Pranks can be a lot of fun––depending on which end of the prank you're on. There's even a whole "holiday" made just for them, though I'd caution you all to make sure that the pranks you do pull off are totally harmless! There's something very satisfying about pulling off a good one, especially if you have the opportunity to get a bit creative.
People shared their best ones after Redditor mricefreezer asked the online community,
"What are the best harmless pranks you can pull?"
"Somebody did this to me..."
"Put a large zucchini in somebody's mailbox. Somebody did this to me years ago, I never found out who, and I still think about it all the time."
"I have placed..."
"I have placed 9 lollipops in various places in a colleague's cubicle and numbered them 1-10 obviously skipping a number. Drives them crazy not being able to find the last one."
I thought this was about pranks, not psychological torture?!
Either way, well done.
"There was..."
"There was that one on here a few years ago where the guy kept a hidden bottle of ketchup and would refill the empty bottle just enough to have ketchup for the next day until his wife thought they had a magic ketchup bottle."
I'll take any other magic condiment other than ketchup... sorry to spoil your party.
"Unbeknownst to me..."
"My three-year-old 'found' my car keys three days in a row. Unbeknownst to me, she was hiding the keys, so she could be the hero. I was pranked by a toddler."
That toddler is clearly going places... they have a bright future as a car salesman!
"I used to take spoons..."
"I used to take spoons from the cafeteria and slip them into people's pockets throughout the day. I once got 5 In the same pocket."
"Similarly..."
"Filling a room/backpack/whatever with a lot of the same object. Usually something small and weird.
For example, I read a story of students who did their senior prank to their principal by having everyone shake his hand and hand him a small plastic camel. So by the time they were done the guy just had a lot of plastic camels. Similarly, I've also read a story of someone filling a room with a lot of rubber ducks."
"I got the edited painting..."
"My family has a portrait of an ancestor of ours that was painted by a fairly famous painter hanging up in their dining room. So I found an electronic copy of the painting online and did some quick photoshopping to switch his face with my own. I got the edited painting printed at Staples and replaced the original one night. Then I just sat back and waited till someone noticed."
This is ingenious. I salute you.
"When you finish a jar of mayonnaise..."
"When you finish a jar of mayonnaise, rinse it out as best as you can and fill it with vanilla pudding. Bring it to a public setting like a park or a library, and just eat it with a spoon."
My stomach did a flip flop while reading this, but there is no denying the brilliance of this prank.
"For example..."
"I don't have a specific prank, but rather a rule for all pranks. It's only a prank if both parties are laughing afterward.
For example, if someone asks you to take their photo, start taking photos immediately and make sure you get some good shots. Then when it's time for the posed shot, take one with everyone's head cut off. They will initially be startled, but then you can show the twenty other candid photos and all will be well."
"My father and I..."
"Buy fake cockroaches. My father and I have a 2-year long war of placing them where the other one will find them and trying to startle each other."
Well, what are you waiting for? Get out there! Buy some rubber ducks! Get some fake cockroaches. Pretend to break into someone's home (actually don't do that, that would be bad). The sky's the limit.
Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to tell us about them in the comments below!
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Elaine Miles/Facebook
@doctor_kristinm/Threads
@PeteHegseth/X
The White House