To prank or not to prank? That is a dumb question. To prank of course! With April Fools' Day on the horizon, it’s time to dust off your whoopee cushion and get to work. But before you do, ask yourself, what’s the game plan? Who’s the prankee? What supplies do you need? Why do they call it “plastic silverware” when it’s no longer made of silver? Okay, now we’re getting off track, but the point is you have to know what makes a good prank a good prank in order to execute a good prank! So let’s talk good pranks.
Not to rain on your arsonist parade, but setting your buddy’s care on fire isn’t a prank so much as it is a class E felony. For starters, a good prank should be harmless. This means no broken bones or food poisoning or psychological torture (okay, a little psychological torture is fine).
Good prank: Propping a bucket of water atop a slightly ajar door so it pours on anyone who walks in.
Bad prank: Putting a bucket on someone’s head and beating them senselessly with a yard stick.
Make sense?
You should also be mindful of the reaction you’re going for. Do you want to make your friend / relative / coworker laugh, or do you want to make them cry? Pranks are supposed to be funny, and people don’t typically cry when they’re amused (unless you’re going for the human version of this emoji: 😭). Steer clear of mean-spirited pranks and focus on gags that will send your target into hysterics once they realize what’s going on.
Finally, consider the amount of effort you’re putting into the joke. Look, we at Prank-O are all for elaborate pranks like the dude who changed the Hollywood sign to “Hollyweed” or that episode of Punk’d where Ashton Kutcher made Justin Timberlake think the IRS was seizing his house. But a simple, minimalist approach to pranking can be just as, if not more impactful.
Let’s look at some examples:
This one Redditor suggests putting a coat of clear nail polish remover around a bar of soap so it won’t lather.
Another details a time they hid 200 packets of mayonnaise all over their boyfriend’s room, tucking them into clothes pockets, board games, and wall art (this prank transcended April Fools' Day, as the Redditor notes he was still finding packets years later).
If you want to get historical, there was this 1957 news story from the BBC reporting that Swiss farmers were harvesting spaghetti from trees:
When it comes to April Fools' Day pranking, the best advice we can give is don’t overthink it. As long as your prank ends in laughter and not a trip to the ER, you’re probably on the right track!
Looking for help with the shenanigans? We’ve got prank gift boxes, wine labels, puzzles, mugs, and more for an April Fools' Day done right.
