dad joke

{{short description|Type of short joke}}

{{Infobox joke

| image = File:I'm Hungry Dad joke.jpg

| caption = Dad jokes sent via text message

| nickname =

| type = Pun

| target =

| language = English

}}

A dad joke is a joke, typically a pun, often presented as a one-liner or a question and answer.{{Cite web |date=2024-09-11 |title=Definition of DAD JOKE |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dad%20joke |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}} Generally inoffensive, dad jokes are told with sincere humorous intent or to intentionally provoke a negative "groaning" reaction to their overly simplistic humor. Dad jokes are called dad jokes because they are stereotypically thought to be jokes a father or someone like a father would tell to a child.{{Cite web |last=Kwan |first=Michael |date=2017-04-14 |title=Why Are They Called Dad Jokes Anyway? » Beyond the Rhetoric |url=https://btr.michaelkwan.com/2017/04/14/dad-jokes/ |access-date=2024-09-21 |website=Beyond the Rhetoric |language=en-US}}

An example of a dad joke would be for a child to say, "I'm hungry," to which the dad might reply, "Hi, Hungry, I'm Dad."{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/09/deconstructing-the-dad-joke/571174/|title=The Dad-Joke Doctrine|work=The Atlantic|first=Ashley|last=Fetters|date=September 25, 2018|access-date=December 6, 2020}} According to a 2023 survey of 1,500 American fathers and their partners, this particular gag was the most heard of the genre in nine U.S. states and the most common nationwide. Of the states, Pennsylvania and Delaware report the highest frequency of dad jokes heard.{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Justin |date=June 15, 2023 |title=For Father's Day: Celebrate with state's favorite dad jokes, beer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/972143958/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |publisher=Delaware News Journal |page=B3 |language=en}}

Some dad jokes may be considered anti-jokes, deriving humor from a punchline that is intentionally not funny,{{cite web |last=Luu |first=Chi |date=12 June 2019 |title=The Dubious Art of the Dad Joke |url=https://daily.jstor.org/the-dubious-art-of-the-dad-joke/ |access-date=15 June 2019 |work=JSTOR Daily |publisher=Ithaka|quote=Dad jokes are a kind of anti-joke, different from other ways of joking in their performance, even formulaic jokes. Like self-deprecatingly joking about a personal flaw before your bullies do, dad jokes seem to court failure, presenting themselves as deliberately bad, deliberately uncool, deliberately anti-humor. |location=New York City}} such as non sequiturs like: "Q: Why did the plane crash into the mountain? A: Because the pilot was a loaf of bread."

While the exact origin of the term dad joke is unknown, the term was first published by Jim Kalbaugh,{{Cite web |last=Desai |first=Devika |date=June 15, 2019 |title=Father Knows Jest |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/572943698/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Newspapers.com |publisher=National Post |page=WP2 |language=en}} who wrote an impassioned defense of the genre in The Gettysburg Times in June 1987 under the headline "Don't ban the 'Dad' jokes; preserve and revere them".{{Cite news |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/gettysburg-times-jun-20-1987-p-5/ |work=Gettysburg Times | publisher=Sample News Group|location=Gettysburg, Pennsylvania|title=Don't ban the "Dad" jokes; preserve and revere them |date=June 20, 1987 | page=5 |via=NewspaperArchive |access-date=February 9, 2019}}

The term "dad jokes" received mentions in the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother in 2008{{cite episode|last=Fryman|first=Pamela|author-link=Pamela Fryman|title=Not a Father's Day|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1256189/|date=November 10, 2008|series=How I Met Your Mother|series-link=How I Met Your Mother|network=CBS|season=4|number=7|access-date=March 2, 2016}} and the Australian quiz show Spicks and Specks in 2009.{{cite web|last=zombieshoes76|title=Spicks & Specks- Dad Jokes|website=YouTube |date=August 30, 2009|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lKVBlARYEg|access-date=March 2, 2016}}

The genre began to thrive on social media platforms; in 2017, #dadjokes was one of the most popular hashtags on Twitter. The U.S. Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council launched the #dadjokesrule campaign in August 2017 to use the increasing popularity of the humor form to encourage positive father-child communication. Ad Council president and chief executive officer Lisa Sherman said, "Dad jokes represent more than just a trend; these jokes are smiles, moments, and memories made with one of the most important people in a child's life."{{Cite press release |title=Fatherhood Ad Campaign Uses Cherished "Dad Jokes" as Focus |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fatherhood-ad-campaign-uses-cherished-dad-jokes-as-focus-300504882.html |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=www.prnewswire.com |publisher=The Ad Council |language=en}}

In September 2019, Merriam-Webster added the phrase "dad joke" to the dictionary.{{cite web | title=We Added New Words to the Dictionary for September 2019 | url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/new-words-in-the-dictionary | publisher=Merriam-Webster | location=Springfield, Massachusetts| date=17 September 2019 | access-date=19 September 2019}}

In October 2021, Men's Health compiled 200 of "the best dad jokes of all time", sorting them into topical categories of punny, "groaners", sick, parenting, and "my wife".{{Cite web |last=Spitznagel |first=Eric |date=2021-10-22 |title=200 Dad Jokes So Bad They're Actually Perfect |url=https://www.menshealth.com/trending-news/a34437277/best-dad-jokes/ |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=Men's Health |language=en-US}}

In May 2022, Today published a list of 225 in the humor genre, categorizing some as being better suited for adults than for children.{{Cite web |last=Lemire |first=Sarah |date=2023-08-10 |title=These dad jokes are so bad, they're good |url=https://www.today.com/life/dad-jokes-rcna27325 |access-date=2023-08-21 |website=today.com |language=en}}