60 Funny April Fools’ Pranks to Pull in 2024
Updated: Apr. 01, 2024
These funny April Fools' pranks will ensure that you're the prankster and not the prankee in 2024!
Whether you’re a consistent practical jokester or new to the comedic game, it’s always helpful to have a few pranks in your back pocket for parents, kids and friends—as well as some virtual gags you can do over text. Thinking of pulling pranks based on your zodiac sign or creating your own version of high jinks you’ve seen on YouTube? That’s all good and fine, but keep this in mind: The best April Fools’ pranks are clever enough to throw a friend or family member for a loop but innocent enough not to put anyone in harm’s way.
Searching for the perfect pranks for your loved ones? We’ve got plenty for you to choose from. Ahead, you’ll find 60 of the best April Fools’ pranks for everyone on your “must prank” list. Happy April Fools’ Day!
(Also, don’t forget to check this list of other holidays and observances in April.)
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Unexpected note
This is one of those classic April Fools’ pranks that never fails to make us laugh. Sneakily stick a note onto someone’s back for a guaranteed chuckle. Write something fun on it, like, “Clap when you walk past me!” The person who sees the note behind your prankee will walk past them and clap. It will take a minute (or two) before your mark figures out what’s going on and then subsequently dissolves into giggles.
An egg-tastic prank
This April Fools’ prank is a fun idea with a healthy twist: Wrap grapes in chocolate egg wrappers—perfect for surprising taste buds. Plus, since Easter is on March 31 this year, you can totally pull this prank the day before April Fools’ Day too.
Lotto win
Who doesn’t want to win the lotto? Imagine the look on your prankee’s face when they “win” the lottery, along with the shock that will come when they can’t claim their fake scratch-offs for big bucks.
Shower faces
Here’s a good April Fools’ prank that’ll bring all the laughs: Pop cardboard cutouts of your prankee’s favorite celebrity in the shower. When they pull open the shower curtain to step in, imagine their surprise when they see faces … everywhere!
House for sale
Give your kids a shock by pretending to put the house on the market. Stick a “For Sale” sign in the front yard so they see it when they get home from school. Try not to keep the prank going for too long, as this might cause a few tears.
Upside-down house
Before your family wakes up to start their morning routine, flip everything you can—paintings, books and furniture— upside down. Then, cue the pretend confusion as you all try to figure out just who pulled this prank.
Parking troubles
Do you know someone who struggles to park responsibly? Watch the drama unfold by slipping a fake parking ticket onto their windshield.
Coffee talk
Depending on how dependent your April Fools’ prank recipient is on their morning coffee, this April Fools’ joke may be borderline cruel. In this oldie but goodie, swap out sugar with salt, so when your target groggily goes to enjoy their first cup o’ joe, they’ll get a taste-bud surprise. Maybe keep a piping hot, properly made coffee with sugar waiting in the wings to smooth things over if this one goes awry!
Higher education
Considering how hard they work, teachers always deserve the last laugh. Gabi Martorelli, a professor of psychology at Virginia Wesleyan University, decided to play a little April Fools’ prank on her class. She uploaded a link called “Final Exam Answers” to her students’ coursework page. However, the link did not lead to the answers at all. Students who thought they were going to get a bit of surprise help for their big test were instead treated to a video of pop singer Rick Astley singing “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Martorelli says this joke was especially applicable during the pandemic, with so much remote learning happening.
PB & laughs
If you want to momentarily gross out a friend with a funny April Fools’ prank, this one’s for you: Put crunchy peanut butter on their shoe, and it will resemble, well, something you might find in the toilet. Take the joke a step further by swiping a lick of the peanut butter with your finger. We recommend making sure you try this one on a pretty clean shoe if you go for the lick!
Doesn’t compute
So many of us have worked or schooled from home for a substantial amount of time over the past few years, and our computers and devices have become everything. But online entrepreneur Mark Coster still thinks it’s fun to innocently mess with these screens. “When a person’s computer is on, ask them to bring you something from another room (the farther away, the better), and press the keyboard shortcut CTRL + ALT + Down Arrow if they use Windows,” he says. “If they are on a Mac, go to System Preferences. Hold Command and Option while clicking on Display, and then hit the ‘180’ option. This will flip their computer screen upside down. This harmless prank has an easy fix, but you’ll still have a blast watching them twist their head trying to find out how to fix it on their computer.”
