Howcast

How to Scare the Crap Out of Someone

Howcast — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:06:26 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Place a fake critter in their bed Place a rubber critter next to your chosen victim while they’re sleeping. If you can do so without waking them, position it in their arms like a stuffed animal.
TIP: Bugs, mice, snakes, and bats are the most common fears among Americans.
Step 2: Appear in a bathroom mirror Don a scary mask and creep quietly behind your victim while they have the bathroom vanity mirror open. When your friend closes the mirror, your reflection will appear out of nowhere.
TIP: Heighten the effect by striking just after they’ve showered. The mirror will be steamy, making your reflection even scarier.
Step 3: Imitate a confined space Recreate the panic of claustrophobia. Cut the bottom off of a large cardboard box. Then, while your victim is asleep, place the box over their head and proceed to bang loudly. They won’t know if they’re still in bed or 6 feet under.
Step 4: Hide your hand Target Halloween trick-or-treaters. Cut a hole in a candy bag, and when revelers arrive at your door, stick one hand inside and hold the bag with the other. When eager fingers reach for the treats, pop out and grab them.
Step 5: Use the computer Scare someone digitally by sending them an online game or video that ends with a scream and terrifying image.
FACT: The fear of acquiring a phobia is called phobophobia.

You Will Need

Surprise
Rubber critter
Scary mask
Bathroom mirror
Cardboard box
Paper bag
Candy
Shower (optional)

How to Pull the Refrigerator Handle Switch Prank

Howcast — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:31:26 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Remove top hinge Remove the top hinge on the refrigerator by taking out the lag bolts with the wrench.
Step 2: Remount Remount the hinge on the opposite side of the fridge.
Step 3: Leave other hardware Leave the other hinges and the handle in their original positions. It will be cross-hinged and impossible to open.
TIP: You can also switch all the hinges, making it possible to open from the non-handle side, but this requires remounting three hinges and completely removing both doors.
Step 4: Lay in wait Hang around the fridge area during lunchtime and wait for hapless victims.
Step 5: Watch in amusement Watch in amusement as they helplessly struggle with the hopelessly stuck fridge door.
FACT: Refrigerators typically consume about one-sixth of all the electricity used in a typical home — more than any other single household appliance.

You Will Need

A bottom-freezer refrigerator
A wrench
A screwdriver
One or more unwitting victims

How to Make a Dissolving Bikini as a Prank

Howcast — Sat, 22 May 2010 04:03:25 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Acquire the bikini Acquire your target’s bikini as stealthily as possible. Or buy a one to secretly modify and give as a gift.
Step 2: Prepare the bottom Use sewing scissors to gently remove the existing thread from the seam at the crotch, and the seams on both sides of the bottom piece.
Step 3: Prepare the top Take apart the seams between the top of the cups and the shoulder or neck straps. If possible, take apart the seams between the cups as well as the ones connecting them to the back strap.
Step 4: Sew it back together Sew each of the seams back together with water-soluble thread.
TIP: Water-soluble thread is safe to use in a sewing machine.
Step 5: Put it back If you secretly altered a bikini, replace it paying special attention to details like its exact position in the drawer or closet.
Step 6: Go swimming Go for a swim. Pick a private location unless you want to be in the doghouse forever and make sure your target’s bikini stays submerged for several minutes.
Step 7: Enjoy Sit back and enjoy the show. Consider bringing an extra bikini and a peace offering to redeem yourself after this sexy swimsuit shenanigan.
FACT: The bikini is named after the Bikini Atoll, a testing site for atomic bombs, implying the garment is as explosive as the bomb.

You Will Need

Bikini
Water-soluble thread
Seam ripper
Sewing scissors
Needle
Place to swim
Partner with a sense of humor
Replacement bikini
Peace offering
Sewing machine (optional)

