11 harmless April Fools' Day pranks, if you need a little fun to brighten your day
Times are weird. Things are awful. There's a deadly pandemic sweeping the world.
But you can still have some (harmless) fun on April Fools' Day. Let us be super, super, (super, super) clear: Now is the not the time for cruel pranks that risk seriously hurting feelings or causing bodily harm. Honestly, it's never the time for those sorts of pranks — they're not funny, they're mean — but it's especially not the time right now.
With that in mind, we've compiled some fun, easy pranks you can pull off while you're isolating at home.
Have a good time but remember to be kind to one another, take care of your loved ones, and stay inside.
1. Sign them up for a weird mailing list
We've used this one before, but it's harmless and funny. As Mashable's Chloe Bryan pointed out last year, The Ferret Association of Connecticut publishes three regular newsletters.
2. The what's that on your shirt and then zip your finger up to their nose prank
I mean... the name says it all.
3. Text a typing dots GIF
Since we're all keeping in touch digitally, you can prank a friend by sending them a GIF of the dots that indicate you're typing. They'll be waiting for a message in perpetuity.
4. Use texting auto-replace tool
Here's another one we've walked you through before. Basically you can set up a phone to replace a word — such as "hi" — with anything you choose.
How to set auto-correct on an iPhone:
Click on Settings
Go to General
Hit the Keyboard
And then click into Text Replacement, and get after it.
5. Plastic wrap a shampoo bottle
Unscrew the top, cover the hole where the shampoo comes out, reattach the top. Bam, an unsuspecting victim can't squeeze out a single drop.
6. Hide random photos
When I was in high school, my group of friends pranked our favorite teacher by hiding pictures of the actor Zach Braff — my teacher was not a fan of the Scrubs star — all over his classroom. I'm talking dozens of photos of all sizes in all kinds of places. Somewhere in my old high school, there's likely a random picture of Zach Braff that was never found.
Anyway, with everyone isolating at home, you've got nothing but time to do this to whomever you may be isolating with.
7. Replace photos
Again, as we mentioned before, it can be funny to swap out family photos with other, stranger options. Steve Buscemi is always a favorite.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
8. Eat pudding like it's mayo
A simple prank courtesy of BuzzFeed: Put vanilla pudding in a mayo jar and watch in horror as people see you eat it by the spoonful. Maybe try it out on Instagram.
9. Tie someone's shoelaces together
Don't do this prank if the person is a total klutz. But it's a simple prank that'll get a small chuckle. (That is, if anyone is still wearing shoes during isolation?)
10. "OMG, look a bear"
Basically be the person who cried bear. Is it dumb? You bet. Will it get someone to run to the window? Maybe. Good enough.
11. Tape the TV remote sensor
A simple, brilliant prank idea via Bustle. If you tape over a TV remote sensor, you can watch as your mark can't change the channel.
OK, so there are some ideas. But do us a favor and stay inside while you do these easy pranks. Be safe and have fun.
Topics COVID-19
Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).