Bug alert
Print out a sign that says, “This property infested with bugs.” Then tape it on your front door to alarm unsuspecting visitors.
Silly sucker
For this April Fools’ prank, unwrap a lollipop, replace the candy with a Brussels sprout, then re-wrap the treat to present to your unknowing kiddos. Celebrate after the prank with real lollies.
Soup-y shower
Unscrew your shower head, and pop in a bouillon cube. When the next person in your family takes a shower, it will increasingly smell like chicken as the water streams down.
Mirror, mirror
This parent found herself pranked in such a creative way, it made her love her 11-year-old twins even more. “They got together and used all the colored sticky notes in our house (and we have a lot) and created a huge April Fools’ creature across my bathroom mirror,” says author Dani LaBriola. “Each Post-it had the word ‘Hi’ on it and had a detailed face, eyes, mouth and body. It left me ducking around their creature every morning to get ready because I didn’t want to take it down. I finally did … in December.”
Delivery day
If you tend to get a lot of deliveries each week (hello, Amazon Prime!), then this is a good April Fools’ prank for your boyfriend or husband. Save the boxes for a few weeks and then on April 1 set them all out by the front door to trick your partner into thinking you went on a shopping spree.
Candy ants
This is one of the best April Fools’ pranks for kids: Invest in a bag of fake ants, then add a sprinkling to your child’s lunch for school. The only downside is you won’t be there to see their surprise.
Fake an “oops!”
Squeeze glue into an old bottle of nail polish, shake it up and spill it out on parchment paper with the glue streaming from the bottle. When it dries, put it on the carpet to make your target think they have a mess on their hands.
Cookie monster
Unscrew several Oreo cookies and replace the filling with toothpaste. Sandwich the cookies back together and serve with milk to make it look like a totally normal snack. How disgusted they’ll be probably depends on the flavor of the toothpaste you use for the prank!
Cat and mouse
Not all good April Fools’ pranks relate to food. For this one, cut a tiny piece of paper to fit undetected under your target’s computer mouse. Write “Gotcha!” on it, and then stick it on the device with some tape. When they try to use the mouse, it won’t work. A peek at the bottom of their mouse will let them know they’ve been pranked.
Soap star
April Fools’ pranks don’t necessarily require elaborate setups. In fact, Allan Borch, a growth hacker and the founder of DotcomDollar, only needed a bar of soap and a bottle of clear nail polish to pull a prank on his girlfriend. “I bought some clear nail polish, took the bar of soap from our bathroom and completely covered the whole thing with the nail polish,” he says. “When she tried using it, it would not lather at all. We had a few laughs, and I got some compliments for my effort.” Borch recommends allowing the nail polish to dry on the soap for some time in order for this one to work.
Face forward
For this April Fools’ prank, use a suction cup to stick a plastic face to a window from the outside. When a person enters the room, it will look like someone is peeking through the window! This one could be pretty scary, so don’t do it to anyone with serious health issues, and be sure to leave a note on the mask identifying yourself as the friendly perpetrator.
Bad wrap
Completely wrap a loved one’s car in plastic wrap, then cover it all in silly string. (Don’t get the silly string on the car, though, because it could damage its finish.) It may look like a lot of work to unwrap, but if you slice the “wrap” down the middle, it comes off quickly.
Cat conundrum
Not even the family cat is safe from funny April Fools’ pranks. Derrick from Simply Cat Care shares this “Trap Your Cat in a Square” prank. Create a square on the ground with masking tape. When your cat walks into it, it will find itself trapped, because it will think there’s a barrier stopping it when there really isn’t. “It’s a silly little gag that might get a laugh,” Derrick says. “Of course, you can remove the tape to ‘let the cat out’ once you’ve had enough fun.”
Gross out
Pretend that you’re going to the bathroom, and call your kid asking for toilet paper. When they come into the bathroom to hand you the toilet paper, “accidentally” smear melted chocolate (which looks like poop) on their hands as they pass off the roll.
Spoonful of sugar
Open up a salt shaker and tuck a piece of paper towel over the top, then fill it with a teaspoon or so of sugar and screw the lid back on. The next person who uses it will have a sweet surprise.
