In September 2019, Merriam-Webster added the phrase 'dad joke' to the dictionary. The term 'dad jokes' received mentions in the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother in 2008 and the Australian quiz show Spicks and Specks in 2009.
While the exact origin of the term dad joke is unknown, a writer for the Gettysburg Times wrote an impassioned defence of the genre in June 1987 under the headline 'Don't ban the 'Dad' jokes preserve and revere them'.
Ī common type of dad joke goes as follows: A child will say to the father, 'I'm hungry,' to which the father will reply, 'Hi, Hungry, I'm Dad.' Many dad jokes may be considered anti-jokes, deriving humor from an intentionally not funny punchline. A dad joke is a short joke, typically a pun, presented as a one-liner or a question and answer, but not a narrative.
