From Daddy’s Little Girls to Public Servants: How Dad Jokes Evolved into Sips & Giggles
Whenever we asked our Dad where he was going, he gave us the same answer:
“Crazy.”
As children, we accepted it as one of those things dads say. It was only when we were older that we recognized it for what it was.
The Dad Joke had been there all along. We simply had to grow into understanding it.
That may be one of the defining characteristics of a Dad Joke:
the delayed groan.
WHAT IS A DAD JOKE?
Jim Kalbaugh, editor and publisher of The Gettysburg Times, used the term “Dad Joke” in his column, “Don’t Ban the ‘Dad’ Jokes; Preserve and Revere Them,” published on June 20, 1987, the earliest known use of the phrase.
But we all know Dad Jokes have probably existed for as long as humans have had speech.
According to Merriam-Webster and Cambridge Dictionary, a Dad Joke is:
Source: Merriam-Webster (2019)
Source: Cambridge Dictionary
President Barack Obama gave Dad Jokes a national stage through his annual Thanksgiving turkey pardons and what he called a “corny-copia” of turkey-themed jokes:
Source: The Guardian (2015)
Source: Obama White House Archives (2016)
Social media helped us recognize just how long they had already been part of our everyday lives.
Naturally, we decided to make Dad Jokes a permanent ritual.
RING THE BELL, TELL A JOKE
Holiday Party Equipment: Raffle Drum & Service Bell
At one of our holiday parties, we set out an oversized service bell and a raffle drum. Anyone with a Dad Joke could ring the bell, take the floor, and earn an entry into a prize raffle.
So many jokes were told we had to stop and cut out more raffle slips.
The bell announced the joke. The raffle rewarded the joker.
Some of the best jokes came from an earlier generation of Dad Jokers: the Grand-Dads!
For a couple of hours, the usual workplace defenses came down.
The prizes were part of the joke too, think “white elephant” at a public water utility:
WHO NEEDS A PARTY TO TELL DAD JOKES?
The holiday party ended, but the Dad Jokes did not.
They became part of the atmosphere, migrating to walls, workstations, printer rooms, and doors.
When it gets really quiet, you can almost hear the eyes rolling.
THE GROAN LIVES ON
Dad Jokes have followed us from childhood into adulthood, from dinner tables and firehouses to workplaces and now comics.
More Dad Jokes → Sips & Giggles
To us, a Dad Joke is a gateway.
In the right setting, it gives people permission to let their guard down.
You may hear laughter.
What you feel may be more complicated.
~ The Village Sisters