Something’s fishy
Remove the label from a tube of anchovy paste, then replace it with a toothpaste label. Place the tube in the unsuspecting victim’s bathroom so they get a major surprise the next time they want to brush their teeth. Imagine expecting minty-fresh breath only to be met with the fishy, salty taste of anchovies? At that point, you might as well have pizza for breakfast.
Trick or treat
Tell your kids you baked them a delicious batch of brownies, then present them with a tray of rectangles cut out of brown construction paper. It looks surprisingly like the real thing.
Fishy fun
In France, April Fools’ Day is called Poisson d’avril, which translates to “fish of April.” French children celebrate by taping cut-out paper fish onto their classmates’ backs. We’re not sure why, but it sounds fun and harmless to us!
So cheesy
Twist out the top of your loved one’s deodorant about two inches. Remove it with a spoon, and replace it with cream cheese, which you then mold and shape with your hands. It will take some time for it to look realistic. When you hear their scream in the morning, the time you spent will be worth it.
Chef’s special
Make a faux sundae with mashed potatoes as the ice cream, and gravy as the caramel topping. Depending on how good a sense of humor your kids have, you may want to let them in on the joke.
Class chaos
This joke still brings a smile to Jules Tan’s face. “Teachers are always on high alert on April Fools’ Day,” says Tan, who now blogs at OutdoorMagnet.com. “One year, two classes decided to switch classrooms for the day. When the teacher walked in, she was welcomed with different kids in her class. Confused, she went out of the classroom to check if she entered the right room. In and out she went a couple of times while hilarity ensued.”
Rock ‘n’ roll
“In 1973, while in college, my roommate had an old Mercury Comet from the early 1960s,” remembers Steven M. Sultanoff, PhD, a clinical psychologist. “He loved that car. We teased him about it being an ‘old rattle trap.’ On April 1, he had parked it on the dirt in a wooded area and was off to class. While he was in class, I popped off the hubcaps, filled them with a few rocks and popped them back on the car. I bumped into him after his class and asked for a ride to our apartment. As he backed out of the parking spot, the rattle was really loud. Horror filled his face. I got a few rattle-trap digs in before fessing up to the prank. I had turned his car into a real rattle trap.”
Fridge frenzy
If you have a refrigerator and access to a bunch of pretend play food (the kind kids keep in their toy kitchens), Michael Humpreys of Z Grills has an April Fools’ prank for you: Get a bunch of chocolate boxes and fill them with the fake vegetables or cheese, or fill the fridge with them in place of the real thing.
Confetti confusion
If you’re going to pull this April Fools’ prank, you also have to be prepared to clean it up. Buy some confetti or make your own, then place it on top of a ceiling fan. When your unsuspecting victim turns on the fan, they will be showered with a colorful surprise!
Bugging out
If you live in a household of people who are squeamish when it comes to bugs, then you may or may not want to play this clever April Fools’ prank. Using plain drawing paper, create a dark silhouette of a bug or cockroach, then cut it out. Stick the creepy silhouette to the inside of a lampshade. When the unsuspecting prankee turns on the lamp, they’ll see a shadow of the “bug.” Expect shrieks to follow.
Hello, Jell-O
It’s the old “stapler stuck in Jell-O” trick, previously made famous by the jokesters on The Office, when Jim pulled the stunt on colleague Dwight. To make this office prank work for you at home, make some Jell-O and place it in a bowl in the fridge to set. Once it’s set, add the stapler, then pour another batch of Jell-O over the top to set. This gag will definitely get a good laugh, especially if your partner is a fan of the show.
Chocolate chump
Trick someone into believing you’re gifting them their favorite chocolate or another delicious food that excites them. When they open it, they’ll discover it actually isn’t chocolate, but rather a piece of cardboard you stuck in there with the words “Fooled you!” written on it.
All talk
No time to execute an April Fools’ Day prank this year? Try a little innocent psychological warfare instead. “My favorite prank that is unique yet easy to pull off with friends and family is what I call the No Prank prank,” says Atta Ur Rehman, a content manager with Physicians Thrive. “Simply hype up the people around you, telling them about the pranks you’ll do to them on April Fools’ Day. When the actual day arrives, sit back, do nothing and watch them nervously wait for the pranks that will never come.”
