It used to be that knowing a good joke or one-liner was the way of giving the gift of laughter. It still is. But, for those of us who have a hard time remembering jokes or coming up with our own, we have turned to wearing funny t-shirts in order to deliver this gift.

Now, the gift of laughter has many faces. The gift can be sharing a joke with another human being or it can be enjoyed solely by the wearer of the funny t-shirt. For instance, many funny t-shirt websites now have a line of offensive or rude t-shirts that are meant to shock the other party who reads them. The one who purchases and wears this funny t-shirt enjoys the reaction of others.

Funny t-shirts can also make social or political statements as well. Two terms of the current President have spawned all sorts of hilarity at his expense. Of course, many others would argue that he's brought all this ridicule upon himself. No matter, funny t-shirts are about delivering a message and about personal identity.

When one wears a funny t-shirt they are stating, "This is who I am and this is what I believe". Funny t-shirts are also a good way to break the ice in a social situation. Men and women no longer have to struggle with cheesy pick-up lines as they can simply state their interests on a funny tee. For instance, a t-shirt that reads, "Quick! I need a naked nurse" or "I'm in touch with my horniness emotion" may just tell the opposite sex of your interests.

Funny t-shirts have also turned vintage. Graphics of those from yesteryear spouting puns, irony and dirty slogans have been popular of late. Humorous graphics from the 1920's to the 1970's are generally used to deliver the funny messages.

Some funny t-shirts are all about the message and contain no funny graphics whatsoever. The concept and joke or pun is the key to the humor in these t-shirt designs. These designs may include some minimal design work like fun with fonts, drop shadows, colors and outlines, but verbal message is the most important element in these types of funny tees.

All-in-all, funny t-shirts are a great way to get the message of laughter out. Share a joke with a family member, friend or coworker today just by dropping a funny tee on yourself. It's a lot more fun than wearing a "kick me" sign on your back and generally no animal testing is done when producing the tees.

Ronald O'Donald writes tired and boring prose for FunnyDesigns.com, in his spare time, when he's not griping about his career as a Great American Novelist not taking off. For those interested, however, in hilarious tee shirts, check out: Funny T-shirts by FunnyDesigns