Simple DIY Gags to Try on Friends and Family
These harmless homemade pranks use ordinary household items and are inexpensive to set up. From a fake spider drop to a salty toothbrush switch, they offer playful ways to surprise friends or family members during a good-natured prank war.
By Robin Green
The salty toothbrush trick is a well-known homemade gag.
Making your own pranks is an inexpensive and simple way to play harmless jokes on friends and family. You can put together many different homemade pranks using items already in your home. If you and a friend or relative get into a lighthearted prank war, give some of these easy homemade pranks a try.
Spider Drop
Step 1
Get a fake plastic spider—costume shops or Halloween stores often carry them—and attach a piece of string to it. Measure about halfway down your doorway and cut the string to that length.
Step 2
Use tape to firmly attach the free end of the string to the middle of the top door frame.
Step 3
Set the fake spider on the upper edge of the door and leave the door slightly open. When someone opens the door, the spider will fall toward their face.
Fake Poop
Step 1
Take some brown air-drying molding clay and roll it into a log shape.
Step 2
Shape the log so it resembles a piece of poop. You can try a layered spiral, a criss-cross pattern, or cut it in half and stack one piece on the other.
Step 3
Leave the clay in sunlight for at least a few hours to dry. Depending on the clay, it may need more time, so check the drying instructions.
Step 4
Put your fake poop somewhere your prank target will discover it.
Salty Toothbrush
Step 1
Take the person's toothbrush and wet it under warm water. Do not try this on an expensive electric toothbrush.
Step 2
Sprinkle a generous amount of table salt onto a paper towel, then gently brush the wet toothbrush into the salt. This works the salt into the bristles.
Step 3
Return the toothbrush to where you found it. When your friend or family member brushes their teeth, the salty and minty combination will catch them off guard.
Peanut Butter Phone
Step 1
Place a piece of clear packing tape over the receiver of a phone in your prank target's home. The clear tape keeps the phone protected during the prank.
Step 2
Take about a tablespoon of peanut butter and spread it on the tape covering the receiver. Make a thick layer, but keep it within the edges of the receiver so the peanut butter isn't immediately noticeable.
Step 3
Call the person you're pranking. When they answer, they'll get an earful of peanut butter.
Petroleum Jelly Doorknob
Step 1
While your prank target is still asleep, smear petroleum jelly on the inside of the bedroom doorknob.
Step 2
Apply more petroleum jelly to bathroom items such as a hairbrush handle, toothbrush handle, or tube of toothpaste.
Step 3
Wait for your friend or family member to wake up, and enjoy watching their confusion when they can't quite get a grip on the day.