How to Pull Off the Ultimate Graduation Prank

Howcast — Sun, 02 May 2010 04:01:44 +0000

Instructions

: Do not cause physical harm or vandalize property, actions which can have legal consequences.
Step 1: Pick your target Find a target to prank. Consider whether you want the joke to be on a specific individual, a select group, or everyone in attendance and what you want to achieve: A great practical joke goes beyond causing chaos to highlight its target’s shortcomings.
Step 2: Know your roots Study pranks through history, from the Ancient Greeks to what’s been done at your own school in previous years. Note the ways pranksters manipulated their targets’ minds or just messed with the system to give you ideas.
Step 3: Design a prank Create your prank. Focus on a unique idea that will have immediate impact by disrupting current events but will also be worthy of having someone emulate it in the years to come.
Step 4: Make a plan Come up with a plan to execute your prank. Keep it as simple as possible — more steps mean more opportunities for mistakes. Think through who and what you’ll need carefully, and leave little to chance.
Step 5: Bring the elements together Assemble the people and materials necessary to pull it off. Make sure any fellow pranksters are fully committed to the task and can keep a secret.
TIP: Don’t tell more people than you need to about your prank to avoid ruining the surprise.
Step 6: Pull the trigger Try to stick to your plan, but be willing to improvise if necessary. Maintain a cool head and rely on your team’s support as you watch your vision become reality and your name go down in history.
FACT: In 1999, students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology turned a campus building, the Great Dome, into a gigantic replica of Star Wars character R2D2.

You Will Need

Target
Knowledge of history
Plan
Dedication
Fellow pranksters (optional)

How to Gleek

Howcast — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 11:01:06 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Suck on candy Suck on a piece of tart candy to stimulate saliva flow. Get a roll of tart fruit candy or other sour candy so you have plenty to practice with.
TIP: Yawning is also a good technique to generate saliva.
Step 2: Make an O Make your mouth into a small O shape and take a deep breath in through your mouth. This will help saliva collect under your tongue.
Step 3: Position the tongue Position the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth directly in the center and open your mouth wide.
TIP: Jut out your jaw so that it is slightly forward.
Step 4: Breathe again Keep your tongue in position and breathe in again through your mouth to deepen the saliva pool.
Step 5: Flex tongue Flex your tongue forward, keeping the tip locked to the roof of the mouth. The saliva should stream straight out or spray out in several directions.
FACT: The medical term for dry mouth is xerostomia. The condition can lead to gingivitis, tooth decay, and mouth infections.

You Will Need

Tart or sour candy
Saliva
Tongue flexibility
Yawning (optional)

How to Convince Someone They’re Going Crazy

Howcast — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:31:33 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Set clocks Set all of the clocks accessible to the person you want to prank back one hour.
TIP: It is important to know who you can play pranks on so you don’t lose friends.
Step 2: Change calendars Change all of the calendars to a day ahead to convince someone that they have lost a whole day.
Step 3: Whisper their name Whisper the person’s name. Often. Get other people to whisper their name as they walk by the person.
Step 4: Move stuff Move stuff around when they aren’t looking. Move things they use often, like eyeglasses, a phone, or keys.
Step 5: Keep cool Keep a straight face throughout the entire prank to make them question their sanity.
FACT: The exact origin of April Fool’s Day is unknown, but is said to be due to changing New Year’s Day from April to January. People still celebrating in April were called fools.

You Will Need

Stealth
Speed
Co-conspirators
A straight face

How to Pull the Burning Pen Prank

Howcast — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:16:10 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Dismantle pen Dismantle the pen and remove and discard the ballpoint tip and the ink. Set aside the empty tube and cap.
Step 2: Cut match strip Cut a small square from the strike pad on the matchbox and contour it inside the cap, strike side out.
Step 3: Cut matches Cut the ends from the matches so they fit inside the tip of the pen tube, match heads facing out. Let them stick out about ¼- to ½-inch.
Step 4: Fill tube with water Fill the tube with water before reassembling as a safety precaution. Replace the end with the matches in the tube and carefully replace the cap.
TIP: This gag won’t harm your victim or cause a fire. The water inside will extinguish the fire almost immediately.
Step 5: Watch Watch in amusement as your unwitting victim removes the cap, causing the matches to light and the pen tip to burst into flames.
FACT: French Baron Marcel Bich founded the BIC Company in 1945 after developing popular gravity-flow inks. In 1958, BIC introduced its pens to the American market.

