pranklopedia_sample pgs_Final2.indd - Workman Publishing

l
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
happened almost 1,800 years ago, around 219 A.D. The story goes that the teenage
Roman emperor Elagabulus placed special leather pillows on the chairs of his most
pompous dinner party guests—when the emperor deflated them, the sitters would
end up on the floor. About 1,300 years later, an English
monk named
Thomas Betson wrote about how he 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 craziest pranks
ever. Hook had nearly every product and service
available in the city of London delivered to the
home of a Mrs. Tottenham over the course of a single
day. First thing in the morning, a load of coal
arrived, followed by deliveries of furniture, musical
instruments, flowers, bread, fish, a wedding
A spaghetti picker hard at work
14 • prankopedia

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. Hook had made a bet with a friend that he could turn any home into the most
talked-about address in London. 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 The Prankster Hall of Fame!
Caution!
All the pranks contained herein have been tested on human
victims 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.
For more computer pranks,
go to www.urltk and type in
this code: PKLOP88.
Four Things to Know About This Book
The pranks in this book are organized alphabetically, like an encyclopedia. That
means you can use the book to teach little siblings the alphabet when you’re not
busy pranking them.
1
Each prank in this book has a rating that tells you how much time and effort
it takes:
Easy
Medium
Expert
Easy
Medium
Expert
Easy
Medium
Expert
prank o’meter
Fast and easy
prank o’meter
A little more
challenging
prank o’meter
Expert level!
2
Each prank in this book has a rating that tells you how much time and effort
it takes:
*
*
A few tiny white feathers
A teaspoon of flour
prankopedia • 15

A Mouthful of
TOOTH
PRANKS
Prank #31
Do you know anyone who
has an irrational fear of
rare diseases Well, this
is the prank for them . . .

the prank
This prank works best if you happen to have some small, white feathers
that look like they came from a chicken. If you don’t own a pet chicken, you can
try collecting the feathers that escape from a down pillow or a jacket or sleeping
bag. If that doesn’t work, use flour or anything that will float in the air.
Easy
Medium
prank o’meter
Expert
what you need
*
*
*
*
An empty cardboard box addressed to someone
in your house
Scissors
A large bag of popcorn or plenty of packing
peanuts (the bits of Styrofoam-like stuff that are
used to pack things)
Clear packing tape
what you do
Ask an adult to help you cut out the bottom
panel of the box. Make sure the sides
1
look normal.
2
Place the box on a table or counter where
your victim is used to finding newly arrived
packages. Fill it just to the top with popcorn or
packing peanuts.
Carefully tape the top of the box shut, so it
3 looks like a new package that just arrived.
The box should look completely normal.
Wait for your victim to walk in and say,
4 “Oh, look, I got a package!” When they pick
it up, the popcorn or packing peanuts will spill all
over. Hopefully, you won’t be the one who has to
clean up the mess.
very imPortant pranks
V.I.P.
A Giant Step
When a foot of snow fell in Edinburgh,
Scotland in 2010, Nial
Smith didn’t build a snowman
in his backyard like everyone
else. He thought bigger—much
bigger. Smith created what
looked like the footprint of a
boot-wearing giant. He made a
sketch of the shape he wanted,
and one hour later, the footprint
filled his yard. When his neighbors
looked out their windows,
they probably thought it was
time to leave town.
The work of a true (prank) artist
pranklopedia • 15

Cough
it up!
Prank #32
Do you know anyone who
has an irrational fear of
rare diseases Well, this
is the prank for them . . .

the prank
This prank works best if you happen to have some small, white feathers
that look like they came from a chicken. If you don’t own a pet chicken, you can
try collecting the feathers that escape from a down pillow or a jacket or sleeping
bag. If that doesn’t work, use flour or anything that will float in the air.
what you need
A few tiny white feathers or a teaspoon of flour
*
Easy
Medium
prank o’meter
Expert
what you do
the setup
1 1
Practice this prank alone before
you try it on your victim. Place
the feathers or the spoonful of flour in
the palm of one hand. Make a loose fist
with that hand, the way you do when you
cough. It’s important not to squeeze your
fist too tightly.
2
Now try coughing into your fist.
Your cough should force the feathers
or flour out the opening at the other
end of your fist where your pinkie is.
You’ll need to try tightening or loosening
your fist until you make it work just
right.
Pull the prank
With feathers or flour in one hand,
walk up to your victim and start a
conversation. Hold your hand down by
your side so it looks perfectly normal. In
the middle of the conversation, when you
have your victim’s full attention, bring
your fist up to your mouth and start
coughing. Your victim will be amazed to
see you coughing up feathers—or clouds
of white stuff.
2
At this point, you have two choices:
You can say absolutely nothing, and
act like it’s perfectly normal to cough up
feathers or white stuff. Or, you can act
like you are freaked out, too. If you’re using
feathers, say, “Dude! It’s happening
again. After I eat a chicken sandwich, I
start coughing up feathers! It’s totally
weird.” If you’re using flour, say, “Man,
that feels better! I was having trouble
breathing.”
pranklopedia • 15

