20+ Practical Jokes For Pranksters, Old And Young

Do you have a prankster in your ranks? Maybe your partner loves to jump out and scare you. Your pranksters could come in the form of your gaggle of mischievous kids. Whether you’re helping your littlest babe get back at their bigger siblings or trying to outdo your hubby, you’ve here because you need some help coming up with some practical jokes. And you’re not alone in that one. In fact, according to the latest search data available to us, practical jokes are searched for nearly 15,000 times per month. A month!

If you don’t want anything too traumatizing, but still unforgettable, you’ve come to the right place. We sifted through all the internet had to offer and found the perfect assortment of oldies but goodies as well as new and truly brilliant. These practical jokes and pranks will definitely win you an award for most fun game host… or at least a pie in the face.

1. Play-Doh Gum

This is a bit tedious, but pretty fun. The idea is simple — find Play-Doh that matches the color of your favorite gum and cut squares the same size as the pieces. Replace all your gum pieces with Play-Doh pieces and have fun offering “gum” to friends and family.

2. Frozen Cereal

Are you in charge of breakfast each morning? The night before, prep bowls of your family members’ favorite cereals and pop them in the fridge. Come morning, set out the frozen cereal for them and watch as confusion ensues.

3. Mac & Cheese Juice

This might be the worst tasting prank out there. Use the cheese packets from your favorite boxed mac and cheese and mix them with warm water. Switch out the orange juice with your mac and cheese and wait.

4. Salted Sour Patch Kids

Shocking, but not exactly gross. Take some sour patch kids and sprinkle salt on them. (You might need to mist them with water to make it really stick.) The sour dust and salt look exactly the same, of course, but the favors are unmistakably different.

5. Toothpaste Oreos

This classic is super simple. Just replace the cream in your Oreos with toothpaste. What a lunchtime shock!

6. Caramel Onions

This is a great practical joke to try outside of April 1st and more around Halloween, when caramel apples are big. Follow the classic caramel apple recipe but replace all (or some or just one) apples with onions. That’s one shockingly disgusting bite.

7. Mentos Ice

Freeze some Mentos in your ice tray and then offer ice next time your pour someone a Coke. It’s a slow burn, but it’s funny once it really takes off.

8. Salted Coffee/Tea

This is a classic and the simplest food prank to pull off. Volunteer to make someone their morning coffee or tea. Instead of sugar, liberally salt the drink and make sure it dissolves before serving. Stay clear of the prank victim as they may spit out the drink and spray everywhere.

9. Crouching Boyfriend, Hidden Clown

Got a family member or co-inhabitant that is afraid of clowns, spiders or Punky Brewster? Tape a picture under the lid (Or the seat, if you’re daring), so when the prank-ee goes to the restroom, they’ll lift the lid and find the most terrifying thing they can think of.

10. Useless Soap

Take clear nail polish to a bar of soap the night before. Listen to the groans when your loved ones attempt to lather up and realize they can’t.

11. Bleeding Faucet

Paint some gel food coloring under your bathroom sink faucet. Or better yet, take off the aerator on the faucet and hide in a food or egg dye tablet. When the next person turns on faucet, the water will run whatever color you used. Red is definitely the most terrifying.

12. Broken Mouse

If your co-worker has an optical mouse, putting a small piece of tape over the light will keep the mouse from activating and won’t move across the screen. For a funnier take, use a small Post-It note and write “Gotchya!” on it. That way, they figure out the prank a little faster when they flip their mouse.

13. Landslide Cubicle

Got cubicles at work? Close off the open area with plastic wrap, wrapping paper or something similar. Then fill your co-worker’s cubicle with… really anything. Ball pit balls, balloons or (clean) cans work best.

14. Foiled

Foil is relatively cheap and so quick to use. Consider getting to work early with a few cheap boxes of foil so you can cover your favorite co-worker’s desk and desk supplies with foil.

15. “Donuts” in the break room

Next time you get donuts from your favorite donut place, ask for a couple extra dozen-sized boxes. Fill the boxes with fruits and veggies (and dip, if you’re nice), then leave them closed on the break room table with a sign that says, “Enjoy!” Your co-workers will still appreciate the snacks… once the disappointment of no donuts wears off.

16. “Voice Activated” stickers

Have some “voice activated” stickers printed and find fun places to stick them where people will think an appliance is now voice activated. Enjoy your break by listening to a co-worker yell “thirty seconds!” at the microwave. Or sit in the bathroom stall holding back laughter at the person yelling at the paper towel dispenser. This practical joke is funny for both parties.

17. Heart Attacks

Have your kiddos help you cut out a bunch of colored hearts and glue them to popsicle sticks. In the middle of the night, sneak over to a good friend or crushes house and give them a “heart attack” by sticking the hearts all over their yard.

18. Forked/Flocked

You can also attack a person’s yard with plastic forks or a “flock” of plastic flamingos. Leave a sign that says “You’ve been forked!” or “You’ve been flocked!”

19. Auto(In)Correct

If your kiddos have cell phone, sneak into their phones at night and change some of their autocorrect suggestions. Just do a couple silly things like “LOL” can autocorrect to “I love my mom” or “ROTFL” can “correct” itself to “root canal.” Because… why not?

20. Post-It Covered Car

This can be a fun practical joke to pull any time, even for fun occasions like birthdays and graduations. Just cover a loved one’s car with Post-Its, but consider adding some notes to a few of the Post-Its.

21. Foghorn Door

Easy. Duct tape a fog horn to a door, so each time it swings open and hits the wall, the horn blows. Pro-Tip: Don’t do this to the bathroom door.

22. Ballooned

Cubicles aren’t the only things you can fill with balloons. You can also create a balloon landslide by filling cars or small bathrooms. You could carefully arrange a bunch in front of a closed door, so when the door opens they all fall in. Is it a bit of a nuisance? Of course. But no one can stay mad when surrounded by balloons.

23. Shaving Cream Face

What’s more classic than getting someone to smack themselves with a hand full of shaving cream or whipped cream? To play this prank all you need is someone who is sleeping deeply with their face and the palm of their hand exposed. As quietly as the aerosol can allows, spray shaving cream or whipped cream on their open palm and tickle their nose lightly. The idea is they’ll accidentally cover their face in the cream when they go to scratch their nose.

24. Sour Powder on Cereal

Think of the most sour powder found on Warheads candy or even on Sour Patch Kids. Well, luckily for all the pranksters out there, you can buy that sour powder and elevate a regular cereal prank to an epic cereal prank by sprinkling a little.