Indiscutivelmente, a história de Juan Tamad, mais frequentemente contada, ilustra sua máxima preguiça a ponto de estupidez que se torna cômica. Nele, Juan Tamad aparece sobre uma árvore de goiaba com frutas maduras. Sendo prejudicial demais para subir a árvore e tomar os frutos, ele decide deitar sob a árvore e deixar a gravidade fazer seu trabalho. Lá ele permaneceu, esperando a fruta cair em sua boca aberta.
Outras histórias de Juan Tamad incluem:
Juan Tamad and the Mud Crabs"Juan Tamad is instructed by his mother to purchase mud crabs at the market. Being too lazy to carry them home, he sets them free in a ditch and tells them to go on home, as he would be along later."Juan Tamad and the Rice Cakes"Juan Tamad's mother makes some rice cakes and instructs him to sell these at the market. Passing by a pond, he sees frogs swimming to and fro. Being too lazy to sell the cakes at the market, he instead throws them at the frogs, who eat the cakes. Upon reaching home, he tells his mother that all the cakes had been sold on credit; the buyers would pay for them the next week."Juan Tamad and the Flea-Killer"Juan Tamad's mother instructs him to go to the village market and buy a rice pot. A flea infestation in the village soon has Juan Tamad jumping and scratching for all he's worth; he lets go of the pot and it breaks into pieces. Thinking quickly, he picks up the pieces, grinds them into fine powder and wraps the powder in banana leaves, which he markets as "flea-killer.""Juan Tamad takes a Bride"Juan Tamad's mother tells him it is time he took a bride. He asks his mother what sort of woman should he look for. His mother replies "a woman of a few words." Juan Tamad searches long and hard, but all the women he encounters seem to talk too much. Finally, he comes upon a house where an old woman and her daughter live. Upon seeing the girl, he proposes "Will you marry me?" The girl simply stares at him. He tells himself, "Ah, here is a woman of a few words," and lifts her up and takes her back to his mother. His mother chastises him, for he had brought back a corpse.Um livro publicado por um autor desconhecido em 1919 em Manila, intitulado Buhay Na Pinagdaanan Ni Juan Tamad na Anac Ni Fabio em Ni Sofia Sa Caharian Nang Portugal (Tagalog para "A vida vivida por Juan Tamad, filho de Fabio e Sofia, no rei de Portugal ") contém um poema composto por 78 páginas de estrofes de quatro linhas a sete estrofes por página. Ele conta como Juan Tamad nasceu de um casal chamado Fabio e Sofia, e suas aventuras em Portugal.
Em 1957, Manuel E. Arguilla (autor de como meu irmão Leon trouxe para casa uma esposa) e Lyd Arguilla escreveram os contos e fábulas do livro Filipinas, que incluíam a história de Juan Tamad com ilustrações de Romeo V. Tabuena. Em 1965, o dramaturgo e o editor Alberto Florentino pegou o re-fundamento de Juan Tamad pelo Arguillas e o publicou como histórias de Juan Tamad, parte de uma série de 3 folhetos para jovens leitores. Ilustrado com xilogravuras do falecido J. Elizalde Navarro (pós-manifestado Artista Nacional de Artes Visuais), o livro está fora de impressão e agora é considerado um item de colecionador.
Vários filmes filipinos trataram Juan Tamad como um personagem central ou de apoio.
Si Juan Tamad , released in 1947 and directed by Manuel Conde.Juan Tamad Goes to Congress, released in 1960 and directed by Manuel Conde.Juan Tamad Junior released in 1980, features Niño Muhlach as Juan Tamad Jr. and Manuel Conde as Juan Tamad Sr.Juan Tamad at Mister Shooli sa Mongolian Barbecue, released in 1991, features director Manuel Urbano, Jr.'s television character Mr. Shooli and Eric Quizon as Juan Tamad.Juan Tamad, released in 1993, again bills Eric Quizon as Juan Tamad.Juan Tamad é um homem que é enterrado por macacos que, por causa de sua preguiça, pensou que estava morto há muito tempo.