5 April Fool’s Day Pranks That Won’t Get You Fired
By DAN WEST
The Kokomo Post Staff
April Fool’s Day is just a few days away, and all the office pranksters are probably getting ready to wreak havoc on all of their unsuspecting co-workers. But don’t worry, the Kokomo Post is here to help with some ideas on how to get them back!
The most important thing about a good prank is that it shouldn’t hurt anyone. Pranks should be fun for everyone, so we’re skipping the bad feeling ideas like “pretend to have a terminal disease” or “pretend to have broken/destroyed something important to the person” and we’re getting right into the moments that will make your unsuspecting target jump, but then laugh along with everyone else.
Hide plastic spiders around the office
A surefire way to get a quick jump from the people in your office is to put small plastic spiders all over the place. Put one in a drawer on top of a file folder, use fishing line to attach one to a mouse cord, or on top of the refrigerator door in the break room. The possibilities are endless.
Time Factor: Small. Spend as much or as little time as you want placing the spiders. Just don’t get caught!
Cost Factor: Small. A bag of 50 mini black spiders costs $1.99 at Party City
Prank Factor: High, but with a diminishing return. You’ll definitely get some good jumps at first, but the more you place, the weaker the response will be.
Replace Oreo creme with toothpaste, leave in the breakroom
Everybody loves Oreos, and there’s no greater betrayal than an Oreo that doesn’t taste good (looking at you, Birthday Cake Oreos). For this prank, buy a pack of Oreos, and replace the filling on ten of them with white toothpaste. You don’t want to do an entire package, because that takes too long and is a waste of a package of Oreos. Scatter those ten back into the package, then leave the pack in the breakroom and wait for the hilarity to ensue.
Time Factor: Moderate. You’ll need steady hands to open and scrape the creme out of all those Oreos without breaking them. Then you’ll have to put in enough toothpaste to make them look authentic.
Cost Factor: Less than $10. A pack of Oreos and a tube of toothpaste are low-cost items.
Prank Factor: High, especially if some of the regular Oreos have been eaten already. You’ll get the first prank for getting someone to eat the toothpaste, and the second by making them look like a crazy person when they freak out.
Superglue a quarter to the sidewalk
I don’t think I’m alone in loving discovering money on the sidewalk. I don’t worry much about when I see a penny or a dime, but I’m not so rich that I ignore a quarter if it’s right in front of me. Now imagine watching someone try to pick up that quarter, only to find it stuck to the sidewalk. This is an easy prank to do, and as long as you’re not being super obvious about watching, you can enjoy this all day if the area is well-traveled enough.
Time Factor: Low. This takes less than a minute to set up, and another minute or two to solidify.
Cost Factor: Low. Superglue costs $2-3, and a quarter costs … well, a quarter.
Prank Factor: Low, but with high repetition. You’re not breaking any new ground with this one, but it’s still pretty fun.
Fill your boss’s office with balloons
Pranking the boss is the Mount Everest of prank work. Pulling off that moment where you get the boss in a way that is funny enough to get a reaction but also not cost your job is a beautiful moment. For this one, close the blinds, fill their office with a cartoonish number of balloons, then shut the door. You might consider enlisting the help of some co-workers for this one, but if you can make it happen alone you’ll either be a legend or have complete anonymity if the boss gets mad.
Time Factor: High. Filling and tying that many balloons is a pretty labor-intensive task
Cost Factor: Low to Medium, depending on the size of the office you’re filling. A 72-count bag of balloons at Party City only costs $7.99, so you’re probably not breaking the bank here
Prank Factor: High. I love this one. The image of someone fighting to get into their office as balloons fall out the door onto them has had me laughing the entire time I’ve been writing.
Make a ketchup-filled donut
We mentioned in our Random Acts of Kindness blog that everyone loves the person who brings donuts into the office. Capitalize on that by bringing in a dozen donuts, and filling one of the “jelly” donuts with ketchup instead! You can do one donut or a few, but make sure there are a few regular donuts in there to lull people into a false sense of security.
Time Factor: Low to Moderate. If you can get a local bakery to put the ketchup in for you, this only requires picking them up. If you have to do the work yourself, there are a few extra steps.
Cost Factor: Low. A dozen donuts isn’t too expensive, and you can’t put a price on happiness
Prank Factor: High, as long as you don’t work at an office where nobody likes jelly donuts
