I was on the Today Show Live on April 1st doing a secret prank followed by a segment where I’ll teach some quick tricks you can do at home. If you missed it, take a look!
Here’s a list of simple April Fools tricks and pranks you might enjoy this season!
First… What makes a good prank? To begin with, catching someone in a vulnerable position! Secondly, a prank should not be expensive, harm anyone or cause damage. Thirdly, it’s great when the “victim” does the prank on themselves after you set it up and walk away. Most importantly, there needs to be some sort of cleverness involved. For instance, jumping out of a trashcan. WEAK. It’s nothing more than scaring someone. The reason the head-drop (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsL_JDtVbww) works so well is because it’s surprising…AND they were not only surprised but wondered HOW it could be happening. Speaking of adding more layers to a prank, it does not get much more vulnerable and simple than this spider prank: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6DaU4qoSQA
Being that April Fools falls on a workday this year, perhaps you need a good one for the office! Here’s some simple ones:
1. Something like making a bunch of copies of a paperclip. Then take that stack of paper and put it back in the machine for use. When someone makes a copy, they will assume there is a paperclip (or whatever you copied) under the lid. But when they look for the paperclip under the copy lid, they can not find it. They try a copy again. Then again… Oh, the “fun” keeps delivering…
2. Take a drawer out of a desk (if it’s that type of desk) and put a squeaky toy (like a dog toy) behind it so it squeaks when they open and shut the door.
3. Place a pair of shoes with a couple shipping tubes inside to act like legs with pants or shorts over them and down to the shoes to appear like someone is sitting/occupying a toilet stall. Just leave it there all day…
4. If you happen to work in an office with foam ceiling tiles, place a persons cell phone ABOVE a panel over their desk… then repeatedly call them and watch them search for their phone. The sound will be muffled to throw off where it is.
5. Get everyone you can to call in sick. Of course, you better have a really nice boss since they are going to stress out for a day trying to figure out what to do! When they arrive to work, be sure everyone is there before the boss arrives.
Here’s a handful of a great pranks that do not cost much to create and can be implemented quickly:
1. Spider on toilet paper prank. KILLER. It cost nothing if you have a fake plastic spider or very little to get one. It is attached to the BACKSIDE of a paper roll. This causes the victim to give the illusion the spider is running after them when the vicim pulls the paper. Awesome effect. This certainly gets people in a very vulnerable position as well. Check, check. check.
2. No-suck straw. It’s a fun and harmless prank to tie a knot in the end of a straw and wait for the quick opportunity to swap it with a friends straw in their drink. Then you wait for them to take a sip… Easy and fun joke.
3. Spider on string. Enough said… Having a spider “drop” near you or on you is a classic and will work forever. See some reactions here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57o3QAP2QWU
4. For husbands and wives… something “clean” like the endless soapy head. Basically, lets say you are showering and rinsing out your hair… Meanwhile, your husband secretly adds much more shampoo to the top of your head! You keep rinsing and rinsing…
5. Epoxy money to the ground and watch people try to grab it… doing it an evening before at a busy walkway is great.
6. Putting salt into someone’s toothbrush.
7. Moving someone’s car somewhere else can really freak them out depending on when and where you do it.
8. Replacing salt with sugar at the table.
9. Stick a slightly wet sponge (or piece of sponge) deep into the toe of someone’s shoe. They wont know what hit them when they put the shoe on…
10. If it’s raining, dropping shredded paper or confetti into a closed umbrella. It takes a second to drop it in as you walk by.
11. Change every clock in the house back and hour so they arrive an hour early to whatever starts their day.
12. Of course, the classic rubber band on the hose sprayer at the kitchen sink! It can really make someone upset though if they are running off to work! They turn on the faucet and get sprayed.
13. Reverse a lock and handle on a door so someone locks themselves IN a room.
14. Adjust volumes on radios, computers and TV’s really loud then turn them off so when they are turned on it will be crazy loud.
15. Take a screen capture of someone’s computer screen and open that image full screen. They will not be able to click what they think are their folders and documents!
16. Crushing a plastic cup under your armpit as it looks like you twist your neck, crack your wrist, break your neck, etc. Always gets a reaction.
17. Fake spoiled milk… Add a little green or blue food coloring to some milk to make it looks spoiled.
18. Balance a cup of water on the ledge of a open slightly door so it falls onto someone when they push it open.
19. Switch yogurt for mayo or sour cream, etc…
20. A simple one for students is to suggest to a few friends that “there is a test today”… a group can easily convince a single person of anything!
21. A classic that you can make at home is put someone’s personal belonging in a plastic bag and stick it in jello after you just make it… let it harden up and serve it later.
22. Print out a fake ticket. There are great sites on line. You can make a parking ticket, concert tickets as a “gift” and much more! http://prudentbaby.com/2011/03/by-craft/april-fools-prank-the-fake-parking-ticket-with-free-downloads-2 and http://faketicketgenerator.comare simple examples.
23. Break/chew up a piece of stripped white and red mint candy… Act like you smashed your face against a pole… or fake fall down. Come up with what looks to be a tooth or two broken.
24. Adding a layer a clear cling wrap over a toilet bowl is simple and “creative” because it is somewhat an illusion, but it can really make a mess. If you feel like helping to clean up a potential mess, have fun…
25. The worst thing you could do is set up a prank that could ruin someone’s day instead adding fun to their day… However, INCASE, you need to get back at someone, I’ll remind you of this one: Add a little baby powder to the front end of a hair-dryer. When they turn it on, it will be a massive mess. You could also add some baby powder to the top of a ceiling fan and wait for them to turn it on another time for a shower of powder. Again, this is a revenge type prank and not recommended otherwise.
The lists go on and on… Enjoy this April Fools and try not to do anything too stupid… and if you do, send me a link. I want to see it.
Feel free to share this page with anyone you know that needs some simple ideas.