Taking Pranks to Far: When is it More than Just a Joke

I love pranks. I love pulling them, and I love watching them. Pranks bring a lot of people joy, and by definition, they are considered a joke.

However, I doubt anyone reading this post has never been hurt by a joke before. Pranks are the same way. A lot of them are harmless, tasteful, and fun, but others just go way to far.

When it comes to pranking, the elephant in the room is that a lot of people get hurt doing practical jokes, and they end up hurting others as well, both physically and mentally. If pranks are designed to be joyous and make people laugh, where do they cross the line? When does pranking go from funny to disturbing? From joyous to painful?

In this video, professional prankster Kevin Brueck is pranked by to two of his friends and colleagues, Roman Atwood and and Dennis Roady. In this prank, the two of them hire 3 actors to pretend to mug Kevin. Normally I am a fan of Roman's pranks, but occasionally he takes things to far. This is one of those times.

In this video, Kevin talks about how the fake muggers literally made him think he was going to be killed. Please watch the video below.




The point I am trying to make is that pranks, although fun at times, can also be taken to far. Use discretion when planning a prank, and do not do anything that has a good chance to mentally or physically harm somebody. Be smart before you prank. Be responsible.

Feel free to leave a comment below if someone has ever pranked you and taken it to far, or just let me know what you think of this video. If you have any thoughts on when a prank becomes more than a prank, please leave them in the comment section below. Thanks!

Internet Prank of the Week: Skeleton Drive Through

This funny internet prank is a bit more elaborate than a lot of the other pranks I post on this blog. However, this prank truly captures it's victims in the most vulnerable position. Who would assume that they would be serving a Skeleton?

The guy who performs these drive through pranks has a youtube channel called the MagicofRahat. His videos are hilarious, and he has an ingenious way of concealing himself when he pulls of his drive through pranks. If you like this prank, I would highly suggest checking out his channel. He has plenty more interesting drive through pranks that are also hilarious.

Without further adieu, please enjoy the prank.



The only problem with this prank is that it isn't as easy to replicate. However, maybe it can help you find inspiration for your own pranks. If this prank gives you some good inspiration, please let us know what you plan to do in the comment section below!

Please let us know what you thought of this prank in the comment section below! Also, leave a link with the prank that you enjoy the most in the comments as well. It might be featured here next week!

Take Home Prank of the Week: Dollar on a String

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I apologize for my Holiday hiatus, but I'm back with some great material for those of you who are looking for some winter time pranks!

This week's Take Home Prank, is based on a funny internet prank I found yesterday. In this prank, the pranksters attach a dollar to a long and thin string, and then proceed to bait people with this dollar in the mall. They call it "People Fishing", and it is hilarious!



So, why am I sharing this prank with you? And why do I think it qualifies as a perfect prank?

In my previous post, entitled "What Makes a Prank" (found here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-makes-prank.html) I discuss the qualifications for a perfect prank.

This prank meets those qualifications because:

1. Anyone can do this prank.

2. It is not expensive to do.

3. It catches people in their most vulnerable position.

4. The people getting pranked walk right into the trap.

Besides these traditional qualifications, this prank is neither malicious, invasive, and it is pretty family friendly.

SO, if you would like to try this prank out for yourself, all you need is a dollar, some string, a whole puncher (or some way to make a hole in the dollar), and a crowd.

Please comment below and let me know what you thought of this prank? And if you have any pranks that you do that you would like to see posted here for others to take home, explain them in the description, or leave a link to the video in the comments!

Internet Prank of the Week: Harvard Tours Yale

As far as funny prank videos go, this one was a real treat. These Harvard students took a trip to Yale, impersonated Yale students, and led tours at Yale. This prank has been getting a lot of buzz around the internet, and for good reason. This was hilarious! Not to mention that it helps foster healthy rivalry between the already rivaling schools ... or at least I think it does.


Please check out the prank below:


This prank is hilarious, and it completely meets all of the criteria for a "perfect prank" that I discussed in my previous blog post, which can be found here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-makes-prank.html

If you liked this week's Internet Prank of the Week, feel free to check out last week's prank here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/internet-prank-of-week-scary-girl-in.html

If you are interested in pulling a prank, and need some inspiration, take a look at the Take Home Prank of the Month, found here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/take-home-prank-of-month-selling-little.html

Please let me know what you thought of this prank in the comments below! Also, if you have your own favorite funny prank videos, please post a link to them below as well.

Take Home Prank of the Month: Selling a "Little Pot"

This blog isn't just about funny internet pranks. The main purpose of this blog is to give you, the folks at home, ideas you can use to come up with your own pranks.

There are 2 reasons I traverse the internet in hopes of finding hilarious prank videos.



1. I get bored doing my homework and am always looking for the best ways to procrastinate.
2. So that I can find pranks that I can do in real life with my friends.

