The power of the dad joke is no laughing matter.
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Just ask Glen Fredericks, of Adamstown Heights. He's turned the phenomenon into a business.
In November 2019, Glen started a Facebook page featuring dad jokes with his long-time friend Sam, who lives in the US.
The page took off during the pandemic and now has about 367,000 followers.
Glen didn't expect this, but Sam foresaw it based on "keyword research".
"We both had moderately successful pages. Mine were focused on Star Wars and coffee and Sam's was about foster care," Glen said.
They both felt passionate about the subject matter of each other's page.
"So we made each other co-admins [of each page] to help share the load when it came to posting and cross-sharing content.
"That's when I asked Sam for a topic for a brand new page that we could start from scratch."
Glen didn't question Sam's idea for a page dedicated to dad jokes. Instead he floated the name "Premium Dad Jokes", which Sam immediately liked.
Glen then designed the page's logo with a "beer-label style".
The dad jokes' page has gained followers from organic growth.
"We haven't paid for any sponsored ads, it's just been people sharing the posts or tagging their friends in the comments," Glen said.
They recently launched the premiumdadjokes.com website to complement the Facebook page.
"This is how you make a hobby into a business," Glen said.
"We started producing designs for T-shirts, mugs, stickers and other merchandise."
They direct traffic from social media to these products, using print-on-demand companies to produce and ship the goods.
"We don't have to hold any stock," he said.
"A certain percentage of our audience is inclined to buy for themselves or as a gift - typically for their dads."
So, what's next for the dynamic dad-joke duo?
"We're currently shopping around for a publisher to see about releasing the ultimate dad jokes collection," Glen said.
"The best of the best or worst of the worst, depending on whether you're telling it or hearing it.
"But I've got a whole series in mind of the most popular jokes that we've collected, collated and curated."
Premium Dad Jokes
Here are some examples from premiumdadjokes.com.
If violets were orange, poetry would be a lot more challenging.
I was going to start an apathy anonymous group, but why bother?
I will die on a white floor just to mess with the chalk outline guy.
As part of our chemistry coursework, everyone in my class had to create a glue strong enough to stick a wooden chair to the wall. The teacher said my effort was the best. I nailed it.
What day do chickens hate most? Fry-day!
Today I saw an ad that said "radio for sale, volume stuck on full". I thought, "I can't turn that down".
Why is ice cream so bad at tennis? They have a soft serve.
Pretend it's a beer, pretend it's a beer, pretend it's a beer, pretend it's a beer, pretend it's a beer ... me trying not to drop a child.
The word "suns" upside down is still "suns".
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