Is laughter truly the best medicine? I think so — and it looks like our furry friend to the right thinks so as well! If you’re craving a good laugh, look no further. To celebrate April Fool’s Day, let’s go through a variety of items in our collection that may rouse a few hearty laughs out of you.
Dad Jokes: It Should be Ap-parent
Want to make your friends groan? Or perhaps you’re looking to instigate synchronized eyerolls around the dinner table. Look no further, because the joke books below will make you a master in the beloved — or feared — art of dad jokes!
In an answer to my opening sentence, Laughter Really is the Best Medicine by Readers Digest shows that there’s nothing more healing than laughing at a good joke! This book is almost pocket-sized, yet it packs a punch with its collection of over 1,000 jokes from Reader’s Digest magazine. They’re short, sweet, and might make a few people facepalm, but that’s the joy in digging through a variety of jokes. Some of the punchlines won’t hit you that hard, but flipping through the book will at least stir up a smile when you strike gold.
Having a rough day? Try Garfield’s Terrible Puns by Mark Acey and Scott Nickel for punchy puns — because no matter how old you are, I’m sure this title will be a nice pick-me-up for those seeking adorable illustrations of Garfield paired up with an assortment of random questions that are proceeded by silly puns. While most of the puns aren’t about Garfield himself, seeing the facial expressions of perhaps the world’s most famous orange tabby and his attires will probably etch a smile on your face!
The Joke’s on You!
Whether you’re feeling mischievous or want to be a bystander in an evil trick, here are two prank-based items in our collection to check out!
Before all of the on-demand evil pranks that pop up whenever you doomscroll through Instagram or YouTube, we had Just for Laughs Gags. Watching this on Canadian TV growing up set the standard for (mostly) harmless pranks. The jolly soundtrack running in the background along with the show’s laugh tracks and silly screaming SFX elevates its cheerful mood, setting the standard for addicting pranks that aren’t rooted in physically harming anyone. Many seasons of this show are available through Hoopla, which comes free with your VPL membership!
Funny Tricks and Practical Jokes to Play on Your Friends by Alesha Sullivan can, for the most part, give you kid-friendly prank ideas to pull on your friends and family, if you’re in a jovial, trickster mood. As noted in the book’s introduction, being a good prankster entails choosing the right place and right time. It’s probably not a good idea to pull the early alarm prank on someone who’s already irascible and doesn’t catch enough Zs. However, some of the other pranks in here, especially the egg one, are generally entertaining — even for the victim!
Classic Chortles
Revel in the classics by watching these familiar favourites!
Who doesn’t love Mr. Bean? Mr. Bean: The Whole Bean includes all 14 original episodes of perhaps Rowan Atkinson’s most recognizable work. If you attempt one of those old-school “try not to laugh” challenges, it’d be hard not to get through the series without at least chuckling at Mr. Bean’s amusing antics, whether it be Mr. Bean trying to out-eat his perceived rival in “Mr. Bean in Room 426” or attempting to put on his brave face in “The Curse of Mr. Bean” — before eventually donning a popcorn bucket over his head in Beanian fashion.
Laugh at the absurdity of some of the scenes in Happy Gilmore (1996), where a wannabe professional hockey player takes on professional golf, a sport that originally wasn’t up his alley. Unfortunately, Happy is down on his luck, and whether he likes it or not, golf may be his way to acquiring money he needs to save his grandmother’s house. Will Happy’s anger and his stereotypically mean hockey attitude cause him to swing the wrong way, or could he channel it for something greater?
Dark Humour: Should I Laugh?
If you’re looking to immerse yourself in the world of dark satire, South Park: The Fractured But Whole will have players feeling like they’ve been plunged into the actual South Park TV show. Avoid repeating my mistake of saying the title of this game out loud, as the clever yet yucky word play isn’t to be completely unexpected when Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the wittily brilliant masterminds of the show and games, are involved. Don’t expect South Park to stray away from the vulgarity it’s known for, even in a video game!
Spoiler alert: Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019), particularly during the last leg of the film, fuses dark comedy with suspenseful and violent-packed scenes that involve fire, canned dog food, and drugs. It’s over-the-top yet satisfying, especially after the nearly three-hour run time that makes it all worth it in the end. What one viewer may deem as humorous might not be the case when a different pair of eyes soak up this fictional story that incorporates and rewrites real historical events; however, there’s no denying the largely positive reviews for this movie!
All Fun and Games
Goat Simulator 3 isn’t a baaad game, far from it. Wreck some chaos as a virtual goat who can ram (and sometimes fly) into the environment, NPCs, and anything you can get your horns on. Time to cause some goofy anarchy! And if you’re feeling especially joyful, break out some dance moves by emoting — because who wouldn’t want to see a dancing goat? With the absence of a health bar, your furry friend can jump on top of barns and smash into whatever you please to maximize the pandemonium you’ll cause.
Another mild spoiler alert: Whenever you see Papyrus and/or Sans in Undertale, you know you’ll be in for a humerus time! The dialogue, certain segments, and little quips throughout the game are top-notch and certainly deserves its place as one of the most charming video games I’ve ever played. While there are multiple endings in the game depending on how your playthrough goes, the quirky atmosphere is consistent for most of them, except for the infamous “genocide route” that’s notably more sinister — steer clear of that if you’d rather embark on a journey with relatively more gaiety than dejection. (On a side note, can all of us vinyl collectors please advocate for an Undertale OST LP repress?)
If these recommendations weren’t enough to make you chuckle, then the joke’s on me. In that case, browse through our catalogue for other comedies that may evoke a few tummy-grabbing guffaws.