself, a sort of sixth-sense that whispered puns into my ears. As a sixth grader now, I knew I was ready to share my talents with the rest of the world.
I mustered up my bravery, and soon, my friends had heard a myriad of quips on everything from whales (“Whale, whale, whale, look what it is,” I say as I point to a whale’s tail), to pickles, (If you put one on your face, would it be a pickle patch?), to countries, (Kenya believe it? Uganda be kidding me, there’s Norway. Oman, Israel!) My courage rose with each laugh and smirk I received, and I began casually dropping them in conversation as I learned how to integrate them more subtly into my sentences, so that the pun would only register after a moment of consideration. The shock of it often elicits a chuckle from even the most stoic of my dad-joke skeptical peers. They would laugh before they remembered to roll their eyes, but even they had to concede that it was not a bad joke. Indeed, it wasn’t. Often, it is a masterpiece: a dad joke.
Over time, my confidence has continued to grow, and with it, the range my jokes covered. Now, I bombard even my group project members, estranged friends, and distant acquaintances with my storm of jokes. Not all of them laugh, but the puns serve as magnificent ice breakers. They provoke unexpected snorts, mockingly disappointed shakes of the head, chuckles, and full cackles from some that I have caught off-guard. Laughter and cheesy puns have bridged the chasm between random strangers and me. Dad jokes were the victor yet again.
Over the years, dad jokes have done so much for me. They have given me courage, confidence, and even connections I may not have established otherwise. I still don’t know why the chicken crossed the road or why people are knocking on doors instead of ringing doorbells (although, I did hear that might have been because they want to win No-bell prizes), but I will always treasure these punny sayings.
Are you still reading? Bye, Still Reading, it’s Reina.