Ready for a random question? Here it is: what did you give your dad for his birthday last year? A heartfelt card? A new set of golf clubs? A nice dinner out at his favorite restaurant? Of course, dads far and wide are famous for using the phrase “I don’t want ANYTHING for my birthday,” but every kid knows that’s not true. While dads may be hard to shop for, universally so, they almost all want at least SOMETHING for their special day.

Take the dad in today’s story, for instance. His name is Chris Ferry and he has two sons who took the “dads are hard to buy presents for” birthday predicament, and completely turned it on its head. How did they do this? Well, they bought a billboard, of course. On it, they added a massive picture of their father’s face and, for good measure, put his cell phone number up there, too. In big white letters the sons, Chris and Nick, wrote, “Wish my dad happy birthday – Love, Your Sons.”

That’s one bold birthday surprise if we’ve ever heard one! The funniest part about this story is that Chris Sr. did not know anything about his sons’ gift until he began receiving phone call after phone call from strangers, all wanting to wish him a happy birthday. The billboard, which was placed on a highly-trafficked highway near New Jersey’s famed Atlantic City casinos, has elicited an astounding 15,000+ phone calls and texts thus far.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the dad has mixed feelings about the unusual present. “It was fun until this morning. Then I wanted to kill them,” the dad told CBS 2 New York. Yikes!

To meet the birthday boy and to learn of the origin story behind this epic gift, be sure to watch the video below.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this unusual birthday gift. Do you think the sons pulled it off well? How would you feel if your kids did this for you? What’s the best birthday gift you’ve ever received?