Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
It’s prime time for pranks giving
It’s April Fool’s Day, which means you might be ready to play a joke on someone you love. Or someone you don’t.
If you Google “pranks” in search of joke ideas, you’ll find the YouTube site Jay Karl’s Pranks at the top of the list. Karl admits that this is probably because he snagged a good URL, but if you spend any time watching his videos, you’ll have to admit he’s good.
The Rhode Island resident rose to Internet stardom with his “Scary Snowman” stunt, in which a large, angry-looking snowman decoration outside a store comes to life to scare passers-by.
As a child, Karl said he loved hiding behind corners to pop out and scare people. Then in 2011, his uncle made him the snowman costume.
“We tried it out and it was a viral hit, so I ran with it and made a series. And then I was like, ‘ OK, I can’t do this all the time’ — because it’s not always wintertime — so I started to branch off and try other pranks,” Karl said.
Recently, Karl and his fiancee went to the airport and placed stickers that looked like power outlets around some of the waiting areas. Hilarity ensued as people tried to plug into the fake outlets to charge up their cellphones and other electronics. Of course, Karl caught the fun on video to post on his YouTube channel.
While April Fool’s Day is a great time for jokes, Karl said any time is the right time for a prank.
“People like to see people getting messed with,” Karl said. “People love people watching and seeing how people react to different situations, and it’s entertaining if it’s done in a safe, friendly way.”
Karl’s favorite prankster is Tom Mabe, a familyfriendly comic from Louisville, Kentucky, who rose to popularity for his attempts to get back at telemarketers. He also does standup, has released CDs and DVDs and regularly posts an assortment of outlandish stunts on his “Mabe In-America” channel on YouTube.
“I started doing pranks as a kid, because I was getting bullied, and it was my way of getting revenge,” Mabe said. “I didn’t start pranks to be mean, I pranked people who deserved to be pranked, like a comic with a cause.”
Mabe claims his best prank was played on a friend who had a penchant for passing out drunk in various places. So on one of these occasions Mabe and an accomplice placed the snoring drunk in a room that was disguised as a hospital, complete with a nurse, doctor and a television broadcasting news from a date in the future. Upon waking him up, they convinced the not-yet sober man that he had been in a coma for 10 years.
“That was my most elaborate stunt,” Mabe said.
Mabe is planning to post a video of an extra-special prank on his YouTube channel on April Fool’s Day.
“It may surpass any prank I’ve ever done. I’m so excited about it,” Mabe said. “You will never see it coming.”
If you’re an April Fool’s traditionalist, you may want to head to such places as Fun Corner in San Bernardino for jokes. The store stocks tried-and-true gags, such as whoopee cushions, snakes in a can, disappearing ink and shocking pens.
“I like the joy buzzer,” Fun Corner owner Linda Sutherland said. “It spooks the person, but doesn’t hurt them.”
Her biggest seller, however, is the stink perfume. It’s available in a bottle or small stink bombs and is so potent that Sutherland will not sell it to children without their parent’s permission.
“I think it’s popular because you can ‘get’ a lot of people at once, and it’s also anonymous,” Sutherland said
Another hot gag is the Pop Ball Surprise, a gift box about the size of a transis- tor radio. When the recipient opens their “present,” small balls pop out.
Sadly, Sutherland feels that April Fool’s Day isn’t as popular as it used to be. She said that parents should introduce their kids to the fun side of pranking, as it is an American tradition that harkens back to a gentler, more innocent time that we need to continue today.
“April Fool’s Day should be fun, not mean-spirited,” Sutherland said. “Keep a straight face and pick a prank that is fun so that the person knows that you aren’t laughing at them, you’re laughing with them.”