Doughnut doozy
Who doesn’t love a doughnut? Pull a silly little prank on your kiddos in the morning by offering them packages of “Doughnut Seeds” for breakfast. Place a handful of Cheerios in a small cellophane bag, then staple it shut with a label that says “Doughnut Seeds.” They’ll get a laugh (and breakfast) at the same time. When you stop to think about it, the cereal does look like a tiny doughnut. Maybe have the real-deal, full-size version on hand as well, so they can see what their seeds will look like when they’re all grown up!
Sock sillies
Take a pair of your prank victim’s socks and sew them shut about halfway through the sock. They will think you’re being incredibly helpful in assisting them with getting ready in the morning when you offer to fetch their socks for them. Then giggle away as they look befuddled while trying to put on these sewed-up socks. Their foot will be able to shimmy in only halfway, leading to a lot of confusion and frustration!
Getting antsy
This harmless April Fools’ prank works well if you regularly prepare lunch for a child or partner to take with them for the day. Set up their lunch box as you normally would, with each compartment filled with something delicious. Then place a plastic cockroach on top of each food item. To add dramatic flair, cut little “bites” out of the food with a knife, so it looks like these plastic buggers took it upon themselves to dig into their lunch.
This rocks
With the popularity of The Kindness Rocks Project, it isn’t uncommon to spot a sweet painted rock on the ground with a loving message. This prank doesn’t have the same positive message, but it will surely bring a smile to the prankee’s face. Paint a rock in vibrant colors, then write the message “Turn me over” on one side. On the opposite side, write: “You just took orders from a rock.”
Roll with it
Pull the old switcheroo on a toilet-paper roll, replacing it with a large roll of white duct tape. The next time someone in your home goes to pull a square from the roll, they’ll be in for quite a surprise. No duct tape around? Wrap a rubber snake around the toilet paper roll for a freak-out no one will see coming. This can also work with plastic insects.
Balloon bonanza
For this April Fools’ prank, blow up a boatload of balloons and bunch them together using string or tape to create a balloon bouquet of sorts. Next, tape the balloons to the inside of a car window, so your victim thinks they will fly out once they open the door.
Dirty job
Prepare a dessert that looks like a big ol’ cup of dirt, complete with worms: At the bottom of the cup, star with a layer of pudding, ice cream or whipped cream. Next, place a half cup of finely crushed Oreo cookies (the chocolate-cookie part only) on top. Finally, top the treat with some candy gummy worms peeking out of the top. It might look like something you found in your garden, but it’s actually a yummy treat!
Cereal prankster
Is your kid’s go-to breakfast a nice big bowl of cold cereal with milk? On April 1, offer to make that bowl for them. Little do they know, you actually prepared their morning meal the night before … and it’s in the freezer. Simply pour their favorite cereal into a freezer-safe bowl, add milk and stick it in the freezer overnight. (To avoid spills, we suggest covering it with plastic wrap and placing it on a stable shelf.) They’ll be all kinds of confused when you serve the cereal and they can’t get a spoon through for a bite.
You’ve got mail
Your mailbox is the perfect prank vehicle to put a little startle into someone you love. First, wait till your mail carrier has delivered the mail for the day (you don’t want to freak them out when they’re doing their job). Then, add a little something unexpected to the box—a rubber snake, a smattering of plastic insects, a realistic and slightly terrifying toy, or anything that will make your prank victim take a big jump back. Attach a note to the back that says “April Fools’!”
Whistling car
Duct-tape a harmonica underneath the front bumper of your pal’s car. Nothing monumental will happen at first, but when they pick up speed, they may hear a whistling sound coming from their car. It will drive them absolutely crazy—maybe even crazy enough to pull over to check underneath the hood!
Add a little sparkle
If you’ve ever used glitter, you know that a little bit goes a long way, and it gets absolutely everywhere. Fill an envelope with some glitter, and leave it in your friend’s mailbox or on your co-worker’s desk. They’ll be cleaning up glitter forever.
Use other door
This is a great option if you work in an office and want to prank unsuspecting co-workers. Tape signs on all the doors possible to get into the building that read: “Use other door” or “Broken door—use the next one.” Your co-workers will be really confused as they circle the building trying to get in (or out).
Pop!
