What Makes a Prank?

So I assume that most of you think you know what a prank is, and I bet it boils down to a "practical joke" that you pull on someone else. However, what does that entail? What does a prank look like? What qualifies something as a "Good Prank"?

According to the Merriam-Webster New Collegiate Dictionary, a prank is a “trick, a mildly mischievous 
act, a practical joke, a ludicrous act.” However, that definition is very broad, and not all of those explanations mean the same thing. A trick could be doing a backflip, and a mischevious act could be stealing from someone. Neither of those things alone qualify as a prank. We need to make a distinction, and analyze what most generally accepted pranks consist of. 

A further definition and explanation of pranks was given by V. Vale in his book Pranks. In his book, he explains that the best pranks invoke the imagination, poetic imagery, and the unexpected and a deep level of irony or social criticism. Great pranks create synaesthetic experiences which are unmistakably exciting, original, and reverberating, as well as creative, metaphoric, poetic and artistic. If these criteria be deemed sufficient, then pranks can be considered as constituting an art form and genre in themselves.

V. Vale's definition is a more profound explanation. However, it leaves little to those of us who do not have the time or energy to perform elaborate pranks. Also, if a prank can be as simple as a Whoopee Cushion, I would hardly call that an artistic expression, but instead a clever act of deception with good timing and no ill intent. 

However, perhaps there is an alternative definition, given by an internet prankster. His definition not only is a good example of a prank by both definitions, but he establishes a more positive view on a prank's qualifications.

Rich Ferguson, the Internet Prankster who made this video, lays out certain criteria that he thinks a good prank should meet.

1. A prank should be free.

2. Anyone should be able to do it.

3. It should take only seconds to set up.

4. The person you are pranking walks right into it (does it to themselves).

5. You catch the person in the most vulnerable position.

I find that of the three definitions given, for the common man/woman who doesn't have time to come up with or set up an extremely elaborate prank, Rich Ferguson's definition is the best. However, I would personally say that his points 3 and 5 are not completely necessary, and that 1, 2, and 4 would be the most appropriate guidelines for a prank for someone who has limited time and money. As a "practical joke", a prank should be practical, and something that someone can do on the fly.


Please comment below and let me know what you think a perfect prank is!