Some good ideas for practical jokes...

[Sam]

This summer a friend and I want to get up to a spree of mischief. We want to do as much as possible with the desired effect being that people round town start talking about all the bizzare things that have happened and they get reported in the local paper. It needs to be completely silly (but not necessarily entirely original) and leave people bemused and a little freaked out. Obviously, we want to keep it pretty legal and preferably we don't want to piss innocent people off and give people a hard time. We need stunts that require the minimum effort for the maxium effect. Simple ideas that go a long way.

I propose that people suggest things, other forumers (including me) do them and then report the results, whether it worked, what the reaction was, how practical etc

I think if we all put our heads together we could come up with some really fantastic stuff. Obviously, it helps to live in a small place but I'm sure the principle could apply to cities and large areas.

There are certain cliches like stealing garden gnomes, ornaments, for sale signs etc and putting them somewhere different which should probably be avoided. But it's that kind of spirit we're going for.

The best idea I've ever had but I am yet to do because of leaglity/practicality is to paint someone's house a different colour overnight. Pick a house that can't be seen from the street and where the occupiers have gone away for a day or two (or be more risky and do it while they're in the house), take some ladders and  just paint the whole thing a different colour (obviouisly there'd probably only be time for one coat). I know it's far fetched but if it could be pulled off without being caught it'd be fantastic.

Any ideas?

[fanny splendid]

b3ta do a lot of these. I liked the one were a guy drew a crayon version of goatse, and got his local newspaper to publish it.

[mr rou-rou]

sounds very studenty ;)~

[morgs]

When I was in Uni we took this arse out on his birthday to the Union bar and got him wrecked.  He lived in a room on the top floor of the Tower Block and sadly we actually bothered to move his posters etc to an identical room onb the bottom florr.  Rooms were fairly basic so it wasn't too hard to organise.

Then we took him back, blindfolded him and walked him up and down staircases until he was feeling sick, then we got him back to 'his' room.  Then we removed the blindfold and pushed him out of the window.

Where he fell 3 feet instead of 50.  He shat himself and left the Uni.  Oh well.

[JJJJH]

Me, dad and my brother thought of a great one, but sadly we'd have probably killed some OAP's from shock or something, so we can't really be arsed with it. We planned to create a lovely scary big cat hoax. We'd scatter chicken bones and red paint on the pavement near the Downs in Bristol, and hide in bushes and play a really loud recorded roar noise when people wander past at night. Then we'd knock on people's doors all dishevelled and gasping for breath, and ask if we could phone for a lift because we thought we saw a shape stalking us from the grass in the dark. We also planned to mock-up hoax photos and send them to the local papers and stuff. Mwa ha ha. How childish.

[Ghost of Troubled Joe]

Tape a battery to the inside of a pub toilet, and watch with amusement as someone gets a shock right into the core of the old chap.

[morgs]

You can't go wrong with cress seeds on carpet of 'mate' while they are away.  Water via the letterbox and hey presto!

[glitch]

This is one normally reserved for "muck up days" at the end of sixth form/college/whatever, but it might work as a mini-campaign. Use some kind of chemical to burn patterns/message in grass - either in fields, parks or peoples' lawns. Although you might want to avoid nicely tended grounds if you don't want to really irritate people.

[Schlippy]

When I was in Uni we took this arse out on his birthday to the Union bar and lies lies lies. Then we took him back, blindfolded him and lies lies lies. Then we removed the blindfold and lies lies lies.

Where he fell 3 feet instead of lies lies lies. He shat himself and lies lies lies

Yeah, the exact same thing happened to about fifty different people in my fresher student year. Funny that.

Tis the springtime, plant formation seeds in local gardens spelling out biblical prophecies (the fire & brimstone type, preferably). Buffalo grass is good, as is Rye grass (Rye grows quicker, but Buffalo is more suited to springtime conditions).

Seeds cost nowt, all you need is imagination and a fork.

[gazzyk1ns]

Someone tell everyone about that milk powder and matress one, I can't.

[Cerys]

Go into all the public toilets you can, and empty about half a bottle of washing-up liquid into each of the cisterns.

Wait.

[fanny splendid]

Try adding vinegar and bicarbonate of soda to that...

[Regular John]

A couple of ideas that were poorly planned and kind of half arsed a few years ago were to stick nicely designed posters up advertising a free festival at Snetterton raceway ("Snettyfest") headlined by some real cheesy acts (Hasselhoff and Noddy from Byker Grove for example) but do it only 48 hours before the billed date so that word could get around but hopefully not enough to alert anyone who could tell the truth!

The same thing was applied to Pop Idol auditions at a likely venue!

[Krang]

This is just a little one i heard recently.

You take a thin slice of salmon, and put it under someones mobile phone cover. Then leave it for a while :)

[Utter Shit]

Someone tell everyone about that milk powder and matress one, I can't.

If I'm thinking of the same one, it's putting milk powder between the sheet and the mattress on someone's bed...when you sleep at night, you sweat, and the milk powder will get into your pores or whatever, and obviously will eventually go rancid, leaving you stinking like an anchovy's...well, you've all seen George Carlin, right? Anyway, the results are supposed to last for days, apparently even repeated showering doesn't get the smell of sour milk out of your body.

[Uncle_Z]

Very small scale, but strangely enjoyable:  Some newer park benches have no dedication plate.  Correct this aberration.

eg.  "Albert Bithall came here once in 1989.  He never really took to it".  
 "Janice Longson came here every day between 1972 and 2001.  She never walked any further than this bench."  (Better if that's the one right by the gate)

Can also re-dedicate older benches I suppose.  In either case its difficult to make it look like anything other than a knob 'ead having a giggle though unless you are going to go to the effort of pressing them out of metal.  Printed sticky labels do not have the air of permanence I was looking for.

[MojoJojo]

If you can get a job lot on garden gnomes, you could create a viscious nighttime gang war between two gangs. Smashed gnomes, in the their gang colours, chalk outlines etc...

Well, I like the idea.

[Purple Tentacle]

eg.  "Albert Bithall came here once in 1989.  He never really took to it".  
 "Janice Longson came here every day between 1972 and 2001.  She never walked any further than this bench."  (Better if that's the one right by the gate)

"Harry Ramp spent many an hour here shouting 'Fuck you cuntfuck cunts!' and scratching his sores, 1978-2003"

[Crazy Penis]

For when people fall into a drunken sleep on the sofa:

Fill a weed killer type bottle with water and turn the nozzle to jet spray then spray it several times into the persons lap when they are asleep. Then carry on doing what you were doing.
I did this to a landlord once and as the water soaked through he woke up, looked around at everyone, cusped his hands over his groin, got up and shyly left the room. He must still think to this day that he had an accident because he has never mentioned it.

Write 'stupid Turk/chink etc' on their forehead if you think they may stop off for some food during their walk home.

Two for the neighbours:
Put some dog shit in a brown paper bag. Put it on someones doorstep, set fire to it and knock the door. Some people will panic and stamp out the flames.

Not everyone can do this as it requires houses with outside taps: Just wait til summer when your neighbours will leave their car window down or sunroof open. Attatch the hose pipe they left in their garden to the tap and put it through the window. Turn the tap on.