c/dad-joke-showdown

Just realized I've been telling the number joke wrong my whole life

So I was at my nephew's birthday party last Saturday and I told the old 'Why is 6 afraid of 7' joke. This 8 year old kid looks at me and says 'Because 7 ate 9, but that doesn't work because 8 ate 10 is actually funnier.' I mean, he had a point. Now I'm wondering if I've been butchering dad jokes for decades without even knowing it. Anyone else ever get called out by a kid for a joke you thought was perfect?

1 comments

faith_carter•10h ago

My dad joke game changed after a trip to the hardware store last Saturday

I was at Ace Hardware in Springfield picking up a new hose nozzle, and the old guy behind the counter hit me with a pun about a leaky faucet that had me laughing for ten minutes. Before that, my jokes were always about food or animals, but now I'm all about tools and repairs. Has anyone else found a random situation that totally shifted your pun style?

3 comments

johnson.paul•2d ago

Had to pick between a pun about my lawn or a pun about my grill at the family reunion

Last weekend at my cousin's cookout, I had two dad jokes ready. One about how my grass was so tall it needed a trim before the joke could grow on them. The other about how my grill was smoking more than my punchlines. I went with the lawn one. Landed flat. Literally nobody laughed except my wife, and that was a pity chuckle. Now I'm wondering if I shoulda stuck with the grill joke or just kept my mouth shut. Anyone else ever pick the wrong joke at a big family thing?

3 comments

norab21•2d ago

Last week my dad joke streak hit rock bottom at the family BBQ

I told 8 puns in a row and my own kids started fake-coughing through them. The worst one was about a broken pencil, and my wife said if I tell one more she's taking away my grill privileges for a month. Has anyone else bombed this hard on a single day?

3 comments

sam_thomas•3d ago

Hit my 500th dad joke posted here and it felt weird

I was scrolling through my post history and realized I've shared exactly 500 puns in this group over the past two years. That's like telling a joke every day and a half without even thinking about it. Does anyone else track their joke count or am I the only one who gets surprised by that?

3 comments

harper693•3d ago

I compared telling a pun with a straight setup versus a misdirect and the results were night and day

So at the family dinner last Sunday, I tried two different approaches. First I told 'Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.' Standard setup, everyone groaned but laughed. Then I hit them with 'I told my wife she should embrace her mistakes... and she gave me a hug.' The misdirect one got twice the groans and my dad actually snorted. Idk if it's just me but I feel like the twist ending lands way harder every time. Does anyone else tweak their setups depending on the crowd?

3 comments

james_campbell12•4d ago

Spent $40 on that pun jar at the flea market

I saw this big glass jar at the flea market last weekend. Said 'Puns for Hire' on the side. Looked cool so I dropped $40 on it. Got home and it was just 50 index cards with the same joke written on each one. 'What do you call a fake noodle?' An impasta. That's it. Has anyone else gotten burned by a Dad joke related product like this?

3 comments

harper693•4d ago

My dad joke tanked hard at my daughter's soccer game yesterday

I was at the sidelines of her under-10 match and tried a pun about why the goalie couldn't see the ball. Turned out I mixed up goalie and goal, so it made zero sense and the other parents just stared at me. Anybody else bomb a joke so bad they just walked away and pretended to get a phone call?

2 comments

veraj53•4d ago

Watch out for pun fails at the county fair talent show

I did my dad joke set at the Warren County Fair last Saturday, and I dropped a pun about a horse with a broken leg. The guy running the sound booth started laughing so hard he fell into the mixer board and knocked out the whole PA system for 5 minutes. Now I always check the crowd for sound guys before I try a risky pun. Has anyone else had a joke backfire in a weird way at a live event?

2 comments

jackson.matthew•4d ago

My expensive mistake at the family reunion cookoff

I spent $40 on fancy ingredients for a grill-themed dad joke punchline that completely bombed when I forgot the setup. Has anyone else thrown good money after a bad pun during showdown week?

2 comments

scott.miles•5d ago

Had to choose between a punny punchline or a groaner at the family BBQ last Sunday

So I was standing by the grill flipping burgers and my wife tossed me two options for a dad joke. One was a real clever pun about a steak that goes medium rare, and the other was a total groaner about a spatula that left. I went with the groaner, honestly because I wanted to see my brother-in-law roll his eyes so hard. He actually laughed a bit after the groan, so it worked out better than I thought. My kids gave me a 6 out of 10 on the chuckle scale, which is higher than my usual 4. Ever pick the lame joke on purpose just to get a reaction from someone specific?

2 comments

alice_hart•5d ago

The day I lost the dad joke showdown to a pun about string cheese

So last Tuesday at our weekly dad joke showdown I thought I had it in the bag. I told a joke about a chicken crossing a road and a scarecrow winning an award for being outstanding in his field. The room was laughing but not like they did for Gary's cheese pun. He literally said "I'm not string you along anymore" and everyone lost it. I felt like I got robbed because my setup took more skill. But honestly Gary's joke was simpler and the whole room voted for him. It really made me think about what makes a good dad joke deep cleverness or just quick punchy puns? Has anyone else felt like the wrong joke won a round?

