Pranklopedia
Page 1
PRANKLOPEDIA
THE FUNNIEST, GROSSEST, CRAZIEST, NOT-MEAN PRANKS ON THE PLANET!
JULIE WINTERBOTTOM
ILLUSTRATED BY ROBB ALLEN
WORKMAN PUBLISHING • NEW YORK
acknowledgments
Thanks to the many people who helped make this book fun, funny, and good-looking: Robb Allen, Brenda Bowen, Jordan and Finian Brown, Jim Chapin, Chris Duffy, Susan Hood, Sue Macy, Marc Tyler Nobleman, Martha Pickerill, David Rappaport, Terri Watkins, Michele Weisman, Dan Wetta, Sr., and the talented team at Workman Publishing: Raquel Jaramillo, Krestyna Lypen, Netta Rabin, Tae Won Yu, Phil Conigliaro, Melissa Lucier, Beth Levy, Barbara Peragine, and Robert Vargas. Thanks also to the Brooklyn Commune Laura Galen and everyone at Nick Mag for their cooperation. and the people behind two excellent websites: The Museum of Hoaxes and The Art of the Prank.
Special thanks to Susan Ferguson and the students and teachers at Princeton Day School, Miriam Lewin, Steven Stern, and last but not least, my partner-in-crime and long-suffering test subject, Stephen Wetta.
CONTENTS
A Very Brief History of Pranking
Four Things to Know About this Book
How to Pull the Perfect Prank
Prank Responsibly
When Good Pranks Go Bad
The Pranks: A–Zzz
#1: A.M. Antics: Feet First!
#2: A.M. Antics: Shoe Shock!
#3: Ah-choo!
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Benjamin Franklin
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Animals Pull Pranks, Too!
#4: April Fool’s Errand
The Prankster Hall of Fame: April Fools’ Day
#5: Arm Wrestling Made Easy
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Art Pranks
#6: Bad Breath
#7: Banana Magic
#8: Bathroom Signs
#9: Bottomless Box
#10: Car Signs
#11: Chips, Aha!
The Prankster Hall of Fame: College Pranks
#12: Computer Desktop Confusion
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Hugh Troy
#13: Computer Mouse Trap
#14: Computer Screen Saver Insanity
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Coyle & Sharpe
#15: Cough It Up!
#16: Dancing Dollar
#17: Doorknob Hangers
#18: Dribble Can
#19: Ew! Bird Turd
#20: Ew! Dog Poop!
#21: Ew! Dog Poop: Minturds Label
#22: Fart Machine
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Whoopee!
#23: Finger Freak-Out
#24: Flake Out
#25: Flower Shower
#26: Flower Shower Variation: Squirting Blister
#27: Fruit of the Loony
#28: Funnel Fun
#29: Gag Gift
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Gags for Sale
#30: Giant Steps for Pranksters
#31: Halloween Horror: The Body Under the Bed
#32: Halloween Horror: Message from a Ghost
#33: Homework Hoax
#34: Homework Hoax: Help for Your Friends
#35: Ice Cream that Makes You Scream
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Improv Everywhere
#36: Icky Ice Cube
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Alan Abel
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Intelligence Test
#37: Jelly (The Petroleum Kind)
#38: Kitchen Cabinet Caper
#39: Knot Your Day
#40: Loony Labels
#41: Loud Entrance
#42: Lucky Lottery
#43: Milk Mess
#44: Movie Popcorn
#45: Neck Cracker
#46: OJ, Oh My!
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Outdoor Art Pranks
#47: Parade of Fools
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Joey Skaggs
#48: Pet Purrfection
#49: Phone Fun
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Presidential Pranks
#50: Quirky Quarter
#51: Restaurant Extra-Special Specials
#52: Restaurant Misfortune Cookies
#53: Shampoo Shenanigans
#54: Snot That’s Not: Basic Snot
#55: Snot Variation: Bloody Snot
#56: Snot Variation: Worm in the Nose
#57: Space Cadet
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Sports Pranks
#58: Straw Magic
#59: Straw Surprise in a Restaurant
#60: Straw Trouble
#61: Take Your Teacher Home!
