15 People Who Turned an Ordinary Day Into a Movie Without a Script

They say boredom is the engine of progress. It seems it’s also the main source of human mischief. When one day mirrors the last and rules feel a bit too rigid, someone is bound to make a little (or not so little) performance. We found 16 “artists” like this and their masterpieces.

Are you ready to be amazed or have a laugh? Because the best pranks aren’t malicious, they’re witty commentaries on reality that we all wish we could express.

• Once, I changed the language on my wife’s phone to some hieroglyphs. I thought it would be a fun surprise in the morning. She’d check her phone, only to find Chinese-Japanese characters.
  During the night, I had to go to the bathroom. Of course, I didn’t turn on the light in the bedroom. When I walked back in, I saw this white silhouette stretching out its arms in the dark from behind the door and wailing:
  — You’ve awakened the ancient e-e-vil...
  I jumped in place out of shock. And she continued:
  — And it wants a new smartphone with English letters!
  Well, there you go! She had already managed to grab a white sheet and persuade me to get a new smartphone. Though, I could have guessed myself that it was time to update her phone. I love her. © SprechendeElster / Pikabu
• My sister and I, being city kids, decided to help our grandmother out in the village while she was away and to “transplant the flowers” in the garden, as she wanted. Well, who knew that to “transplant” meant to move them to a different spot, not to plant them upside down—with roots up and buds in the ground! © RoadRunner13 / Pikabu

• As a child, I was really into one singer. Recently, I was visiting my parents, and my mom pulled out some old tapes.
  One of them had a recording of my “concert.” I had dressed up in my grandmother’s robe, put the top of a mop on my head to somehow mimic a hairstyle, and worn my mom’s high heels, barely standing and yelling at the top of my lungs.
  My mom remembered that I sang that song so loudly that, by evening, the neighbors came over to ask if I could at least change my repertoire. But I didn’t know any other song, so I just sang the same thing all day. © Ward № 6 / VK

• When I was in elementary school, we just finished taking this big test that everyone took. The day after (April 1st), the principal announced that we all did awfully and said because of our scores, we had to switch classrooms in hopes of being taught better.
  Now I hated the class I was in; I had no friends in there. But when we went to our new class, literally all my friends (all 4 of them) were in there. It was a dream come true.
  We started doing work, but then 20 minutes after the principal announced, “April Fools!” and said they didn’t even grade our tests yet, so we had to go back to our original classes, I was heartbroken. They must have researched who my friends were to specifically troll me. © de***kni*** / Reddit
• Decided to play a prank on my husband. I slipped a note under his pillow saying, “I know everything,” packed my things, and left.
  I didn’t pick up the phone, but I got texts, and here are some of them: “I won’t show off your lingerie to my friends anymore; come back,” “Vincent won’t sleep in our car at night anymore, sorry.” God, what a weirdo I’m living with. © Ward № 6 / VK
• Came to the office today. Everyone around is sympathizing with me; some are even whispering, “Hang in there!” They told me to check my mail and go see the boss.
  I peeked into the mailbox, and there’s an email saying I’ve been fined for a violation of official duties. I went to the boss; he was sitting in his chair looking furious, gesturing for me to come in and sit. Then he says, “Mike, Mike... Where’s your smile?”
  At that moment, the rest of the staff burst into the office wearing party hats, with a cake, shouting, “Happy Birthday!” and started hugging me. Oh right, it’s my birthday today. Of course, there was no fine; it was a prank. My coworkers are really cool folks. © Not everyone will understand / VK

