Opposite Day

Celebrate Opposite Day with silly games, fun challenges, and unique activities - turn your world upside down for a day of unexpected fun!

History of Opposite Day

Opposite Day has been declared for January 25 but its advent and development is legendary, at minimum. Considered a “children’s philosophy course,” Opposite Day has wormed its way into our jokester hearts by creating a perfectly comprehendible self-referential paradox.

By declaring today is opposite day it is not, in fact, opposite day because the opposite of opposite day is a normal day. So is it actually opposite day?

One of the truest pop-cultural moments in opposite day history has been the George Costanza method of “doing the opposite.” George, realizing his life has gone nowhere, decides to do the opposite of whatever he would typically be doing in any situation. The end result is that the typically horizontal, curmudgeon George suddenly becomes an active, sincere, and honest person.

Whether you choose Opposite Day to derail your workplace’s productivity with philosophical logistics, or to create better habits that help you realize a healthier version of yourself, Opposite Day’s history is one of mischief, humor, and profound realizations.

Opposite Day Timeline

<div id='' class='timeline_item_2'><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9e9d-7d099196' class='timeline_left'><div id='' class='timeline_date-text-4'>424 BC</div></div><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9ea0-7d099196' class='timeline_centre'><div id ='' class='timeline_circle-4'></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_right'><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5 timeline_text_title'>Aristophanes and Ancient Greece</div></div><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5'>The concept of "opposites" can be traced back to the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes, who included elements of opposites in his play "The Birds."</div></div></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_item_2'><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9e9d-7d099196' class='timeline_left'><div id='' class='timeline_date-text-4'>1694</div></div><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9ea0-7d099196' class='timeline_centre'><div id ='' class='timeline_circle-4'></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_right'><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5 timeline_text_title'>John Locke's Philosophy</div></div><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5'>English philosopher John Locke writes "Essay Concerning Human Understanding," where he explores the idea of opposites in language and thought.</div></div></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_item_2'><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9e9d-7d099196' class='timeline_left'><div id='' class='timeline_date-text-4'>1930s</div></div><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9ea0-7d099196' class='timeline_centre'><div id ='' class='timeline_circle-4'></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_right'><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5 timeline_text_title'>American Pop Culture</div></div><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5'>The term "Opposite Game" becomes popular in the United States as a children's game, where participants reverse the meaning of their words.</div></div></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_item_2'><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9e9d-7d099196' class='timeline_left'><div id='' class='timeline_date-text-4'>1988</div></div><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9ea0-7d099196' class='timeline_centre'><div id ='' class='timeline_circle-4'></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_right'><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5 timeline_text_title'>Calvin and Hobbes</div></div><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5'>The popular comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson features a storyline about Opposite Day, popularizing the concept.</div></div></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_item_2'><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9e9d-7d099196' class='timeline_left'><div id='' class='timeline_date-text-4'>2009</div></div><div id='w-node-_0f3fe35f-7e90-3b7d-6225-0e1175df9ea0-7d099196' class='timeline_centre'><div id ='' class='timeline_circle-4'></div></div><div id='' class='timeline_right'><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5 timeline_text_title'>SpongeBob SquarePants</div></div><div id='' class='margin-bottom-medium'><div id='' class='timeline_text-5'>The animated television series "SpongeBob SquarePants" releases an episode titled "Opposite Day," in which the characters celebrate the holiday, cementing the concept in our culture.</div></div></div></div>

How to Celebrate Opposite Day

<div id="" class="celebrate-item"><h3 id="" class="celebrate-title"><span class="celebrate-number">1. </span>Give compliments</h3><p id="" class="celebrate-text">Rather than insults, give people compliments on Opposite Day. Spread joy and positivity by telling friends and family how much they mean to you.</p></div><div id="" class="celebrate-item"><h3 id="" class="celebrate-title"><span class="celebrate-number">2. </span>Dress up</h3><p id="" class="celebrate-text">Dress as your opposite. For example, if you usually wear bright colors, wear all black. If you are a night owl, get up early and stay up late.</p></div><div id="" class="celebrate-item"><h3 id="" class="celebrate-title"><span class="celebrate-number">3. </span>Eat breakfast for dinner</h3><p id="" class="celebrate-text">Do the opposite of what you normally do for dinner - have breakfast instead! Get creative with breakfast recipes or try something new.</p></div><div id="" class="celebrate-item"><h3 id="" class="celebrate-title"><span class="celebrate-number">4. </span>Play a game</h3><p id="" class="celebrate-text">Play games that involve doing the opposite of what someone tells you. Charades is a great one for this! It can be a lot of fun to watch people do the opposite of what they are supposed to.</p></div> <div id="" class="celebrate-item"><h3 id="" class="celebrate-title"><span class="celebrate-number">5. </span>Act silly</h3><p id="" class="celebrate-text">Opposite Day is all about acting silly and having fun. Make faces at each other, tell jokes, and act out your favorite TV show in reverse.</p></div>

Why We Love Opposite Day

A. The Pranksters in All of Us Rejoice

Class clowns who grew up to be office jokesters, and even that really quiet co-worker on the third floor can enjoy opposite day. There is a built in excuse for joking, pranking, and tricking, everyone you know. You are only limited by your imagination.

B. It's Kind of Like, April Fools' Day Has An Awesome Little Sibling

What's better than pranking someone and saying you didn't prank someone. The answer is nothing is better than that. "No, I didn't turn all our appliances around and flip your furniture upside down."

C. Spongebob Squarepants Has an Episode About Opposite Day

Nothing says cultural relevance like a children's TV show creating an episode about a holiday. Spongebob + Opposite Day = entertainment for all ages.

5 Facts about Opposite Day

1. Opposite Day is difficult

At the request of his granddaughter, President Dwight E. Eisenhower once declared August 17 as Opposite Day for one day only. But he realized it was difficult to think of the opposite of certain words like brain and elephant.

2. Squidward fooled Spongebob

In an episode of Spongebob Squarepants, Squidward tells Spongebob and Patrick that it is Opposite Day.

3. It even fooled the Grim Reaper

Similarly, in an episode of ‘The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy,’ Mandy dupes the Grim Reaper into believing it is Opposite Day.

4. The Opposite Day Dilemma

A looping paradox about Opposite Day is that technically it simply cannot exist because even if it were Opposite Day, that means it is NOT Opposite Day.

5. Earliest reference

The earliest reference to Opposite Day dates back to the 1920s when President Calvin Coolidge made a statement saying he did not want to run for the elections.

5 Facts about Opposite Day

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