#62: T-Shirt Trickery
#63: Tooth Pranks: Buck Teeth
#64: Tooth Pranks: Black Teeth
#65: Tooth Pranks: Bloody Teeth
The Prankster Hall of Fame: TV Pranks
#66: Umbrella Surprise
#67: Vomit!
The Prankster Hall of Fame: Horace de Vere Cole
#68: Water You Standing There For?
#69: X-tra-terrestrial Visitors
The Prankster Hall of Fame: X-tra-terrestrial Files
#70: Yucky Sandwich
#71: ZZZ … Short Sheets
#72: ZZZ … Wild Critters in the Bed
After Z
A Very Brief History of Pranking
No one knows who pulled the first prank, but chances are good it happened very early in human history. Some fun-loving cave guy probably greased the handle of his buddy’s club with boar fat before they set out hunting one day. It seems the urge to fake out your fellow hominid is part of the human genetic code.
Luckily, some pranks from history actually got written down. One of the earliest recorded pranks happened almost 1,800 years ago, around a.d. 219. The story goes that the teenage Roman emperor Elagabulus placed special deflatable leather pillows around a low dining table for his most pompous guests. By the end of the meal, his victims were sitting on the floor. About 1,300 years later, an English monk named Thomas Betson fooled his fellow friars by putting a live beetle inside a hollowed-out apple, causing the fruit to rock back and forth by itself. Fast-forward to 1810, when an Englishman named Theodore Hook pulled off one of the craziest pranks ever. Hook made a bet with a friend that he could turn any home into the most talked-about address in London. Hook had nearly every product and service available in the City of London delivered over the course of a single day to the home of a Mrs. Tottenham. First thing in the morning, a load of coal arrived, followed by deliveries of furniture, musical instruments, flowers, bread, fish, a wedding cake, and much more. Doctors, dentists, gardeners, undertakers, even the mayor of London were all sent to the woman’s house until there was a huge traffic jam on her street. Needless to say, he won the bet.
These are just a few highlights from the rich history of pranks. It’s up to you to keep this ancient tradition alive. So get pranking! You’ll be joining an elite club that includes Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ellen DeGeneres, and George Clooney. If you get really good, you may even qualify someday for inclusion in this book’s Prankster Hall of Fame!
CAUTION!
All the pranks contained herein have been tested on humans and they work. But naturally, you should exercise common sense and appropriate caution when doing them. The author and publisher are not responsible for any negative effects (including revenge pranks perpetrated on the user) that result from using this book.
FOUR THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS BOOK
1 The pranks in this book are organized alphabetically, like encyclopedia entries. That means you can use the book to teach little siblings the alphabet when you’re not busy pranking them.
2 Each prank in this book has a rating that tells you how much time and effort it takes:
3 You can do most of the p
ranks by yourself, but a few require help from an adult. Your adult should be more than happy to help out, because it means you won’t be pulling the prank on them! These are marked with this sign:
4 Most of the “Prankster Hall of Fame” entries described throughout the book are real. But a few are fakes. Can you spot them and avoid being the victim of a Pranklopedia prank?
HOW TO PULL THE PERFECT PRANK
1 PREPARE. Even very simple pranks work better if you think through what you are going to do before you approach your victim. For more complicated pranks, do a few test runs on a friend (or yourself) and adjust anything that isn’t quite working.
2 TELL A GOOD STORY. It takes some acting skills to be an effective prankster (which might explain why Brad Pitt and George Clooney are so good at it). Make sure any story you invent sounds believable, and deliver it in your natural voice. If you suddenly start using a lot of fancy words or if you sound rehearsed, your victim will know something is up.