• My brother-in-law is known for his quiet, yet large-scale pranks. At his 35th birthday party, he decided to prank not just someone specific, but everyone.
  When the time came to bring out the cake, he stood up, thanked everyone, and gave a strange speech, “Thank you, dear ones, for coming to congratulate me... but I’m not sure what you want to congratulate me with.”
  We all laughed, thinking it was a joke. But he continued, “I woke up this morning, and I don’t remember... this lady (pointing at my sister). And these 2 kids (pointing at his children). And, sorry, I’m seeing this house for the first time. I don’t know who you are, but you’re very nice.”
  The whole family froze. My sister turned pale, and the children started shouting, “Dad, we played soccer yesterday!” My mom clutched her heart, and Dad kept repeating, “Alright, we’ve had our laugh, enough now!”
  But my brother-in-law maintained the act for about 5 minutes, perfectly portraying a person with total amnesia and politely apologizing to my sister for “meeting in such an awkward way on this day.”
  When the panic reached its peak (Mom began looking for ammonia, and I was already explaining to the kids that Dad would be alright), he suddenly looked at my sister, smiled, and said, “Happy birthday, darling! And by the way, I know where you hid the TV remote.”
  First, there was dead silence. Then, my sister grabbed a pillow and started hitting him, while Mom just breathed a sigh of relief. Naturally, we ate the cake, but for another half hour, everyone discussed how changing hair color is a prank, but pretending you don’t remember your family is not funny at all.
• When I was in the first grade, they used to leave soup for me in a saucepan so I could heat it up and eat it. I didn’t want to eat the soup, so I would throw it out the window. I don’t remember how many times I did this, but one fateful day, my mom decided to run home for lunch.
  So I’m pouring the soup out, and at that moment, I see my mom coming out of the archway of the house across the street. And Mom is looking straight at our window. That soup incident gets mentioned to me even 30 years later. © Olya1984 / Pikabu
• My older brother is quite the jokester. Recently, he told my boyfriend that I’ve always dreamed of getting a rat! But I’ve hated them since childhood!
  Imagine my face when, on our anniversary, my boyfriend brings out a rat. He even bought a bunch of little houses and toys for it. I pondered for a long time about what to do with it, and then I came up with a plan—to give it to my prankster brother.
  There was no other option; he had to take care of it, especially since his girlfriend was thrilled with the rat. Now my brother complains that he’s scared of the creature. Apparently, the rat gives him evil looks while he sleeps. © Not everyone will get it / VK

• I remember my 20th birthday. My dad asked, “Son, what kind of car do you want?” I thought, finally, my dream is coming true, and I happily replied, “Lancer X” (they had just come out and were very popular back then). Dad said, “Good choice, son. I promise you that when you buy it for yourself, I won’t take it away from you. Drive safely...” © Tarahtung / Pikabu
• Was swimming in a river at a family party. I didn’t know how to swim, so I was holding on to an oversized inner tube. This tube was meant for adults to sit on and was way too big for a little girl to use as a flotation device. I often slipped off of it and had to pull myself back on.
  I was bored floating in the crowd and wanted to explore the river. I decided to let myself float with the current and take in the sights. I assumed that I could easily get back by gripping the inner tube and kicking my feet.
  Luckily I didn’t get far before my uncle saw me and pulled me back. He assumed it was an accident, so I did not get in trouble. Child Me was angry that he ruined my adventure, but Adult Me recognizes that he likely saved me from drowning. Ju****** / Reddit
• At a corporate party, the topic of family and marriage came up at the table, and the boss, a family man over 50, said to the 3 of us who were not married, “So do you girls want to know how to marry a guy if he doesn’t want to?” We all nodded eagerly. “Stay till the end of the party, and I’ll tell you the secret.”
  The married employees started to leave, but we all stayed, waiting for the answer. And at the end of the party, the boss said, “Good job, you made it to the end. Ready to find out how to marry a guy if he doesn’t want to?”
  We nodded eagerly again and waited. “So listen! You can’t!” And he burst out laughing. © Crazy***** / Pikabu

• My dad would make coffee every morning on the stove with his whistling tea kettle. The steam of making the water boil would cause the tea kettle to whistle, letting my father know his water was now warm for him to drink some coffee.
  The whistling part of the kettle, I was able to pull off and blow into it, mimicking the whistle sound of hot water, making him believe his water was at his pleasant temperature. He would come downstairs in his slippers and pajamas, ready to prepare his coffee. It wasn’t until he had finally taken a sip from it and spit it out that he realized the water was still freezing!
  I did this about a few dozen times in my childhood. © Keith Green / Quora
• I went to the gynecologist about my irregular cycle, and I got some scans done. I decided to joke around, so I texted my boyfriend, “Want to see my most intimate photos?” and sent him the scans. Oh, how was I supposed to know that he would associate these images with pregnancy? © Overheard / Ideer
• Many years ago, my husband put black electrical tape around the handle of the kitchen sink sprayer, securing the handle in the depressed position. Then, he waited.
  Later in the day, I went to the sink to get a glass of water, turned on the faucet...and shot myself square in the face. The best part? In trying to determine what just happened, I turned the faucet on again...and shot myself in the face a second time.
  We’ve been married for 25 years, and he’s never been able to top it. Who could? © PotatoWithFlippers / Reddit

And these pranks became stories to share for years. Check them out!