Failed Pranks

A discussion about my old car reminded me of a time I was persuaded to play a practical joke that backfired.

While loading a poultry crate in my boot (trunk), my boss (the man of a husband and wife pairing) found I had a huge cardboard cutout of a prairie dog in there too. He thought it would be a bit of a wheeze if I hid behind the image as I walked round to my office, as the path would take me in front of the kitchen window where his wife would be cooking.

Always up for a bit of a prank, I crouched behind Jimmy the prairie dog and bobbed him up and down as I passed by the window. I heard no reaction so continued along the path hiding behind the cutout.

As I rounded the corner to my office, Pippin the sheepdog awoke from her slumber in the garden to find a huge prairie dog jauntily making his way to the house. Bedlam and chaos ensued.

Boss' wife came out to find Baa fending off the sheepdog with a large cardboard cutout of a standing mammal. She hadn't even been in the kitchen when I walked past! Both bosses were rolling on the floor with laughter. Pippin never really got over the shock and hated the figure which resided in my office for quite some time after.

Foiled prank 2

During my time there we had a small number of different herdsmen. 2 were particularly prone to playing practical jokes. One favourite of both was to sneak up on people and grab their shoulders.

They always tried to catch me out in my office. I'd sit writing my records with my back to the door. Just as the hands were reaching for my shoulders I'd say 'Yes, and what can I do for you?.' They never caught me out once. Puzzlement followed and questions asked as to how I always knew they were there. I just said they should think about it a bit harder.

What I didn't tell them was I could see them approaching in the switched off computer screen and would watch to see what they were going to do. They never did catch on ;)

Anyone want to share their failed practical jokes or one they have foiled?

Those are funny baa....
I cant remember of any foiled ones, but here is an especially funny prank that I pulled on a friend, that to this day makes me chuckle.
about 13 yrs ago, my husband was a student, my son was just diagnosed with CP and our physical therapy bills were 1000 dollars a month, with hubby not working, we were living on just my income. we were dirt poor, because every cent we had went to therapy. We didnt have two nickles to rub together. (this is information to set the stage)
I had to go the bank to cash a check or something, and my friend waited in the car, there was an unusually long line, the bank was celebrating something, can't remember, for all I know it was customer appreciation day, but they gave all the customers a rose. So after a goodly amount of time passed I went outside with my rose and concocted this story:
I was waiting in line minding my own business when this little old lady walked in, and I felt sorry for her, so I let her cut in front of me, and go to the teller before me, well, all of a sudden, bells and whistles went off. It turned out that she was the millionth customer of the bank, lots of fan fare, cake and ice cream, pictures being taken, and the lady was presented with a check for 10,000 dollars. And I was given a rose as a consolation prize.
Well, we kept saying "oh my God, I was this close to being 10,000 richer, all the things I could do with that money, blah blah blah, but I just wouldnt let the matter rest, we went to lunch, and still we were talking about it, and she totally believed me, well, the deeper I got into this, I didnt know how to tell her it was all just a put on....well, when I finally did... she was not very happy, but we laugh at it still to this day. Isnt it funny?
I think it is....it was then, and it stil is now.
and I did it all with a very straight face, quite believeable.

LOL Pebble, I'd have never been able to keep a straight face!

I'm amazed myself that Iwas able to pull it off

Baa....your second story really hit home. My grandkids still haven't figured out how I know when they're into things. They haven't noticed how pictures and mirrors, and appliances, and window glass revert their images all around. Not to mention the way the light sillouettes their images on the wall.

"eyes"

Well, Baa, I don't know if this qualifies as a "failed" prank, but it was certainly one of my best.

One year, a friend who had moved to Washington sent me an email toward the end of March in which she said she could hardly wait to see what kind of April Fools Day joke I would come up with. Now, to tell you the truth, I seldom play pranks on April 1st, because I rather prefer to just seize the moment rather than plan ahead. However, I felt bound to come up with something. I knew it had to have some truth to it, or she'd never believe it. I decided upon something that related to they days she and her husband lived down the road from us... that would be credible.

I thought and thought, and suddenly it struck me. They had a hot tub in a retired greenhouse attached to their home. Her husband worked as a merchant mariner, so it was a honeymoon each time he got home, and the hot tub had been the scene of many an amourous adventure. They also had some really weird neighbors next door... I had the beginnings of a great prank.

Late on the evening of March 31 I send her an email that mentioned an accident that had actually occurred at a local bar. Their weird neighbor's son had pulled out of the bar in his car and was struck by oncoming traffic. He was uninjured, but so drunk that he returned to the bar for a drink while the police arrived... all true, so far.

Here's where my devious mind began its assault. The next day, I sent another email to tell her "the rest of the story". I told her that the police searched his car and found a very provocative video tape in the glove compartment.. a home video of a nude middle-aged couple having much too much fun in a hot tub. I told her I had not thought much of it at the time, but later began to wonder whether he had been peeking over the fence with his video camera... I mentioned the times they left the side door open to catch a cool breeze. I asked her if I should inquire further or not... after all, there were so many miles away, and perhaps the couple couldn't be identified. I told her the police department had the tape and everyone down at City Hall had watched it and said it was pretty funny.

All day I checked my email for a response, but there was none. By evening, I had decided that she was "onto me" and was waiting for me to make the next move. I decided to wait longer. On March 2nd, my husband and I made a short overnight trip to Anchorage, forgetting the email message.

When we returned home on the 3rd, there were several messages on our telephone recorder from my friend in Washington. The first message was an inquiry as to whether it was a joke. The second message was that they were a bit worried and considering filing suit against the neighbor. The third message was a bit more frantic and pleading for some response from us.

Of course, we called her and apologized for not responding to her messages. It seems she and her husband had gone out the evening of the 31st and were quite hung over the next day... of course, that's when they got my second email. They spent the day wandering around in their bathrobes trying to decide whether to make a fuss or just suffer through the experience. They comforted themselves by assuming it was a joke, but as time passed and they couldn't contact us, they became more aggitated. After a few minutes of recovery, they both laughed until they cried, thinking it the funniest joke in the world.. they're good sports after all. I even sent them a very riske cartoon entitled "Tug Boat Bill and His Underwater Adventures". They framed it and hung it up by their hot tub.

Of course, by now, Penny4 & Tug Boat Bill may have read this and really won't ever speak to me again!

wahhh haaaa!!!! good one weez, and I'm sure she's forgotten by now :) right penny ??? ?LOLOLOL!!

Weezie, that is pretty hysterical....