A papa joke is to be cherished any day of the year, but as we near Father’s Day it is especially important to appreciate this particular genre of “humor”. If we can call it that.
What’s a dad joke?
A papa joke (capitalized out of respect) is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a wholesome joke of the kind told by fathers with a punch line that is often an obvious or predictable pun or pun and is usually judged to be adorable cheesy or uncomfortable.”
(When does a joke turn into a papa joke? When it becomes obvious.)
In other words, if it’s incredibly cheesy and makes you half moan, half smile, it’s a dad joke. Sure, anyone can tell a dad joke, but the punch lines are most effectively delivered by a half-dumb, middle-aged dad.
(It is inappropriate to make a “dad joke” if you are not a dad. It’s a faux pas.)
What are your favorite dad jokes?
In honor of all of our favorite fathers on Father’s Day, I’ve put together a collection of the very best (worst?) Dad jokes I could find for you. Feel free to destroy these while grilling in the back yard on Sunday.
- Why are elevator jokes so good? You work on so many levels.
- Why was the guy fired from his job at the orange juice factory?
He couldn’t concentrate. - Did you hear about the blown up cheese dairy? Da Brie was everywhere.
- Why do ophthalmologists live so long? You are expanding.
- Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7, 8, 9.
- How do you steal someone’s coat? You jacket.
- I was wondering why this frisbee kept looking bigger and bigger. Then it got me.
- I went to a zoo once, but there was only one dog there. It was a Shih-Tzu.
- What do you call an alligator in a vest? An investigator.
- What do you call a fake noodle? A pie.
- The police have just arrested the tongue twister world champion. They say he’ll get a severe sentence.
- Why does a chicken coop have two doors? Because if it had four doors it would be a chicken limo.
- What did the left eye say to the right eye? Something smells between you and me.
- What do you think of a baby you meet on Rodeo Drive? “Gucci, Gucci, Gucci.”
- Many people think that Thor’s brother is intense, but I found him reluctant.
- What do roofs cost? Nothing. You are on the house.
- What do you call a can opener that doesn’t work? A can opener.
- Why don’t you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom? Because the “P” is silent.
- What do you call a group of rabbits walking backwards? A receding rabbit line.
- What do frogs wear on their feet in summer? Open toad sandals
- Where are all papa jokes stored? In a dad-a-base.
- Why don’t cannibals eat clowns? They taste weird.
- Where did the general raise his armies? In his sleeves.
- What’s brown and sticky? A stick!
- What did the buffalo father say to the buffalo boy when he went to school? “Bison.”
Finally, an original papa joke – one you’ve probably never heard of – courtesy of one parent’s husband in ours Junior Facebook group:
Where do you think of the hottest peppers? The hall-of-peño.
(Samantha says her husband was very proud when he came up with this, and we can certainly see why.)
I know there is a papa joke you love that is not on this list, and I know it is killing you. Go ahead, paste it in the comments; There aren’t too many dad jokes (yes there are).
This post was originally published in 2020 and was updated with current context (and more papa jokes) on June 17, 2021.