l
ha l l
the prankster
of fame
Sports Pranks
Professional athletes are lucky: They get to play games for a living. But they are
also under a lot of pressure. That might explain why they pull so many pranks—
it helps lighten things up. Here are seven winning sports pranks. It’s no accident
that many of them involve baseball. Baseball players are the definitely the champs
when it comes to pranks.
Let the
games begin!
q
He Took Everyone for a Ride
In the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, MO, American
marathon runner Fred Lorz started getting muscle
cramps. He managed to run nine miles before giving
up and jumping into a race official’s car. He rode the
next 11 miles. Then, as a joke, he got out and ran
the rest of the way, entering the stadium and crossing
the finish line before anyone else. The crowd
cheered like crazy, not realizing it was a prank.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s daughter even
placed an honorary wreath on his head before Lorz admitted he’d pulled a fast one. He
went on to win the Boston Marathon the following year—without hitching a ride.
“This blasted wig has a mind of its own!”
14 • prankopedia

Something Fishy
Pitcher Moe Drabowsky was a good player, but he’s remembered
more for his pranks than for his game. His loved hiding
snakes–both fake and real–in other players’ lockers. He would
also use the phone in the bullpen, where pitchers warm up, to
order Chinese food during a game. In 1969, Drabowsky and a
couple of his teammates on the Orioles, Eddie Watt and Pete
Richert, snuck into the opposing team’s bullpen, slipped four
live goldfish into the water cooler, and scurried out. The fish
seemed unbothered, but the bullpen manager was furious.
Either he had no sense of humor—or he was very thirsty.
A Bad Trade
Pitcher Brett Myers belongs in the Baseball Pranksters Hall of Fame for the
perfect stunt he pulled on teammate Kyle Kendrick when they were both playing for
the Philadelphia Phillies. One day in 2008, the manager of the Phillies (who was in
on the prank) called Kendrick into his office and told him that he was being traded
to a Japanese team for a player named Kobayashi. Myers arranged for a local TV
news team to be there to film the announcement—and Kendrick’s shocked reaction.
The poor guy was so stunned he couldn’t speak for most of the news conference.
He apparently forgot that American and Japanese teams never trade players. Myers
went to incredible lengths to pull off the hoax, getting the local news team involved
and even having Kendrick sign fake trade papers. Luckily, Kendrick learned it was all
a prank before boarding a plane to Japan.
A spaghetti picker hard at work
She Put the Fun in Funnel
The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team is known for its fancy footwork on
the field. But in 2010, defender Heather Mitts pulled a fast one off the field with
a prank known as the Funnel Game. Heather and her co-conspirator, forward
Natasha Kai, walked up to another teammate and asked if she wanted to play
the Funnel Game. Then they demonstrated how the game is played. Step 1: You
put a plastic funnel in the waistband of your pants, with the narrow end inside
and the bowl-shaped part above the waistband, resting against your stomach.
Step 2: You tilt your head back so your nose is facing the ceiling, close your
eyes, and place the quarter on your right eyelid. Step 3: You drop your chin
back down, and try to get the quarter to fall into the funnel. So where does the
prank come in After showing their victim how the game is played, Mitts and
Kai challenged her to try it. As soon as she closed her eyes, they poured water
in the funnel—and down their teammate’s pants.
prankopedia • 15

Cough
it up!
Prank #32
Do you know anyone who
has an irrational fear of
rare diseases Well, this
is the prank for them . . .

