I’ve come to realize that not everyone was raised surrounded by the laughter that can accompany a good fart. Maybe the topic was off-limits, unspoken, or taboo. If that’s the way you like it, by all means, you do you. But if you are open to embracing the silliness of potty humor, April Fool’s Day is a great time to start.
I’m here to share my favorite ways potty humor can help your family bond! (Most of them don’t even smell bad!)
Games!
There are a surprising number of “potty humor” based games. If you’re open about enjoying potty humor, you’ve probably received a few as gifts. (I certainly have).
My family’s favorite is “Flushin Frenzy“. Picture this: a miniature plastic toilet with a similarly miniature plunger sits on your table. Your family gathers around, taking turns “flushing” the dice, followed by nervous “plunging” (the number of your dice roll). Suddenly, a soft plastic poop log shoots out the top of the toilet! A mad scramble ensues and the winner raises the poop in the air to declare victory!
There are endless laughs, sore ab muscles, and the occasional fight over “who got the poop” because kids will fight over anything, of course. Even poop.
Mad Libs!
If you’re hesitant to dive right into “Flushin Frenzy”, I recommend Mad Libs as a more subtle introduction. There are endless ways for Mad Libs to produce boisterous laughter. In my family, the word poop, or some variation of it, has landed in every single Mad Lib we’ve ever created. It is ALWAYS hilarious (and sometimes gross, admittedly).
An additional benefit of Mad Libs is the inherent grammar lesson. If you’re going to use potty humor, expanding your vocabulary and improving your grammar can take it to the next level! There’s nothing like laughing and learning with your family, particularly when potty humor can help your family bond.
So far, none of the potty-humored games I’ve mentioned have included the typical sensory experiences that come to mind with real potty humor. Mainly, sound and smell. To me, however, this is where the true top-tier belly laughs come from.
Fart Ninja!
If you’re not ready to laugh off the disgust of a horrible smell, I recommend a (motion-activated) Fart Ninja to surprise you with silly sounds when you least expect it. Don’t know what a Fart Ninja is? It’s a magical electronic toy that is about the size of a soda can. It emits a variety of different fart noises when activated by motion. My kids hide our Ninja all around the house until someone (usually me) unknowingly walks by it, triggering a loud, smile-inducing fart noise. I once snuck the ninja into my son’s overnight bag before he left for a sleepover. When I asked the next day if he knew where the Ninja was, my son smiled and said “yeah mom, we found it.” I like to believe there were laughs produced by our family’s Fart Ninja.
Fart soundtracks!
In the name of potty humor (and family bonding), I have honed my own ninja skills to perfect the sneak attack. My son enjoys playing video games online with friends and he often uses a headset to communicate with them while they’re playing. When he’s particularly engrossed in the game, I’m able to sneak up and loudly play a fart sound playlist from my streaming app before he can mute his mic! I can often hear the roars of laughter coming from the headset over my son’s desperate denials “it’s not real guys, I swear it’s just my mom!”
Guess the fart!
Another, more immersive experience is an interactive game, aptly named “Guess the Fart”. If someone feels digestive rumbling and has a moment before release, they can challenge someone else to predict the sound the upcoming fart will make. Once the fart is released, you judge how close the person’s prediction was. They’re usually wrong but either way, you’ll both be laughing.
Rate the smell!
If your family is a little competitive (and a little gross,) I recommend starting an ongoing game of “Rate the Smell.” You can create your own rating system but generally, a 1-10 scale works well. (Ex: 1- I didn’t smell it, to 10 – I gagged and needed to spray a can of air freshener to recover). You can’t rate your own fart and are subject to the ratings of anyone unfortunate enough to smell yours. The person with the highest rating is the “Fart Queen” (King, Prince, Princess etc) until they are dethroned by a smellier fart.
Toilet tag!
If all of this is still a little too much for you, I recommend “Toilet Tag”. This private, yet connection-encouraging partner game is still a very worthy starting place. This activity game lives in your bathroom. When you are “doing your business,” instead of scrolling through your phone, you’ll be writing down answers to questions posed in four categories. You’ll also take a look at your partner’s response to the previous question. The back-and-forth design assumes regular bowel habits so you may need to adjust accordingly. That said, the questions are engaging (not potty related) and lead to insight and conversations you may have otherwise missed out on.
Everyone has different boundaries and boundaries need to be respected. Consent is required for everyone to have fun. If you pose “guess the fart” to your husband and he doesn’t want to play, it’s best to go to another space to let the fart loose. Potty humor has its time and place, and it doesn’t need to be overly gross, disrespectful, or inappropriate to be funny or fun. Wherever you are in your potty humor journey, I hope some form of potty humor can help your family bond!
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