You Will Need

A ballpoint pen with a cap
Scissors
Two matches and a match box
An unwitting victim

How to Prank Someone’s Food for April Fool’s Day

Howcast — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:15:46 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Make chocolate-covered garlic Prepare chocolate-covered garlic cloves and pass them off as chocolate-covered peanuts.
TIP: Try not to laugh or look suspicious before a prank.
Step 2: Make caramel onions Make caramel onions instead of caramel apples. Insert a popsicle stick and add a few nuts on top.
Step 3: Sew a chicken Sew extra chicken legs on a whole chicken before serving.
Step 4: Give someone saltwater Put salt in someone’s water; then sit back and watch their face.
Step 5: Stuff raisins in a toothpaste tube Stuff raisins into a toothpaste tube and watch people’s reaction when they squeeze the tube.
Step 6: Switch cereal bags Switch the bags in your family’s cereal boxes for a breakfast surprise.
Step 7: Add food coloring to milk Add a few drops of purple or blue food coloring to someone’s milk and serve it with a cookie.
FACT: Anthropologists have suggested that practical jokes often function as an effort to bring an outsider into a group.

You Will Need

Chocolate
Garlic
An onion
A popsicle stick
Nuts
A chicken leg
Salt
Raisins
A toothpaste tube
Food coloring
Milk

How to Flip a Computer Screen

Howcast — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:31:35 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Sneak to the computer Sneak over to your victim’s computer while they are away from their desk.
Step 2: Press Control, Alt, F1 On a PC, enable the rotation by pressing the Control, Alt, and F1 keys at the same time to activate the image rotation.
TIP: Some users may have set their own key combination for the rotation activation. If Control, Alt, F1 does not work, you will need to find someone else to trick.
Step 3: Hold Control and Alt and press down arrow Hold down the Control and Alt keys and press the down arrow key to flip the screen.
Step 4: Flip the screen on a Mac Flip a Mac’s screen by entering the System Preferences menu and clicking on the Displays tab.
Step 5: Choose the rotation degree Choose the degree of rotation on the rotation menu.
TIP: This will only work on Mac computers with an external display monitor.
Step 6: Slink back to your desk Slink back to your desk and wait for your co-worker to return.
FACT: In 2007, Eric Kloeker broke his own world record by juggling upside down for five minutes straight.

You Will Need

A victim
Fast fingers
A poker face

How to Prank Someone’s iPhone

Howcast — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:15:36 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Use flattery to gain access Compliment your friend on their iPhone. Ask if you could put your grubby, non-iPhone using hands on it to feel its specialness, just for a moment.
Step 2: Go to contacts list Go to the contacts list and add a new contact. Put the name of an especially offensive curse word in the name field and leave the rest of the information, such as phone number, blank.
TIP: Add curse words in other languages, such as French or Klingon, for variety.
Step 3: Repeat Add new contacts for each profane word you’d like to add. The iPhone uses the contacts list as part of its predictive text database and will override the function that auto-corrects swear words.
Step 4: Await the inevitable Wait for your friend to text someone and get an unexpected eyeful of your sick humor. They may even thank you for being able to fully express themselves without the autocorrect getting in the way.
FACT: The iPhone was first announced at the Macworld Conference & Expo in January 2007.

You Will Need

A sick sense of humor
Flattery
Access to someone’s iPhone
A list of swear words
Klingon or French profanity (optional)

How to Play a Halloween Computer Prank

Howcast — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:03:23 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Learn about AutoCorrect Familiarize yourself with Word’s AutoCorrect feature. The program automatically fixes frequently misspelled words. You can easily modify AutoCorrect for dastardly ends.
Step 2: Get to the computer Find a time when you when you can tamper with the victim’s computer in peace.
Step 3: Open Word Open Microsoft Word and click on the Tools tab, then AutoCorrect. In the Replace box, type the word you want the computer to change. In the With box, type the word or phrase you want to swap in. Click Add. When you’re finished, click OK.
TIP: Replace commonly typed words. The more often the victim types them, the better.
Step 4: Observe Relish the expression of sheer confusion as the victim tries to decide whether their computer is out to get them, or they’ve gone completely insane.
FACT: Forty-four percent of Americans say they believe in ghosts.

You Will Need

Microsoft Word
Access to the victim’s computer
Creativity

How to Shower Someone with Confetti

Howcast — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:02:49 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Get confetti Buy a bunch of confetti from a party store or make your own with construction paper and a hole puncher or paper shredder.
TIP: Multi-colored construction paper makes great confetti.
Step 2: Hide it On a rainy day, stuff a few handfuls in your victim’s closed umbrella.
TIP: Make sure you pull this trick when you’re out of sight of the umbrella’s owner.
Step 3: Duck Duck when they are showered with tiny bits of paper. And be sure to check your own umbrella the next time there’s foul weather.
FACT: Confetti is also the word for the sugared almonds that many Italians pass out at celebration.

