When you’re stuck in the same cubicle for hours on end, you’re bound to get a bit bored. And what better way to lift your office spirits with a little laughter?
Now we’re not telling you to perform a 30-minute stand-up. Instead, your comedic values can go unsuspected with an innocent office prank! The best part? You get to bring a few colleagues in on the act, making it a true team-bonding experience!
So, whether you’re looking for an April fool’s trick or just want to have a laugh with some practical jokes, these office prank ideas will get the ball rolling!
1. The Classic Call-Back
When your unsuspecting colleague returns from annual leave, they’ll most likely have a bunch of emails and call-backs to attend to. To brighten up their day (or have a giggle), leave a message on their desk saying: ‘Mr Bear tried to get hold of you and requested a call-back on [insert local zoo’s telephone number]’. Then sit back and see how long it takes for them to realise that they are asking to speak to a bear at the zoo!
2. The Nicolas Cage Takeover
Incredible Things
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to pull a funny prank, consider downloading Ncage on your colleague’s computer, which replaces every image on Chrome with one of, you guessed it, Nicolas Cage! The good news is that it can be easily disabled in a few seconds if your colleague starts getting really frustrated.
3. A Not-So-Sweet Treat
Your coworkers will think you’re so sweet when you bring in these delicious looking treats, but little will they know that they are actually sugar-coated onions! They are also ideal for Halloween when you’re trying to trick your workmates.
4. A Fishy Drawer
If you really want to cause a stir, you can turn your colleague’s desk drawer into a fish tank, as illustrated above. Just make sure no animals or company property are harmed in the process – after all, you don’t want a good prank to result in a warning letter from HR!
5. The Car Makeover
This harmless prank is hilarious, but it also needs a lot of dedication and a stash of sticky notes to follow through. If you know that your workmate will see the funny side of this prank, recruit a few helpers to execute it properly.
6. The Desk Makeover
You can also keep the sticky note prank inside the office by using the same method to transform a colleague’s desk completely. It will be a great way to welcome them back to the office after a short break and remind them of all the notes that they missed out on.
7. The Balloon Room
What’s more fun than walking into a room full of balloons? You can transform any closed space into a balloon pit – from the conference room to your boss’s office or the break room. Just make sure your prank doesn’t disrupt any important meetings that day – it will take a while to get the balloons out of the room!
8. The Veggie Box
sarcasticfitnessmama via Instagram
If you want to tease your work pals, bring in a doughnut box filled with healthy veggies instead of tasty treats, complete with a note saying ‘April Fools’. However, operate this prank at your own risk, because doughnuts are serious business among office workers; you might want to stay anonymous and reveal your identity at a later date!
9. The Celling Fright
Give your colleague a fright by placing this scary image above their chair. For a split second, they’ll think that there’s actually something out to get them!
10. The Noisy Chair
If you want to scare the life out of your workmate, do so by attaching an air horn underneath their seat. When they sit down, their weight will press the top of the horn, resulting in a loud noise. Be prepared for some falling over and screams – it’s not going to be a quiet one!
11. The Gift that Keeps on Giving
If you have some time on your hands, consider wrapping up the entire contents of your colleague’s desk and the desk itself in wrapping paper. You can even go as far as using paper with their favourite celebrity’s face on it, or something they really hate!
12. The Office Prank
If you’ve seen The Office, you’ll be familiar with the famous stapler in the Jell-O prank. To carry it out, you’ll need to freeze half a bowl of jelly, before placing in a stapler (or other item of choice) and pouring the remaining half on top to cover it. You’ll also need to be prepared to replace the items because we can’t guarantee that they’ll be in working condition after they’ve been frozen in Jell-O!
13. The Mouse Trick
Watch your coworker sweat under the collar when they think their mouse is broken. To pull off this fast-track trick, tape over their mouse’s sensor with a witty note that will make them laugh once they realise that you’ve pranked them.
14. The Keyboard Key Swap
Most of us tap away at our keyboards without even looking down at the keys. So, if you really want to mess with a colleague, swap a few keys around without them watching. They’ll be super confused when they can’t stop typing ‘mot’ instead of ‘not’.
15. The Paperclip Printer
To pull this off, place a paperclip in the copier and print a few copies. Then put them back into the paper tray and watch how confused everyone is when they see a paperclip printed on the documents.
16. The Fake Spider
To really scare the crap out of your colleagues, draw a convincing spider onto the toilet paper roll as the mastermind did in the picture above. At a glance, they’ll think it’s a real spider and may end up running for their lives.
17. The Shocking Sweets
Watch your colleagues squirm as they inconspicuously eat a handful of Skittles and M&Ms at the same time. Be warned that it’s not a pleasant taste!
18. A Googly Eyed Fridge
A pair of googly eyes can cause great discomfort for any opening offenders. Prank your colleagues by adding some onto every item in the office fridge.
What are your favourite office pranks? Join in on the conversation below and let us know!