When I first think of funny fathers, I think of one of the greatest dad-movies of all time, the classic The Goofy Movie. Well actually I think of my own dad, and his many “dad jokes” that are often cheesy and cringy and I love them. But I also think of The Goofy Movie because how could you not? Goofy is the epitome of funny father: sometimes he’s cracking jokes and sometimes his actions are what cause you to laugh out loud, even when he’s not trying. So here’s a list of books with funny fathers, or fathers who think they’re funny, or fathers who don’t think they’re funny but they most definitely are.
Estella’s father Andy has a knack for telling laugh out loud bedtime stories. They’re totally true, not at all made up or embellished, and not at all based on fairy tales. Yeah, sure. We all know dads can sometimes exaggerate their stories just a little bit. But either way, they’re super fun graphic novel adventures! In this hilarious tale, Andy tells the story of heading to New York City, crossing paths with a wizard, and getting turned into a frog.
Dad-Cat takes kittens Waffles and Pancake on an adventure to the science museum so they can check out all sorts of exhibits, including the planetarium! Well, with the tuna melts and star tots, it’s more like Planetary-YUM! Which is totally a “dad joke” and I think Dad-Cat would most definitely approve. The three funny felines enjoy learning all about everything from dino-cats and meteorites to hair balls and famous CatStronauts. When Dad-Cat gets separated from his kittens, Waffles and Pancake know exactly what to do to make sure they’re all reunited and sharing more laughs all the way home.
Does Myrtle’s father, the local prosecuting solicitor, mean to be funny? Not really. Does he approve of Myrtle’s interest in law and passion for solving crimes? Also no. But can he stop her? No! While Myrtle’s father is a bit surprised that his daughter wants to follow in his footsteps, and tries to encourage her to take an interest in more “typical” pastimes of young women in Victorian times, he also can’t be too mad at his daughter’s impressive amateur detective skills. The dry humor and witty dialogue will have you smiling, all while sleuthing alongside Myrtle and her even more amusing governess Miss Judson.
A funny father himself, Bob Odenkirk began writing poems with his children when they were little, creating a homemade book called Olde Time Rhymes. This instilled in them a love of reading, and an understanding that real people wrote the books they loved, and that his kids could also be writers and illustrators themselves. Fast forward and the Odenkirks returned to their hilarious poetic nonsense, now with whimsical illustrations from Erin. These poems will delight, and hopefully inspire you to create your own fun with your family!
Imagine your dad is Stoick the Viking, a six-foot tall, extremely large man with an extremely large red beard, and an extremely large personality to match. I don’t know if that necessarily screams funny, but trust me, he’s funny. Maybe not intentionally funny, and sometimes his relationship with Hiccup hits some, well, hiccups, but he is a fierce protector and loves his family.
K is in trouble. He tries really hard to stay out of trouble, but no matter what, he is always in trouble. Whether running an errand, going to school, or staying home, trouble finds a way of finding K. His parents are easily annoyed, so I wouldn’t necessarily go telling them that they’re funny. In fact, that would most certainly annoy them. But the absurdity of how much K gets in trouble is definitely funny, making this graphic novel, and it’s follow-up K Is in Trouble AGAIN welcome additions to this list.
