Ideas for · 2 min read · updated

Funny t-shirt ideas about someone you know

The funniest shirts aren't jokes anyone could wear. They're about one person, and the people who know them get it.

The short answer

Take a format everyone recognises and fill it with one specific person: their nutrition label, a safety sign about their habit, something they actually said with the date, or the fake college of their worst trait. Keep it to a few words and print it big.

The picks

  1. A cream heavyweight tee printed with a Nutrition Facts label for a dad: 9000 calories, dad jokes 400%, made with Nutrition Facts
    Shirts with words

    Nutrition Facts

    Your person as a nutrition label, on the format everyone reads without thinking. Twenty-eight starting labels, every row editable.

    Makes: Tee, long sleeve, crewneck or hoodie

  2. A black tee with an orange WARNING sign and a grill icon: Will talk about his smoker, made with Fair Warning
    Shirts with words

    Fair Warning

    A safety sign about the one thing everyone should know about them, with a pictogram and a signal word.

    Makes: Tee, long sleeve, crewneck or hoodie

  3. A white tee printed with a big quote mark and I'm not yelling, this is just my voice, signed Mom, Thanksgiving 2024, made with Overheard
    Shirts with words

    Overheard

    Something they actually said, with who and when. Six looks, from a big serif quote to a deposition transcript.

    Makes: Tee, long sleeve, crewneck or hoodie

  4. A sand crewneck sweatshirt printed University of Overthinking, Department of Snacks, Est. 1994 in collegiate letters, made with Alma Mater
    Shirts with words

    Alma Mater

    A college sweatshirt from a school named after their worst habit.

    Makes: Crewneck, hoodie or tee

  5. A heather tee printed with a dictionary entry for nappetite, a deep, physical hunger for sleep that peaks around 2 p.m., made with Defined
    Shirts with words

    Defined

    Their name, or a word you made up for them, as a dictionary entry with a pronunciation and numbered definitions.

    Makes: Tee, long sleeve, crewneck or hoodie

  6. A butter yellow heavyweight tee with a round badge for Gary's Bait & Regret, est. 1987, Tulsa, OK, made with Fake Local
    Shirts with words

    Fake Local

    Merch from the business they'd obviously run: Gary's Bait & Regret, est. the year they were born.

    Makes: Tee, long sleeve, crewneck or hoodie

  7. A black tee printed with Fully booked, emotionally, until spring in tall white and red letters, made with Shirt Says
    Shirts with words

    Shirt Says

    Already have the words? Eight layouts that make two or three lines look designed.

    Makes: Tee, long sleeve, crewneck or hoodie

Start from a format

A format everyone knows does half the joke; you just change the words:

  • A nutrition label for your dad: serving size 1 dad, dad jokes 400%, asking for directions 0%.
  • A warning sign: WARNING, will talk about his smoker.
  • A quote with the receipt: "I'm not yelling, this is just my voice." Mom, Thanksgiving 2024.
  • A college sweatshirt: University of Overthinking, Department of Snacks.

Or just type it

If you already have the line, set it big. Short lines, one idea, a punchline at the end. Shirt Says lays it out in eight looks so it reads as designed, not typed.

What doesn't print

Big brand names, famous people, slurs and sexual terms don't print anywhere; Alma Mater also refuses real schools, and Shirt Says well-known slogans. Mild swearing is fine. Every site checks as you type and tells you what to change.

Questions people ask

What shirts can these go on?

A classic tee, a heavyweight tee, a ringer, a long sleeve, a crewneck or a hoodie, in a shortlist of colours each.

Can I put a swear word on a shirt?

Yes, mild ones print. Slurs and sexual terms don't.

Can I use a line from a movie or a song?

Please don't: lyrics and film lines belong to someone. Shirt Says refuses the best-known slogans and catchphrases, but your own line is better anyway.