You Will Need

Store-bought or homemade confetti
Access to your victimu2019s umbrella

How to Annoy Your Friends

Howcast — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:52:23 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Interruption Interrupt your friend. Whatever your friend is doing, don’t let them do it.
Step 2: Domination Dominate the friendship
Step 3: Ignorance Be ignorant. Whatever logical reason he may give you, ignore it.
Step 4: Bring up bad memories Bring up bad memories frequently.
Step 5: Destruction Make a mess.

You Will Need

A friend

How to Make a Prank Phone Call

Howcast — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:33:02 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Have a plan Outline your basic scam. Are you going to call businesses or individuals? What are you planning to tell them or ask them? Try to anticipate their responses so you don’t get tongue-tied.
Step 2: Know the law Know the law. It’s illegal to prank call government officials, the police, the fire department, or an ambulance service; you can’t pose as a fireman, policeman, terrorist, or criminal; you can’t make threats; and you can’t slander a business or product.
Step 3: Practice Do a few dry runs with a friend. It will help you prepare by giving you an idea of how your target may respond.
TIP: Have some buying-time phrases ready in case you get nervous, like ‘There’s no reason to get snippy’ or ‘Let me try to explain this again in a way that you might understand.’ Or practice launching into a foreign tongue.
Step 4: Block your caller I.D. Before dialing, hit 67 so your phone number doesn’t appear on the victim’s caller I.D.
TIP: There are services on the internet that, for a fee, will allow you to change the number that appears on your caller I.D. during specific phone calls.
Step 5: Hook them in People are quick to hang up on a stranger, so hook them into staying on the line by suggesting there’s something in it for them — a quiz prize, a reward, or a big order (if you’re phoning a business).
Step 6: Bide your time Relax your mark with a few softballs before you throw them a curve. If you’re pretending to take a survey, ask, ‘What laundry detergent do you use?’ before you hit them with, ‘Does it remove your crap-in-the-pants stains?’
TIP: Double your fun by pranking two victims with one scam. Phone your first target, then put them on hold while you call someone else and conference them in. Listen as the fun ensues!
Step 7: Have conviction Have conviction. If you call a dog groomer and ask if he’ll give your children a bath, sound sincere as you present your arguments — the kids will love it, they’re too dirty to wash in the tub, you think they have fleas.
Step 8: Don’t push it Don’t push it. If the person tells you they are going to call the cops, believe them and hang up.
FACT: The average American receives 31 prank phone calls in his or her lifetime.

You Will Need

Phone
Plan
Caller I.D. block

How to Wrap a Toilet Seat as a Prank

Howcast — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:39:12 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Get plastic wrap Buy some plastic wrap. Any brand will do, as long as it’s clear.
Step 2: Stretch it Lift the toilet seat and stretch the plastic wrap across the rim of the toilet.
TIP: Make sure the plastic is taut enough to be almost invisible.
Step 3: Listen Listen for shrieks as pee is repelled from the toilet! You might not want to own up to this one…
FACT: The French use less toilet paper each year — 8.5 pounds per person — than any other European nation. At 18.5 pounds per person, the Swedes use the most.

You Will Need

A toilet
Plastic wrap

How to Short Sheet the Bed

Howcast — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:06:25 +0000

Instructions

Step 1: Put on the first sheet Leave the first, fitted sheet on the mattress as it would be normally.
Step 2: Prepare top sheet Pull the top sheet up to the head of the bed and tuck it under the mattress.Make sure the top sheet and the fitted sheet are the same color, or your trick will be found out.
Step 3: Fold top sheet Fold the bottom of the top sheet almost in half, so that the fold rests where it usually does when your victim goes to sleep.
Step 4: Add the blanket Add the blanket and tuck in the sides all around. Make sure the blanket covers your devious handiwork.
Step 5: Watch the fun Watch the person wrestle with the covers as he tries in vain to get under the blanket.
FACT: Twenty-two percent of Americans only change their sheets every few weeks — or less.

You Will Need

Bed-making skills