Born in 1947. I’m throwing a surprise for my fun-loving dad, and need some clever-as-hell ideas for gently humiliating him in front of the rest of the family and close friends.
Needs to be kept all in good fun, but I’m thinking of somehow comparing his age to antiquated technology that was invented around or after he was born. Any other clever ideas are most welcome.
I’m a wiz in photoshop and the like, and have access to a large format poster printer in case some ideas involve props or imagery.
My 60th is coming up. If anyone throws a party for me they had better be prepared for my turning around at the door and not staying for any part of it. I told them this and if they ignore me I will be royally pissed!
Heee. That actually inspires me to create a slideshow of the history of “jim”. Could be funny to start from a prehistoric angle. Think Mythbuster’s style animation.
Gather some of the worst songs of the year he turned 16 or 20 (1963 or 1967), or in-between, and ask him if he really listened to that music on the radio. Of course, when I say 1967, it doesn’t really sound that far ago!
OOF. That’s GOOD. And he has HORRIBLE taste in music too… so we should all have a good laugh at that one.
To everyone else… my dad’s the kind of guy that’ll probably get chocked up by such a sentiment. He’ll absolutely love the surprise. And yeh… 60 isn’t THAT old, is it? Hmm. It’s a risk we’re willing to take.
edit: HOLY CRAP! I just noticed we can now make edits! Ahhhh. Such relief. That is all.
Fashion! That’s a good idea too. Would it be easier to find some Life magazines from that time period? They probably have some fashion pictures in their sometimes. Or else a newspaper.
As a general rule, I think people will have a better reaction to things that happened in their lifetime around the time they were young and foolish adults or teenagers. When you see those greeting cards that list items happening in the year you were born, often they are news events / tunes that you have no recollection of altogether.
If you can wheedle out of him the names of some people he knew way back when, that he would still be in touch with, you could have them send in amusing pictures or stories of your father “way back then”. My wife and her siblings did that for her parent’s 40th wedding anniversary, and tracked down old friends from way back then. Some of them wrote long touching letters about the times they shared.
Stuff like the caveman thing could be funny. Something like black crepe and your ready to croak are terrible. Don’t do stuff that basicaly says your old and wore out. The song count down would be good and world events, or important personal events.
I edited my brother into a Southpark picture and gave it to him.
I gave a diver a picture of a mirmaid on a rock facing out to sea looking in a mirror. I put her face in the mirror and she loved the picture. About half the people saw her face without hinting that something special was in the picture to see.
