April Fool’s Day: My Best (and Worst) Pranks

April Fool’s Day is one of those holidays that you either fully embrace or actively avoid. Me? I’ve dabbled in both. Over the years, I’ve pulled off some truly epic pranks, but I’ve also had a few that went horribly wrong—some funny, some slightly embarrassing, and at least one that required an awkward apology. So let’s take a stroll down memory lane and relive the mischief, the hilarity, and the moments that made me question my life choices.

My Greatest Hits: The Pranks That Actually Worked

1. The Classic “Frozen Cereal” Trick

One of my simplest and most successful pranks involved a bowl of cereal, some milk, and a little patience. The night before April 1st, I poured a bowl of my target’s favorite cereal, added milk, and stuck the whole thing in the freezer. The next morning, I served it up like nothing was wrong. Watching them attempt to dig in—only to be met with a solid, immovable block of milk and Cheerios—was a beautiful moment of confusion. 10/10, would do again.

2. The Auto-Correct Sabotage

This one took a little pre-planning but was worth it. I got ahold of a friend’s phone and changed their keyboard shortcuts so that simple words were replaced with ridiculous phrases. “Yes” became “I am the ruler of all things glitter.” “No” turned into “I only respond to bribes of coffee.” It took them hours to figure out why their texts sounded so bizarre.

3. The “Mouse Won’t Move” Trick

Perfect for an office prank. I put a small piece of tape over the bottom of a co-worker’s computer mouse sensor. Cue confusion, frustration, and eventually the realization that they had been fooled by something so simple. Harmless, effective, and always funny.

The Ones That… Didn’t Go So Well

1. The “Fake Lottery Ticket” Debacle

I thought it would be hilarious to give a friend a fake scratch-off ticket that appeared to be a winner. The problem? They actually believed it. Cue jumping, screaming, planning an imaginary trip to the Bahamas—before I had to break the news that it was, in fact, a joke. Lesson learned: never mess with potential life-changing money.

2. The “Ghost in the House” Incident

One year, I decided to convince my family that our house was haunted. I strategically placed objects in weird spots, left eerie notes, and even played some spooky sounds late at night. It was going so well until my mother threatened to call in a priest. That’s when I knew I had taken things a little too far. Oops.

3. The “Alarm Clock Marathon” Fail

The plan was simple: set multiple alarms on my sibling’s phone to go off at ridiculous times—2:17 AM, 3:46 AM, 5:02 AM—you get the idea. Unfortunately, I forgot that their phone was linked to our shared speaker system. So instead of a private wake-up call, my entire house was subjected to a chaotic symphony of alarms. No one was amused.

Lessons from a Prankster

Over the years, I’ve learned a few important things about April Fool’s Day pranks:

• Know your audience. Some people love a good joke, others… not so much.
• Harmless is best. Anything that requires extensive cleanup, emotional distress, or involves money? Maybe rethink it.
• Timing is everything. A good prank requires patience and execution. Too early, and people are suspicious. Too late, and they might already be on high alert.

So what’s my plan for this year? I can’t reveal all my secrets just yet. But let’s just say—April 1st is always full of possibilities.

Have you ever pulled off an epic April Fool’s prank? Or been on the receiving end of one? Share your best (or worst) experiences—I promise I won’t take notes. 😉