This blog is for more than just admirers of pranks, but for those who have the desire and the courage to perform pranks themselves. 

All that being said, please enjoy the Take Home Prank of the Month. This prank completely meets the criteria for a "perfect doable prank", that I discussed about in my blog post, entitled: What Makes a Prank? (to check out this blog post, please follow t;his link: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-makes-prank.html)

This month's Take Home Prank is the "Selling a Little Pot" Prank. I got the idea for this prank watching the internet Prankster, Public Prank, do it in his videos.

I'll let him show you how it's done ...

Pot Prank Instructions
So, if you didn't see the video, the only things you need for this prank are a "little (kitchen) pot", and either a back pack or a coat that can conceal the pot. From there, you just have to go up and ask people if they wan to buy a "little pot", and then BOOM! Wait for there reaction. If they react adversely, play confused. If they tell you "I don't smoke", then say, "what does that have to do with it?", and after you lead them on, break out the pot!

I pulled this prank at a party last Saturday, and it was EPIC! So many different reactions, but everybody loved the punchline. It was easy and a lot of fun.

To see more of Public Prank's pranks, visit his youtube channel at this link here: http://www.youtube.com/user/PublicPrank

Don't forget to let me know what you thought of this prank idea, and if you have other ideas for pranks that would be fun or easy to do, please comment below with your ideas. If I think they are cool, I might feature them in the next Take Home Prank of the Month!

Internet Prank of the Week: Scary Girl in Elevator Prank

Here's the Internet Prank of the Week! This prank was suggested to me by a reader named Serenity! Check out her blog called Lax and the City here: http://laxandthecity.blogspot.com/

Please enjoy this week's prank!!!

Please let me know what you thought of this prank in the comments below. Also, leave a comment letting me know what you what prank on the internet you find the funniest (don't forget to leave a link to the video of that prank). 

The TOP 5 SCARIEST PRANKS

In honor of Halloween, this is my TOP 5 Scariest Pranks that I've seen on the internet recently.


1. The Slender Man Alley-Way Prank

This prank is one of the easiest to perform. All you need is a suite, tie, some tube socks or white gloves to cover your hands, and a pillowcase for your head. This prank proves that it doesn't take much to scare the stuffing out of people.

Watch the Slender Man Alley Way Prank here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/1-slender-man-alley-way-prank.html


2. The Corpse in the Elevator Prank

This prank is much more elaborate than the slender man prank, but this one definitely takes the cake for traumatizing people.

Watch it here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/2-corpse-in-elevator-prank.html


3. The Water Monster Prank

This prank is great to watch because people walk right into it. These reactions are priceless!

Watch it here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/3-water-monster-prank.html


4. Mannequin Head Prank

So you see the head fall off of a mannequin that someone was carrying. Trying to be a helpful person, you pick up the head to return it to it's owner. But WAIT! It's alive?!!!

Watch it here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/4-mannequin-head-prank.html


5. Mattress Scare Prank

All though this isn't as much scary (by definition) as it is surprising, I still find it impressive that this guy was able to freak people out so much dressed as something as harmless and unassuming as a mattress. There's something to be said for that, so he makes the list.

Watch the Mattress Man Prank here: http://prankinginspiration.blogspot.com/2013/11/5-mattress-man.html


So which prank here scared you the most? Feel free to comment and leave a link to the most scary prank that you've seen this Fall.

5. The Mattress Man

This just barely qualifies as a scare prank. However, it catches people off guard and gets them to scream in surprise. I mean seriously, who would expect to be attacked by a mattress?

So, were you scared? Leave a comment and let us know what you think. Or comment with a link to the scariest prank you've seen recently.

4. Mannequin Head Prank

This prank is truly ingenious. It does well to catch people when they are most vulnerable, just like Rich Ferguson said a perfect prank should do (to see Rich Ferguson set up a prank, or to read more about what makes a "perfect prank," click this link: http://prankinginsperation.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-makes-prank.html).

This is hilarious. I hope you enjoy.

So, were you scared? Leave a comment and let us know what you think. Or comment with a link to the scariest prank you've seen recently.

3. The Water Monster Prank

This prank brilliantly utilizes the element of surprise, and, just like in the "perfect prank" criteria I talked about in my blog post, What Makes a Prank, the victims watch straight into this one (find my What Makes a Prank article here: http://prankinginsperation.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-makes-prank.html).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

So, were you scared? Leave a comment and let us know what you think. Or comment with a link to the scariest prank you've seen recently.

2. Corpse in the Elevator Prank

This is FANTASTIC! These Brazilians really know how to scare the stuffing out of people. What's scarier than a dead guy waking up in an elevator right next to you. If you haven't seen this, check it out. It's really impressive. Hopefully you won't be as scarred as the people in the elevator were.

