Practical Jokes

[J Riff]

You know - the cup of water above the door, the burning bag on the porch... does anyone have any good ones we can use on our ultra-gullible roomate?
Seriously, the one guy here is the ultimate pigeon. We aren't even sure what continent he's from, but the Russian roomate told him t'other day that 'Heil Hitler' was an acceptable phrase with which to greet the average person. He added a vague explanation about the war, and the guy believed it.
Now, weeks later, he's still doing it. He just now walked through the door and I heard 'Heil Hitler' announced loud and clear from the kitchen. Hard not to laugh, can't imagine how many people he has said this to in stores, on the bus, wherever.

[Starbeast]

Funny Driver Pranks Hitchhiker

[HoopyFrood]

I tend to do more horrifying tricks (like the week-long, The Ring based scare that I've mentioned around here) or just generally cause havoc by hiding things that people need (dismantling shelving and hiding it in tiny pieces in rooms, etc).

However, there have been a few things I've convinced gullible people. I once convinced my cousin that bread was made from potatoes ("think about the colour, it's practically the same"). When going around Paris on a sixth form trip, I saw the sign La Poste. My teacher asked, joking, what that meant and I said, equally jokingly, "bacon!" And a friend believed it. Which led to a running joke that since the revolution, the post office has been delivering free bacon to everyone, and that Marie Antoinette was misquoted and she actually said "let them eat bacon".

With the same friend, I also convinced her of something from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I told her that people actually could fly. The thing was, it was so stupidly difficult, hardly anyone had managed to achieve it. It was a difficult, difficult thing to try and miss the ground, after all. Quite a fun one, but maybe a little dangerous if the person actually goes throwing themselves off things, trying to miss the ground.

[RJM Corbet]

Send him to an Alcoholics Anon meeting to get you a six pack of beer

[Brev]

Originally Posted by RJM Corbet

Send him to an Alcoholics Anon meeting to get you a six pack of beer

Or to the D.I.Y store for 'a long weight'...

Introduce him to someone new, tell them 'he's a little deaf, so talk loud.' Tell him the same, and then sit back and watch them shout at each other..

[Starbeast]

I'm not a pranker, but a thought of a prank popped into my mind back in the mid 1990's, at my place of work. I was overseeing products being packaged and I told a lady machine operator that it was important that I speak with Mr Michael Hunter.

Soooo- I told her he goes by the name Mike Hunt.

She pages for Mike Hunt over the intercom system which is heard thoughout the entire plant. "Mike Hunt. Q.C. needs to speak with Mike Hunt." With a straight face I ask her to page him one more time and thanked her.

What I didn't know was that the entire office staff (far side of the plant) were falling out their chairs laughing. Her and I began to here laughs from many employees who were looking at her, I couldn't keep a straight face anymore and I broke out laughing. It was at that point when she realized it was all a joke, fortunately she had a good sense of humor and laughed with us.

[The Ace]

I still remember the rag week we nicked all the neighbourhood watch signs - except for one guy who, 'Borrowed,' a guard dog (cost a fortune in sausages before we gave him back at the end of the week.).

Then was the end-of-term we pumped the porter's box at the union full of helium. The tannoy announcements were classic.

[GuruGeorge]

I had a buddy of mine put relaxers in my drink. Was not funny for me though.

[bedlamite]

Once went for a meal, and pretended that one of the guys didn't understand English, and was deaf and dumb to boot, so the poor waiter had to mime every meat on the menu. Once we were done and leaving, the supposed German mute turned to the staff, gave them the thumbs up and said 'Thanks, guys'. We did give a VERY big tip to make up for it though.


Also, if anyone does the water/flour over the door trick, here's a tip: do it, then when your victim goes to clean up, reset the jape afresh and wait to see the look of amusement on your friend's face when he walks into it for the second time when they come to admonish you. They love it, they really do.

[bedlamite]

Here's a nice one:

Have a new(ish) dictionary to hand, and announce to your intended victim that the word 'gullible' has been deleted from the English language and watch them check.

Also, if you do it in your office, eventually the prank will go around, and come back to you. When the prankster announces 'gullible' being lost to the language, have a check and say 'My God, you're right!' And watch them recheck...

[RJM Corbet]

When I was doing my apprenticeship, my boss and I used to play jokes on each other. I once broke the head off a match and pushed it down inside one of his Camel cigarettes with a piece of wire, then fixed the end of the cigarette so it looked normal.

That Friday, my weekly pay came as a big bag full of one and two pence coins that he'd got from a friend.

I said: "No problem, I'll just cash it at the bank."

He said: "Uh uh, the bank won't take them mixed ..."

(But he did take them back)

[Starbeast]

[telford]

I came home from work to find my housemate's girlfriend watching a late afternoon movie. She mentioned she had never seen Treasure Island and commented that she thought the person playing Long John Silver was very good.

"Yes," I said, "that's Robert Newton, a highly respected Shakespearean trained actor."

"Really?" she said.

"Oh yes," I replied. "He's from the old school of acting that believes in fully immersing themselves in the character. I guess that's why he had his leg amputated for the role."

"You're kidding," she said.

She was eighteen and I know I should have left it there.

"Nope," I said. "Take a look and tell me if you can see a leg there."

Anyway it went on this way for about half an hour before her boyfriend arrived home. He gave her a kiss and asked what she was watching.

"Treasure Island," she said. "And the guy playing the part of the pirate, ummm, what's he name?"

"Robert Newton," I said, knowing what was coming next.

"Yes, Robert Newton. He actually had his leg chopped off to play the part. Isn't that amazing."

I swear to God she wasn't kidding.

The boyfriend's forehead creases momentarily then he looks in my diredction. I could no longer keep the smirk from my face.

He grins, shakes his head and says, "You wanker."

The penny finally drops and we both flee (laughing hysterically) to the pub to avoid getting knifed to death by an enraged teenager girl.

[Starbeast]

[Starbeast]

For me, one of the funniest Halloween pranks I've ever seen was submitted to America's Funniest Videos about a decade ago.

Two kids had stayed up late watching scary movies and were sleeping with the lights on, so their mother grabbed a camera and their father put on a mask, then fired up a chainsaw. The children were startled and screamed, then one kid looked at his laughing parents and said..."What's wrong with you!"