Father’s Day Gift Guide — 10 unique, geeky gifts for the dad in your life

Father’s Day is on Sunday, June 17 which means you have less than two weeks left to figure out what to get the dad in your life this year. Dads can be hard to shop for — sure, there are a few Father’s Day classics, but there’s a limit to how many ties a man can own.

Below, we’ve rounded up some of our best bets for different types of dads you may be shopping for this year. From new dads to seasoned pros, here are 10 unique, interesting and fun gifts to get your favorite father figure this year.

For a brand new dad

Amazon

Etsy

Welcome a new dad into fatherhood with a gift that reminds him of the best part of fatherhood: forcing your kids to like the stuff you like. Start them early on Star Wars with one of Jeffrey Brown’s Darth Vader picture books or grab a baby carrier cover modeled after very good video game dad, Bowser.

Buy Darth Vader & Son/Vader’s Little Princess here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Buy a Bowser baby carrier cover here: Etsy

For the dad with the best/worst dad jokes

Amazon

Tonight Show writer Jo Firestone and her actual dad, Fred, created the card game Punderdome based on their live pun competition. It’s like Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity but the goal is to come up with the most groan-worthy pun possible.

Buy here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Walmart

For the dad who fixes everything

ThinkGeek

ThinkGeek

Tools are a pretty classic Father’s Day pick, but these sets from ThinkGeek add a little personality. If you’re blessed with the dad who enjoys putting together Ikea furniture and refuses to throw away anything broken, either a full tool set, including a hammer that looks like Mjolnir, or a smaller Millennium Falcon multi-tool will be a hit.

Buy here: Thor Hammer Tool Set | Millennium Falcon Multi-Tool

For the dad who loves a project

Nintendo

Amazon

Some of my earliest, fondest memories with my dad are of tumbling rocks in our garage and launching rockets in the backyard. New toys like Nintendo Labo bring back the idea of making something with your hands — Polygon’s Ben Kuchera wrote this handy guide to putting together Labo kits with young kids. More advanced dads may enjoy the book of activities from Wired’s GeekDad blog. (It includes instructions for “The Best Slip n’ Slide Ever” which sounds incredibly fun, if a little dangerous.)

Buy a Nintendo Labo Variety Kit here: Amazon | Walmart | Target
Buy Geek Dad here: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Target

For the mystery buff dad

CrateJoy

If your dad is super into detective novels/movies/TV shows, there are a bunch of subscription boxes that specialize in mysteries. The Mysterious Package Company offers either one-off boxes or experiences that are delivered in several installments. (They’ve even got a new one that’s a collaboration with The Adventure Zone if your dad’s a fan of the McElroys.) Something like Hunt A Killer plays out over monthly episodes. For more historical fiction connoisseurs, the Madmen and Heroes box sends puzzles based off of historical events.

Buy here: Mysterious Package Company | Hunt A Killer | Madmen and Heroes