Office Pranksters Don’t Need a Holiday to Have Fun at Co-Workers’ Expense
For nine seasons, viewers of “The Office” delighted in watching Jim Halpert pull pranks on co-worker Dwight Schrute. From putting Dwight’s stapler in a Jell-O mold to replacing his desk with one made of Legos to faxing him messages from “the future,” Jim always had plenty of great ideas up his sleeve.
The TV series may be over, but according to a recent poll on the Staples® Business Hub, the legacy of Jim and Dwight lives on. A full 50% of respondents say that when it comes to office pranks, they are usually the prankster; only 9% admit to being a victim. (The remaining 41% aren’t having it; they believe pranks have no place in the office.)
What great ideas do the prank-pullers have? We asked our fans, followers and connections on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to share their experiences and ideas. Here, in no particular order, are some of our favorite responses:
“I plugged a wireless mouse receiver in my co-worker's computer and kept the mouse at my desk, moving it from time to time. For good measure, I got the IT team involved; they would say things like, ‘Does your cereal have a lot of iron in it? That can sometimes cause issues like this.’” — Andy L.
“I work in a library and hid a magnetic strip in a co-worker’s coat so the door alarm went off every time he tried to leave.” — Laura B.
“Find a co-worker who has plenty of family photos arranged on their desk. Print a photo of a man in a Speedo and frame it. When your co-worker leaves their station, place the photo in with the rest and see how long it takes till they notice it.” — Logan K.
“I took every paper clip in a co-worker’s cubicle, made a giant chain and threw them back in the tray.” — Brandon O.
“With the help of a co-worker, we wrapped every single item in our boss’s office with aluminum foil. It wasn't too messy, and the final result was hilarious. We wrapped things from pencils and stapler to pictures of his family and even his chair.” — Joseph P.
“I stuck a small sticky note on the bottom of a co-worker’s mouse, so it stopped working. She couldn't figure it out for an hour!” — Michelle M.
“Take all the keys off the keyboard and put them back on in the wrong places.” — Justin R.
“One time I packed all my co-worker’s stuff in a box, then placed a Post-it on her screen that said, ‘Please see me’ and was signed with her boss’s name.” — @BAbackpacker
“Take a screenshot of the desktop, then delete all icons and replace the background image with the screenshot.” — Tyler P.
“I found Justin Bieber wrapping paper at the local dollar store and bought 14 rolls to wrap a co-worker’s entire cubicle. Extra care was taken to line up the paper between rolls so every piece lined up properly. He was out of the office for three weeks over the holidays, so almost the entire office was able to walk by and appreciate the joy that is a cubicle wrapped in Justin Bieber paper.” — Jason M.
“I once found my desk and office moved into the restroom.” — Jason N.
“Take air fresheners, open them all the way and tape them to the underside of a desk. When the person looks under to find them, they won't see them because they’re flat. It smells for weeks.” — Chad Z.
“Tie a string to everything on a co-worker’s desk. Pencil cup, coffee mug, keyboard, mouse, paper sorter ... everything. Then route the strings down the back of the desk and tie the other end of the strings to the desk chair. When the person pulls out their chair, everything gets yanked off the desk.” — Jeffery B.
“Get the number of a local zoo, then write on a note ‘Call Mr. G. Raffe.’” — John P.
“Put tape around the wheels of a co-worker’s chair. When they sit down and try to roll, it won't move. I do it to people all the time at work.” — Gary E.
“I got engaged, and my co-workers put bridal shower stuff all over my cube. Then they put a Mother of the Bride sign on the director of my department’s office door.” — Nate G.
What’s the best office prank you’ve ever pulled or been the victim of? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!