T-Pain is looking forward to a few good laughs as the judge for Laffy Taffy’s “Your Jokes, Our (W)rapper” joke-writing contest. The popular candy brand, known for the dad-style jokes printed on its wrappers, hosted a show during which T-Pain rapped 15 of its best jokes into retirement. Now Laffy Taffy is seeking fresh, new jokes to lace the colorful wrappers.
“The family-fun jokes featured on our wrappers have been a staple for nearly 40 years, and we’re excited to celebrate this iconic part of the Laffy Taffy experience in a way that allows our fans to be part of the brand’s legacy,” said Dave Foldes, marketing director of Laffy Taffy at Ferrara Candy Company.
From now through Sept. 16, contestants will enter their best dad jokes for a chance to have them printed on the wrappers and receive a custom bag of minibars exclusively featuring their joke. According to a press release, one grand prize winner will be selected for the “best laff” and will receive a $5,000 cash prize. T-Pain will also autograph their custom bag of minibars.
Blavity sat down with T-Pain to discuss his criteria for a good dad joke, ways contestants can prepare for the contest and how being a joke judge aligns with his personal mission.
Comedy and creativity
For T-Pain, making others smile is a huge part of who he is. The music artist, who emphasized that he enjoys a good dad joke, also said he’s always been amused by the jokes on Laffy Taffy’s packaging.
“Comedy is a passion of mine,” T-Pain told Blavity. “I’m constantly finding new ways to make my friends and family laugh, and everyone enjoys a good dad joke. I’ve loved the jokes on Laffy Taffy wrappers since I was a kid, so when I learned they were giving people a chance to submit their own puns to be printed on wrappers, I was all for it.”
Moreover, his career has been built on extreme creativity, so his brand aligns with judging the contest because it encourages creative expression.
“It’s a fun way to help people express their creativity and make others smile, which has always been important to me as an artist,” he said.
If you want to win, you need to make T-Pain laugh
To win this contest, jokesters will need to make T-Pain laugh out loud.
“I’ll be looking for clever jokes that make me laugh out loud and will be judging the winning joke based on humor, originality and creativity,” T-Pain said. “I’m ready for a lot of laughs as I go through these submissions and can’t wait to find out whose joke will stand out!”
The good news is that he laughs very easily.
“I like to have fun and, to be honest, it’s not hard to make me laugh,” he said. “A good pun tends to do the trick — my family loves those. Or often it’s just a really funny story or silly experience or memory I’ve shared with friends or family that we like to talk about. Those are the best.”
As a judge, though, he said he’s most looking forward to reading the jokes.
“I love when people get to leverage their creativity in a fun way. I know there are going to be some really funny ones,” he said.
The best dad jokes are corny
During Laffy Taffy’s joke retirement event, where T-Pain got to perform their jokes, he said he realized he had a knack for great dad joke delivery.
“Laffy Taffy recently retired 15 original jokes from their packaging, and I shared them one last time during a live show to send them into a sweet retirement,” he said. “I can tell you I definitely had the room laughing, so I think I know how to tell a good dad joke and just have fun with it.”
The best dad joke he’s ever heard was read at the event.
“I have to say, this one filled the room with laughs, ‘what did one cool alien say to the other? Yo! You’re a far-out dude!’ Sometimes dad jokes are corny — they’re supposed to be — that’s what makes them funny because some are so unfunny. Like this one — the answer is so obvious — ‘what did the yes say to no? Maybe.'”
How to prepare for this contest
First things first, you definitely don’t need to be a dad to compete.
“Anyone can share or come up with a good dad joke — you just need a clever or funny one-liner with a question and answer,” T-Pain said.
More than anything, however, the Grammy Award-winning musician wants you to enjoy yourself.
“Just have fun with it and use the contest as an outlet for creative expression,” he said. “Some may already have an original dad joke they’ve been telling for years. Or some may be entering the contest with some fresh material. Think about what makes you, your friends or your family laugh and what’s funny to you. Get creative, that’s what it’s all about.”
