DEV Community

Cover image for JokeGene: A Playful AI-Powered Joke App Built with KendoReact
Emre Tuğutlu
Emre Tuğutlu

Posted on

JokeGene: A Playful AI-Powered Joke App Built with KendoReact

This is a submission for the KendoReact Free Components Challenge.


😂 JokeGenie – Your Personal Stand-Up Comedian

What I Built

JokeGenie is a fun, GenAI-powered joke generator where you:

  • Choose a joke category (Dad Jokes, Country Humor, Dark Humor)
  • Optionally enter a topic (like "bananas", "404 errors", or "your mom")
  • Get a unique, AI-generated joke delivered in a playful UI
  • Bonus: Floating emojis, animated speech bubble, and a rotating funny placeholder 🎭

Built with React, Cohere’s GenAI API, and the awesome KendoReact Free Components.


Demo

🌐 Live App: https://jokegene.netlify.app/

💻 Source Code: https://github.com/ET45/joke-generator


KendoReact Experience

I used several free components from KendoReact to build the core interface quickly and style it with custom flair:

  • @progress/kendo-react-buttons — for animated, category buttons and joke actions
  • @progress/kendo-react-inputs — for the styled keyword input with emoji icon
  • @progress/kendo-react-layout — to create a neat, card-based layout
  • @progress/kendo-react-indicators — to show a loading spinner while fetching jokes
  • @progress/kendo-react-notification — for error handling when the joke fails to load

KendoReact’s free components gave me a strong UI base while allowing custom CSS layering for a unique visual identity.


AIm to Impress 🤖

This project integrates the Cohere GenAI API using the command-r-plus model.

The app sends a prompt like:

“Tell me a dark humor joke about JavaScript.”

And gets a fun, original joke in return.

No static jokes here — it's AI all the way. 🧠🎤


Delightfully Designed 🎨

While I didn’t use the Kendo UI Figma Kit directly, I customized the components to match a consistent theme:

  • Violet brand color (#a66cff) across buttons and borders
  • Emoji reactions and speech-bubble-style dialog
  • Funny rotating placeholder
  • Floating emojis for background energy 😄

Built With ❤️ By

🧑‍💻 @ET45 Emre Tugutlu

Thanks for the great challenge and awesome components, Kendo team!

This was a ton of fun to build 💜😂


Sentry image

See why 4M developers consider Sentry, “not bad.”

Fixing code doesn’t have to be the worst part of your day. Learn how Sentry can help.

Learn more

Top comments (0)

Some comments may only be visible to logged-in visitors. Sign in to view all comments.

Sentry image

See why 4M developers consider Sentry, “not bad.”

Fixing code doesn’t have to be the worst part of your day. Learn how Sentry can help.

Learn more

AWS GenAI LIVE!

GenAI LIVE! is a dynamic live-streamed show exploring how AWS and our partners are helping organizations unlock real value with generative AI.

Tune in to the full event

DEV is partnering to bring live events to the community. Join us or dismiss this billboard if you're not interested. ❤️