13 light-hearted April Fools’ pranks to pull in your office

Noteworthy

29 March 2023 by WTF Notebooks

Listen up, office pranksters and mischief makers! It's that time of year again – the one day when you can get away with all sorts of devilish deeds and call it "fun". That's right, it's April Fools' Day! And what better way to celebrate than by pulling some mischievous pranks on your unsuspecting co-workers? We've compiled a list of light-hearted and (mostly) harmless pranks to pull on your unsuspecting co-workers.

Office prank #1: Vegetable donuts

Let’s start this list off with a harmless, easy-to-execute office prank: All you need is a donut box and a few raw vegetables. You can see where this is going – imagine how excited everyone will be when they see a box of donuts on the lunchroom table. Excited, that is, until they open the box to find it filled with raw broccoli or brussels sprouts.

Office prank #2: Pants in the stall

Image credit: Instructables / pyrogeek

You know how when you're in the bathroom, and you see feet under the stall, you wait patiently for your turn? Well, what if those feet belonged to a ghost or a super slow pooper?

Here's what you gotta do: Grab a pair of pants and shoes, and arrange them strategically in your office bathroom stall, as if someone is taking their sweet time on the throne. Make sure to lock the door (most toilet stall doors can be locked and unlocked from the outside using a coin). Then, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

Office prank #3: Boss for a day

If you have a workplace chat system like Teams or Slack, here’s a simple but effective prank to fool your boss – but this one’s best if the entire team takes part: Change your display names and profile pictures to match that of your boss. The more co-workers you get to follow suit, the more effective, hilarious, and chaotic this prank becomes.

Best of all, it's easy to reverse at the end of the day: Just revert back to your original display name and photo.

Office prank #4: Glad you’re here

In the morning of April Fools’ Day, make sure you’re in the office before everyone else. Stick a sheet of transparent glad wrap in the door frame at face height, and wait for your victims to arrive. This prank has made for some hilarious TikTok videos shared by offices around the world, so make sure you capture it all on camera and please send us the results for a good laugh.

Office prank #5: A treat for white smiles

Are you ready to take the vegetable donuts to the next level? Here’s a classic but no less evil April Fools’ prank:

Replace the creamy filling in Oreos with white toothpaste, and leave them out for your co-workers to munch on. It's a treat for white smiles that will have them questioning their life choices.

Office prank #6: Balloon the conference room

This April Fools’ prank for the office works best if there’s a staff meeting schedule for the day. Imagine walking into your next meeting and everyone’s buried in a pool of balloons. This prank takes a bit of preparation and probably easier to execute as a team, but it sure is worth the effort. Bonus points: it’s a big-impact prank that’ll make everyone laugh but doesn’t hurt anyone.

Office prank #7: Hello, new tech

This next April Fools’ idea will leave your colleagues scratching their heads and yelling at inanimate objects:

All you need to do is attach a note (ideally with the company logo) to a crucial piece of office machinery – something like the copy machine or the elevator button panel – indicating that the systems were recently upgraded and are now operable by voice command. Then watch (and listen) as co-workers futilely test out the “new" technology.

Office prank #8: An accident

Here’s one up on the pants in the stall: Grab a couple of empty toilet rolls (just the brown cardboard on the inside), and hold them under running water until they become a damp, brown blob. Then, roll them up into a nice, long sausage shape, and voila! You wouldn’t believe how similar this looks to an actual piece of poop. Place this baby literally anywhere – seriously, you can’t go wrong with a poop prank on April Fools’ Day.

Office prank #9: Computer update

To prank a single co-worker (or your boss) with a harmless spoof, wait until they leave their desk for a break or to fetch something off the printer. Then take over their computer, head to YouTube and start a video displaying a fake update of their operating system.

Make sure you select the right video for the computer (Windows or Mac), and watch as your victim returns with utter confusion.

Office prank #10: Mouse trap

Leave them puzzled with this one: Slip a Post-It note or masking tape over the sensor on the underside of their mouse. They'll be left furiously fiddling with their trusty companion, wondering why it's not responding to their commands. Then, when they finally give up, they'll turn over the mouse to reveal your mischievous masterpiece! Just make sure to jot down a witty April Fools’ message on your art piece, whether or not you reveal your true identity as the mastermind behind this ultimate joke.

Office prank #11: Quick change

It's time to get your wardrobe ready for this elaborate joke: Show up to the office with a bunch of outfits and keep changing every 30 minutes or so. Your co-workers will be completely flummoxed, and when they finally ask you what's happening, just give them that classic "What's wrong with you?" look, leaving them even more perplexed. Get ready to have some serious fun and show off your style with this prank!

Office prank #12: Are they yours?

It's time to exploit the fear of embarrassment with the next hilarious office prank to play on your co-workers! First, get your hands on an old pair of granny bloomers. Tear a few holes and mess them up to make them look extra worn out, and to really drive the joke home, write your colleague's name on them! Finally, leave them on the bathroom floor, just waiting for your unsuspecting victim to discover them. This prank is not for the faint of heart, but if your co-worker is a good sport and doesn't get easily embarrassed, it's sure to be a laugh riot!

Office prank #13: Expect the unexpected

Here's one that's sure to leave your co-workers in suspense! Instead of pulling off any obvious office April Fools' pranks, leave cryptic notes around the office warning that the big one is coming. Make sure to cast furtive glances at your unsuspecting victim every so often, with just the slightest smirk on your face. The suspense will drive them absolutely bonkers! And when the day is finally over, reveal that they’ve been fooled by the ultimate prank – the one where nothing happened.

Happy pranking!

And there you have it! Thirteen evil April Fools' pranks to make your office a livelier place to be. But remember, never take office pranks too far, unless you're looking for a new job. May the force be with you on this day of trickery and tomfoolery, and may your colleagues have a good sense of humor. Happy pranking!