A funny T-shirt is one of the easiest gifts to get right and one of the easiest to get badly wrong. Get it right and it gets worn until it fades. Get it wrong and it becomes something they only wear to paint the shed.
Here is how to choose a funny T-shirt gift for an adult that they will actually wear, whether it is for a birthday, Christmas, Secret Santa or a leaving do.
1. Match the humour to the person, not the occasion
The most common mistake is buying the joke that made you laugh. Think about how they are funny. Are they dry and deadpan? Do they love a rude one-liner? Do they prefer something clever that takes a second to land?
Dry, deadpan humour suits designs where the joke comes from a serious-looking image being undercut. Our Shits & Giggles range works that way: a straight-faced poster or billboard, then an anonymous graffiti bandit spraying the honest reply across it in pink paint.
2. Decide how explicit is too explicit
Adult humour tees range from a gentle nudge to a word you would not say in front of your nan. Before buying, ask yourself where they will wear it. Down the pub and at festivals is one thing. School pick-up or a family lunch is another.
Most Shits & Giggles designs contain explicit language, and each product page says so. If you are not sure, look at the full back artwork on the product page before you buy.
3. Pick a joke with staying power
Topical jokes and memes age quickly. Observations about everyday life last much longer: pointless competitions, office small talk, customer surveys and school reports that turned out to be accurate. Some good gift picks:
- It’s Good to Talk for the colleague who dreads being asked about their day.
- Your Opinion Matters for anybody who has ever been asked to rate their experience.
- Lucky Guess for anyone who has proved their old teachers right and refuses to admit it.
- Win Big for anyone still waiting to win a crisp-packet competition.
- Your Country Needs You for history fans with a dark sense of humour. It comes with a real backstory.
4. Do not forget that it is still a T-shirt
A great joke on a thin, boxy promotional tee will not last. Look for a decent fabric weight, a relaxed fit and a print big enough to read. Every POOR FORM graphic tee is printed on the garment-dyed Comfort Colors 1717, which is heavier than a typical printed tee. Read our guide to the Comfort Colors 1717 for more detail.
5. Get the size right without asking
Asking someone their T-shirt size gives the surprise away. Instead, borrow one of their favourite T-shirts, lay it flat and measure it from armpit to armpit and from the top of the shoulder to the hem. Then compare those numbers with the garment measurements on the product page, not with the size letter.
A relaxed-fit tee is quite forgiving. If you are unsure between two sizes, the larger one is usually the safer gift.
6. When in doubt, go clever rather than crude
If you do not know someone’s sense of humour well, a design that rewards a second look is a safer bet than a punchline. Our Curated Curiosity T-shirts are built around real stories, such as the Voyager Golden Record and Fred Ott’s 1894 sneeze. They are still a talking point, just without the swearing.
For someone who would rather not wear a graphic at all, the Essentials tee keeps things quiet with a small chest mark.
Find the right one
Browse funny adult T-shirts, story-led graphic tees or all POOR FORM T-shirts.