This is an easy one that will provide a ton of laughs. If there are any area rugs in your house, grab some bubble wrap and place it underneath the rug. Whoever walks on the rug next will jump at the sound of the bubbles popping under their feet. No area rugs? Place it underneath the bathmat before they step into the shower, and wait for the popping sounds to explode.
Honk
Write on a large piece of paper: “Honk at me! (Driver doesn’t know it’s April Fools’.)” Tape the sign to the back of your friend’s, partner’s or co-worker’s car. People will be honking at them all the way to their destination. Just make sure the driver is distracted while getting in the car so they don’t see the sign.
Veggies for breakfast
Buy a box of doughnuts from your local doughnut shop … but remove all the doughnuts before you get home. Fill the box with veggies like carrots, celery and broccoli, and then close it and leave it on the table. Your family will be excited about doughnuts for breakfast only to open the box to see the fixings for a salad. This is also a great option for your office if you leave the box in the common kitchen area.
Orange you glad …
Pick up some Pillsbury orange rolls with orange icing at the store. Bake the rolls as normal, but instead of using the orange frosting the package comes with, use melted cheese. Make sure to leave the empty icing container next to the plate of cinnamon rolls. Your family will expect a sweet orange flavor when they take a bite, but instead they’ll get a mouth full of cheddar cheese. The look on their faces will be priceless!
Where are the forks?
Rearrange the drawers in your kitchen before your family comes in for a snack. Are the utensils usually in the drawer next to the fridge? Swap them with the Tupperware drawer next to the sink. This seemingly harmless prank will become overwhelming when all your partner wants to do is grab a spoon for their yogurt.
The apple of my eye
Buy a bunch of googly eyes, and decorate every item in your fridge with them, from the apples to the milk and ketchup bottles. When the next person opens the fridge, everything inside will be looking right back at them.
Voice-activated
Bring an appliance into work for the day, or tell the family that you bought a new toaster or coffee maker. Place a sign on the appliance that reads “voice-activated.” You’ll be doubled over laughing at all the people yelling at the toaster to toast.
Seeing double (or triple!)
This is one of the best April Fools’ pranks to pull if you have kids. Get your kiddos matching pairs of clothes, but don’t tell them—simply lay out the outfits and ask them to wear them the next day. They’ll be surprised to see their siblings dressed as them at breakfast!
Classic feather and whipped cream
Ahh, yes—the classic prank pulled by many at summer camp. This prank happens while your target is asleep, so make sure you’re being extra sneaky. As your mark sleeps, grab some whipped cream and spray it in their hand. Then, use a feather to tickle their nose. If the prank gods are on your side, the person will use the whipped-cream hand to itch their nose in their sleep … and smear whipped cream all over their face.
Rickrolled
This is a low-maintenance prank, but it still packs a funny punch. Tell your mark that you got a call from this number looking for them: 248-434-5508. They’ll be inclined to call the number to see what’s up. When they call, they’ll hear the song “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley—meaning they just got Rickrolled.
Who got sick?
This one requires a prop—and a strong stomach. Get your hands on some fake vomit, and place it somewhere your target frequents (their bed or an office chair). Watch them become confused and grossed out, and then laugh with them once they realize it’s fake!
Whoopee-cushion roulette
Give the classic whoopee-cushion prank a twist by buying a bunch and hiding them in popular seats around the house. Put some in the living room, others on kitchen chairs and even one in the office chair! The randomness of the locations ensures no one’s safe from this good-natured prank—and everyone gets the chance to laugh more on April Fools’ Day.
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Reader’s Digest has been telling jokes for more than 100 years, curated and reviewed over the last 20 years by Senior Features Editor Andy Simmons, a humor editor formerly of National Lampoon and the author of Now That’s Funny. We’ve earned prestigious ASME awards for our humor—including comical quips, pranks, puns, cartoons, one-liners, knock-knock jokes, riddles, memes, tweets and stories in laugh-out-loud magazine columns such as “Life in These United States,” “All in a Day’s Work,” “Laughter Is the Best Medicine” and “Humor in Uniform,” as well as online collections such as short jokes, dad jokes and bad jokes so bad, they’re great. You can find a century of humor in our 2022 compendium, Reader’s Digest: Laughter, the Best Medicine. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