3 KEEP A STRAIGHT FACE. This gets easier with practice. Throw yourself into the story you are telling so that you practically believe it yourself, and don’t think about the fact that you are about to prank your victim. If you still have trouble keeping a straight face, try this trick: Think about something serious before you get started (like the homework you’re not doing because you are so busy pranking people). Thinking about serious things will help you look serious and make it that much easier to fool people.
4 SPREAD YOUR PRANKS OUT. If you do every prank in this book in one week, people won’t fall for them—they’ll just run when they see you coming!
PRANK RESPONSIBLY
Your pranks will go over much better (and you will also be much less likely to be grounded until the end of time) if you follow these rules:
1 CHOOSE YOUR VICTIM CAREFULLY. Someone who has a sense of humor and can’t flunk you is a good general rule. Avoid school principals, police officers, or your mother on the day she has gotten a bad haircut and discovers the cat threw up all over the sofa.
2 PRANKS SHOULD BE FUNNY, NOT MEAN. It’s fine to stick a sign on someone’s back that says High-Five Me!, but don’t write it in red paint that will ruin their favorite T-shirt. If your friend is deathly afraid of Jell-O, don’t do any Jell-O pranks on him or her. (Try pudding pranks instead.)
3 AVOID DAMAGE TO PROPERTY, PEOPIE, AND PETS. That goes without saying, but we’re saying it anyway.
4 CLEAN UP ANY MESS. Fake vomit is hilarious; the mess you left in the kitchen sink while making the fake vomit is not! Any prank that’s particularly messy has this warning sign to the right.
BEWARE!
This prank may cause a mess. Be prepared to clean up!
WHEN GOOD PRANKS GO BAD
No matter how carefully you choose your victim, it’s bound to happen once or twice: Instead of laughing, and perhaps congratulating you, your victim gets angry. This is usually a sign that the person has no sense of humor, but do not mention that! It’s guaranteed to make things worse. Follow these tips instead:
1 If your victim doesn’t realize that you are the perpetrator, you can:
* Disappear for a while. Give your victim a chance to cool down—and hopefully forget the entire incident.
* Make a copy of the form on the next page and leave it where your victim will find it. Then disappear for a while.
2 If you get caught red-handed, try a simple but flattering apology: “Aw, I was just joking. I picked you because you have such an awesome sense of humor!”
Happy pranking!
Greetings,
Were you recently the victim of a prank? Did you feel embarrassed, humiliated, angry, or just plain stupid? Did you suffer damage to your property, clothing, reputation, or rear end? If so, you are not alone. Thousands of innocent people get pranked every day by people who can find nothing better to do with their time. We know, because we have helped them. And we can help you.
Prank Victim’s Revenge, Inc. helps you get back at the person who pranked you. Whether someone stuck a High-Five Me! sign on your back, short-sheeted your bed, or had a truckload of cow manure delivered to your house, we will create the perfect revenge prank for your situation. Our staff of retired lawyers and former circus performers will execute the payback prank for you, so you don’t have to stoop to the level of your perpetrator.
Don’t wait! The sooner you get revenge, the better you’ll feel. And the perpetrator will quickly move on to other targets so you can return to your regular, boring life.
Call 1-555-PRNK to talk to an agent now! Ask about our SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY RATE! You get TWO customized revenge pranks and THREE prank phone calls to the target of your choice, PLUS a protective plastic coat, ALL for just $129.95! REVENGE IS JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY.
Very sincerely yours,
E. Z. Hokes
President and Chief Prank Officer
Prank Victim’s Revenge, Inc.
66 Battery Park
Amityville, NY
the pranks
A-ZZz
the prank
Morning is a great time for pulling pranks. People’s defenses are down when they first wake up—that’s a polite way of saying they’re totally out of it. This prank is guaranteed to jolt your victim into a state of high alert. Try it on a sibling who is likely to leap out of bed before looking.
BEWARE!
