In June 2023, I brought you the important news that dad jokes and puns are actually good for children’s development and that any proper father figure should tell the dam things at every opportunity.
Do it for the kids:
‘I Remember That Dam Trip!’ Why Dad Jokes Are So Good for Your Kids’ Health
Somtimes when I see the state of my kids’ bedrooms, I’ll say, “This house is a joke.” But for one St. Louis couple, they’ve taken it to a whole different level—they’ve turned their entire humble abode into the “Bad Dad Joke House.”
It all began during the pandemic in 2020, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports, when Tim and Rebecca Kalhorn, residents of the city’s Southampton neighborhood, noticed that their neighbors were frightened and lonely. Tim recalls what it was like:
It was the very beginning of the pandemic and countless Americans were stuck at home while scared and unsure what would come next. Suddenly separated from friends and family, many people comforted themselves and reached out to their community by decorating their houses and yards.
Some put teddy bears in their windows, some put up twinkle lights and some even bought out their Halloween decorations just to bring a smile to the faces of the many people who were out walking neighborhood sidewalks.
Many readers will recall the terror that filled the hearts of so many—you could get the virus from food, you might catch it from an infected person jogging across the street, you should double mask and wear protective gear while driving alone with the windows shut in rural Alaska. It was a crazy time.
Tim took action:
“It was during that time that everyone was wiping off groceries in their backyard, everyone was freaked out,” Tim Kalhorn says. “We were thinking ‘Let’s just put something funny out there that people can laugh at.’”
Each week this family writes two jokes on a whiteboard that’s installed in their front yard and the community votes for their favorites. https://t.co/Z8fzzas2eu
— St. Louis Post-Dispatch (@stltoday) June 14, 2024
And so he did, setting up a whiteboard in his front yard and writing two bad dad jokes a week on it. He asked people to vote on their favorite and would announce a winner each week.
Now, as an unbiased, trained reporter, I have to say that some of the jokes he accumulated from friends, texts, and emails are quite solid and worthy of memorization. Raise your children right:
- Why did the cowboy get a wiener dog? Someone said to get a long little doggie.
- Why did the banana have to go to the doctor? Because he wasn’t peeling well.
- How does the ocean say hi? It waves.
- I was once kidnapped by mimes. … They did unspeakable things to me.
- What did Yoda say when he saw himself in 4K? HD, am I.
- What’s Beethoven’s favorite fruit? Ba na na na!
If you’re looking for quality, look no further.
Proving once and all that bad dad jokes are an essential part of our healthy society, the Bad Dad Joke House soon became the talk of the town.
The joke board was an instant hit with their neighbors and their neighbors’ neighbors, too. Their home, full of the joyous chaos that results from having three sons (Frank, 16; Edward, 13; Gus, 8) and three rescue dogs, became a landmark and a weekly destination for people who were desperate for a giggle during deeply uncertain times.
“When I’m trying to tell people directions to our house it’s so much easier now if they’re from South City,” Rebecca Kalhorn says with a laugh. “I’m like, ‘You know that house in Southampton that has the jokes? That’s me.’”
Thanks to these fine folks for bringing joy to people during difficult times, and remember—keep your chin up, because the pun’ll come out tomorrow.
Happy Father’s Day.