the prank
This prank works best if you happen to have some small, white feathers
that look like they came from a chicken. If you don’t own a pet chicken, you can
try collecting the feathers that escape from a down pillow or a jacket or sleeping
bag. If that doesn’t work, use flour or anything that will float in the air.
what you need
A few tiny white feathers or a teaspoon of flour
*
Easy
Medium
prank o’meter
Expert
what you do
the setup
1
2
Pull the prank
Your story can go something like
1
2
Close all open programs on the
computer.
A few tiny white feathers
*
* A few tiny white feathers
this, but be prepared to improvise
and answer any questions that your victim
asks:
Start by describing what a strange night you
had. Say something like, “The weirdest thing
happened to me last night. It was so bizarre, I
can hardly believe it myself.” Pause and take a
deep breath, as if you are upset.
Your victim will probably ask, “What What
happened”
Continue your story, speaking in a slightly
shaky voice. “I was sound asleep when I felt
something brush across my arm and it woke
me up. At first couldn’t see anything.
If you have a Mac . . .
Close all open programs on the
computer.
You will follow different directions
depending on whether your victim
has a Mac or a PC.
pranklopedia • 15

Cough
it up!
Prank #32
Do you know anyone who
has an irrational fear of
rare diseases Well, this
is the prank for them . . .

the prank
What’s more frustrating than a frozen computer! Honestly, not
much. If you want to freak out the less computer-savvy members of your family-
-ahem, Mom and Dad--just follow these steps to make it look like your
family computer is on the fritz.
what you need
Access to a family member’s computer
*
Easy
Medium
prank o’meter
Expert
what you do
the setup
If you have a Mac . . .
Close all open programs on the
1 computer.
Take a screenshot of the desktop
2 by holding “Command” and “Shift”
and then hitting “3.”
This picture file should have been
3 saved to your desktop. Move this
image to a folder where you’ll be able to
find it.
Move all desktop icons into a new
4 folder called something innocentsounding,
like “Computer” or “Downloaded”
or “[your name]’s Stuff.”
Change the desktop picture on your
5 computer to be the screenshot.
Next hide the dock--and make it
6 more difficult to find--by going to
the Apple menu, selecting “Dock,” and
then choosing to move it to either the
right or left side of the screen. Once you
move the dock from the bottom of the
screen, go again to the Apple menu, select
“Dock,” and then select “Automatically
hide and show the Dock.”
If you have a PC . . .
Close all open programs on the computer.
1
Take a screenshot of the desktop by
2 using the “Print Screen” button on
your keyboard.
Paste this picture into a picture-editing
program, such as Paint. Save
3
this image in a folder where you’ll be able
to find it.
Move all desktop icons into a new
4 folder called something innocentsounding,
like “Computer” or “Downloaded”
or “[your name]’s Stuff.”
Change the desktop picture on your
5 computer to be the screenshot.
Next hide the taskbar--and make
6 it more difficult to find--by rightclicking
on it. If there is a check next to
“Lock the taskbar,” click it (to remove the
check, unlocking the taskbar). This will
make it so that you can move the taskbar
to either the top or sides of the monitor
by clicking and dragging to the position
of your choice.
continues
c
pranklopedia • 15

COMPUTER DESKTOP CONFUSION
(continued)
Pull the prank
Now your victim’s computer should look
normal, but because the icons and the
taskbar are just images--and thus will not
open or move or do anything they’re supposed
to do--it will appear as if the computer
is totally busted. Now you can just
wait around for the panic the next time
your victim uses her computer. Or speed
things along and ask her to look something
up for you. You might want to take pity on
your victim before she calls the help desk!
14 • p rankopedia

ha l l
the prankster
of fame
Hugh Troy
The Human Rhino
Hugh Troy was an artist who illustrated children’s books. He also excelled at the
art of pranking. He pulled one of his best hoaxes while he was a college student
in Ithaca, New York, in the 1920s. He knew a certain professor who had a wastebasket
that was made out of a rhinoceros foot. One day after a big snowstorm, Troy and
a friend borrowed the wastebasket and used it to make a trail of rhino footprints
across the snow. When they got to the edge of a frozen lake, they cut a big hole in
the ice so it looked like the rhino had fallen in. The story that a rhino had drowned
in the lake soon spread all over Ithaca. Because the town’s water supply came from
the lake, some people even stopped drinking water--until Troy revealed that he was
the rascal behind the rhino.
Troy had some advice on how to invent
your own pranks. He said that rather
than consciously trying to think up a prank,
you should just be open to ideas that come to
you as you observe what’s around you.