This prank may cause a mess. Be prepared to clean up!
what you need
* Whipped cream (ready-made from a tub or can) or shaving cream
* A large piece of cardboard
what you do
THE SETUP
1 Observe your victim getting of bed in the morning. Notice where he steps first.
2 Put whipped cream or shaving cream on the piece of cardboard so it fills up most of the space.
PULL THE PRANK
1 Wait for your victim to fall sound asleep at night. Then sneak into his bedroom with the cream-covered cardboard.
2 Place the cardboard on the floor where he will step in the morning. Sneak back out.
3 Make sure you wake up the next morning before your victim so you can enjoy the reaction.
4 Rub “a little whipped cream in the wound” by innocently asking your victim if he was dancing on an ice-cream sundae in his sleep.
the prank
Imagine going down to the basement of your house at the start of the winter season to try on your ice skates to see if they still fit. You slide your foot into the right skate—and your toe hits something. You yank the skate off and peer inside. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! It’s a dead mouse!
This prank was inspired by someone who really did find a furry surprise inside her skate. Her scream could be heard about 50 miles away. Fortunately, you don’t need any actual dead rodents to do this prank—although a real-looking fake mouse from the pet store works nicely.
what you need
* Cotton balls, or a fake mouse (sold in the cat toy section of pet stores)
what you do
THE SETUP
1 Sneak into your victim’s room when she is away or asleep.
2 Choose a pair of shoes you think she is likely to wear the next day. Stuff a handful of cotton balls, or a fake mouse in the toe of one or both shoes. Make sure you can’t see the stuff when you’re looking down at the shoe.
PULL THE PRANK
1 Wait for your victim to get dressed the next morning. If you used a fake mouse, you might want to wear some earplugs.
Extra, Extra!
Want to make your own fake mouse? You need two cotton balls, glue, string, tape, and a black marker. Use your fingers to gently stretch out each cotton ball so it’s flatter and about 2 inches long. Glue the two pieces of cotton together to make the mouse’s body. Gently pull the cotton on one end so it sticks out a little. Press it with your fingers to make a pointy nose. Cut a 3- to 4-inch piece of string. Use a tiny piece of tape to attach the string to the back of the mouse. Use the marker to make two eyes on the face, and your mouse is read
y!
the prank
People who don’t cover their nose when they sneeze are rude. But when you shower “snot” on the back of someone’s neck, you are simply a good prankster. This prank is guaranteed to get a shriek. It works best on someone whose neck is exposed, so choose a victim who has short hair or their hair up in a ponytail.
what you need
* Water
what you do
THE SETUP
1 Make sure you pull this prank in a place where you have easy access to water. Do it in the kitchen when you are hanging out with friends. Or carry a water bottle with you so you can pull the prank when you’re walking with your victim.
2 Look for an opportunity to get your hand close to the back of your victim’s neck without drawing too much attention—when you are standing just behind the person or sitting side by side.
PULL THE PRANK
1 Casually mention that you have a really nasty cold. Cough, sniffle, and blow your nose a few times.
2 When you’re ready to strike, dip your fingers into the water or pour a little water out of a bottle onto your hand. Then “sneeze” loudly as you flick the water onto the back of your victim’s neck. Timing is important, so it’s a good idea to practice this prank on a friend first to get it right.
Benjamin Franklin:
America’s Founding Prankster
Benjamin Franklin is famous for helping to write the Declaration of Independence, inventing the lightning rod, and coming up with many other bright ideas. What most people don’t know is that he was also a lifelong prankster. Franklin pulled one of his most successful hoaxes in 1722 when he was only 16. Pretending to be a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood, he wrote a series of letters to a popular newspaper. He gave the widow’s opinions on everything from religion to fashion. Readers loved the letters. In fact, a few men were so delighted with Widow Dogood that they sent her marriage proposals before young Ben revealed it was all a joke. Like Franklin’s later pranks, this one had a social purpose: In the letters, Franklin poked fun at snobs and tried to make people think about how they treated others.