2 comments

sanchez.pat•5d ago

Overheard my son call a pun 'dad-level genius' and it hit me different

Was dropping my kid off at school last week and heard him tell his friend, 'My dad's pun about the broken elevator was actually dad-level genius.' I stood there for a second realizing how much work I put into those jokes. Every day I scan the morning news or what's in the fridge for pun bait. Now I'm wondering if anyone else here plans their puns around real events or just wings it?

2 comments

wesley385•5d ago

Shoutout to the dad joke I tried on my kids during a car ride

Ngl, I tested out a pun about a broken pencil during a 20 minute drive to school last week. My kids groaned so loud the driver next to me rolled down his window to ask what happened. I learned that timing is everything with dad jokes deliver them when they're stuck in traffic and can't escape.

2 comments

mark_mitchell•5d ago

Just hit my 100th dad joke submission here and only got 3 upvotes total

I thought after a hundred puns I'd be a legend in this group, but I guess my jokes are like my lawn mower - they just don't start well, so does anyone else keep track of their stats or am I the only one sad enough to count?

2 comments

jesse_green55•6d ago

My 500th dad joke landed like a lead balloon

I hit 500 dad jokes told in our family group chat this past Sunday. My daughter Sarah rolled her eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck. She said "Dad, that's your 500th one this year alone." Has anyone else kept count and regretted it?

3 comments

eva_adams68•6d ago

My dad convinced me to tell a knock-knock joke at a funeral reception

Uncle Jerry was a funny guy, so my dad said it was fitting. I stood up and said "Knock knock." Nobody said "who's there" and my aunt stared daggers at me for a full minute. Dad just whispered "see, I told you it'd be memorable." Has anyone else taken bad joke advice from a relative and regretted it immediately?

3 comments

elliotm70•8d ago

Shoutout to the guy at the county fair who roasted my puns

I went to the county fair last Saturday near Springfield and there was this dad joke contest set up by the 4H club. I thought I was hot stuff with my puns about tractors and corn, but this old farmer in a flannel shirt shut me down. He told a joke about a combine harvester that had everyone in stitches, and I mean actual tears. I tried to counter with one about a chicken crossing the road and he just looked at me and said 'son, that joke is older than my tractor tires.' I felt like a rookie accountant trying to explain tax deductions to a guy who's been filing since the 70s. Has anyone else walked into a contest thinking you've got the best stuff and then got absolutely humbled by a pro?

2 comments

alice269•8d ago

Tried a pun competition at my school assembly and got crickets instead of laughs

I thought my seventh graders would love a dad joke battle during Friday's assembly, so I kicked it off with one about a broken pencil having no point. The whole cafeteria went dead silent for like ten seconds before a kid in the front row said 'Mr. Walker, that was painful.' Should I just stick to math jokes from now on or keep trying to force the dad humor on them?

2 comments

susanm56•9d ago

The hardware store on Oak Street changed how I stack my dad jokes

I was picking up some nails at the Ace on Oak Street last Tuesday when I overheard an older guy telling the cashier a pun about a broken ladder. The cashier groaned but then asked him for another one. That got me thinking. I realized I always just fire off my best joke first and then I'm done. But watching that guy, he had a whole sequence lined up. He started with a weak one, then built up to a better one. Now I plan my joke deliveries the same way. I save my strongest pun for the third or fourth joke in a row. Has anyone else tried pacing their jokes out like a set list instead of just one at a time?

2 comments

bennett.mason•9d ago

My 8 year old daughter finally laughed at my cheese pun today

She rolled her eyes and said "that was grate" with this tiny smirk. We were at the grocery store deli counter when I told her not to trust atoms because they make up everything.

3 comments

patriciah51•9d ago

Spent $60 on a laser level last month for hanging cabinets and it burned me when the beam drifted half an inch across the room by lunchtime, but returning it for a $150 self-leveling model saved my entire kitchen job since the line held steady all afternoon

Anyone else get burned by cheap laser levels that can't handle a little heat, or is it just me learning the hard way to spring for the good stuff?

3 comments

logan236•11d ago

Bought a $40 joke book and my kids actually laughed at one

I caved and got that "Knock Knock" joke book off Amazon after rolling my eyes at it for months. My 8 year old snorted on the third pun and now I'm the dinner table hero. Has anyone else had surprising luck with a pricier dad joke source?

3 comments

ward.jamie•12d ago

My brother told me my corn puns were too corny and I proved him wrong

He straight up said my jokes were so bad they made his ears hurt. So for the next family gathering I waited until he was eating corn on the cob. I hit him with a three pun combo about butter, kernels, and how he was shucking his teeth. He choked on a piece of corn and my dad gave me a standing ovation. Now I keep a list of fresh corn puns in my phone for moments like that. Anyone else have a family member who tried to shut down your dad joke game?

2 comments

grace_gonzalez46•12d ago

Was totally against pun-based dad jokes until my kid proved me wrong

I always thought puns were the lowest form of dad humor, like the fast food of jokes. Then my 9 year old told me a pun about a broken pencil during car ride last week, and I laughed so hard I almost missed the exit. Has a specific joke or style ever flipped your opinion on what's funny?

4 comments