So, were you scared? Leave a comment and let us know what you think. Or comment with a link to the scariest prank you've seen recently.

1. Slender Man Alley-Way Prank

Everyone who's heard the lure behind Slender Man and his slenderness knows that he is not the kind of person you would like to run into at night. Watch what happens when he emerges from the woods and takes on suburbia!

So, were you scared? Leave a comment and let us know what you think. Or comment with a link to the scariest prank you've seen recently.

Internet Prank of the Week: Scary Hang Man Prank

Without further adieu, this is my very first "BEST INTERNET PRANK OF THE WEEK." I plan to do this every week in the future, as well as post multiple prank videos throughout the week.

In honor of Halloween being last week, I chose a scary prank.

I think this prank meets some of the greatest prank criteria:

1. The people being pranked walked right into it.

2. It catches the victims in the most vulnerable position.

The only problem with this prank is that is doesn't meet the other criteria for a "perfect prank": Not everybody can do this prank. (To learn more about the criteria for a prank or a "perfect prank", please click this link: http://prankinginsperation.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-makes-prank.html)

However, if you want to learn how they did this prank, then click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDnpREhOghM

Please let me know what you thought of this prank in the comments below. Also, leave a comment letting me know what you what prank on the internet you find the funniest (don't forget to leave a link to the video of that prank). 

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!

THE 11 BEST Ways to Procrastinate on Your Homework

The 11 Most Productive Things you can do when you don't want to be doing your homework!

1. Sleep - In all likelihood, you're probably not getting enough anyway. If you find yourself with writers block, or just REALLY NEEDING A BREAK, find a comfy couch either on campus, at your apartment, or at a friends place, set an alarm, and catch some Z's.

2. Cook - A couple weeks back, I spent the whole day in my apartment studying for a midterm. I was dying, until I took a couple hours out of my schedule to cook a delicious and healthy dinner. Best study break EVER! This can really help nourish your body and your mind, so that you can keep studying later ... or just fall into a food coma.

3. Take a Walk - Sometimes, when we have to much homework, it can become easy to neglect ourselves. It is good for us to be outdoors. WE ARE NOT VAMPIRES! We need sunlight, exercise, fresh air.

 If you need a break from your work, one of the best things you can do for yourself is take a walk. Not only is it healthy for you to get outdoors, it also gives you time to be introspective. A good walk can give you time to think and clear your head.

4. Call a Friend - This one has worked wonders for me. If you are having a hard time focusing on your work, it's likely that one of your friends is having a similar problem. Show them that you care and give them a call. If taking a walk isn't working for you, then try to calling up a friend and due some venting together. This is a great way to both clear your head and strengthen relationships.

5. Work Out - If you are going to take a break from studying, you might as well get in seriously good shape while your at it. You don't even have to go to the gym, or leave the comfort of your own home. Just do 10 -20 push ups or jumping jacks every time you take a break. If you just due a set few each break, it will make a big difference in the long run.

6. Watch a Movie - Sometimes, when I have to write a paper for school, I find myself lacking inspiration ... and what better way to get inspiration than watching a good movie. Try watching something you haven't seen before, because it will likely give you a fresh perspective on things. Either watch a movie you've been recommended, or just visit IMDB or Google search to look for a quality film.

7. Learn Something New - Have you always wanted to know how to sail a boat, program a computer, learn Kung Fu, or maybe just tie your shoes? There is always something we want to learn how to do, but have never tried to do before. Think about something you want to learn, and give it a "how to" search on Google, or find out where you can take some free or cheap lessons. This way, you are using your procrastination time to learn something, expand your knowledge, and further a goal of yours.

8. Watch the News - If you are going to take a break from your work anyway, you might as well use that time to stay informed. There is always a ton of important current events, that are likely effecting your life and the lives of others you know in ways you would not expect. If you don't have a TV, or a news channel, go to a news site and read an article that interests you. If that's to much work, just scroll through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Tumblr, because there is likely someone that is reading and posting links to articles of interest. If you do this, you will still be up on what's going on in the world, and you will be able to engage in intelligent conversation with your peers. Soak up some knowledge! 

9. Write - This might actually just help you clear your head for a bit. It's a good alternative to calling a friend. Just pour your thoughts out onto paper. It may help you think more clearly.

10. Read - If you don't feel like reading about current events or the news, then look into reading up about other things you care about. Whatever your current obsession is (a new song, a new band, a good cause, a comic book), read up about it, and become an expert on it, so that you can speak with authority on your obsession. If you are not the best student, this is a good way to become knowledgeable in something you are good at, or at least something you care about.

11. Hang Out - If all else fails, take a break and go meet some friends. The best way to spend the time you would otherwise waste is to waste it with others. Don't let school keep you from fostering better friendships and relationships with the people in your life. Those people are probably just a little more important than your homework anyway.