20 Hilarious Office Pranks You Have To Try

There’s only one good reason to wake up early, spend hours in traffic, and work all day for little money. No, it’s not the feeling of accomplishing a job well done or getting a raise. It’s pulling funny office pranks on unsuspecting co-workers. The really brave pranksters even target the boss. Pulling pranks is the only way to survive working in an office. Of course, the key to office pranks is not getting fired. 

A harmless prank is both hilarious and an excellent way to relieve stress. Honestly, it’s not tough to find brilliant office prank ideas. For instance, pranking a co-worker’s desk with sticky notes or toy trolls is a perfect practical joke. Another prank is to cover the desk with pictures of a celebrity crush or Nicolas Cage. It’s always a risk to prank a boss, but it is possible. A great prankster targets the entire office. There’s really no way to go wrong with office pranks. 

20 Hilarious Office Pranks You Have To Try

1. Nicolas Cage Toilet Seat Prank

Adding Nicolas Cage to any office prank takes it to the next level. The Nicolas Cage toilet seat prank is a simple yet hilarious and terrifying prank. Print out a picture of iconic movie star Nicolas Cage and tape it to a toilet seat. Now, anytime a co-worker goes to the bathroom, Nicolas Cage will be there to greet them.

Luckily, Cage is a talented actor with many facial expressions ranging from angry and vengeful to insane. It’s a classic prank featuring one of the greatest actors. 

2. Caramel Onions Pranks

April Fool’s day is a prankster’s holiest day of the year. However, Halloween is a close second and an excellent day for a prank. It’s not just about being scary. Here’s a hilarious prank that’s perfect for Halloween. Simply dip onions in red food coloring to disguise them as caramel apples.

Of course, there isn’t a person in the world that can resist a caramel apple, especially in an office. They’ll be shocked and disgusted when they discover it’s actually an onion. The caramel onion prank is good for a laugh and will make your co-workers cry. 

3. Wrapping Paper Prank

The critically acclaimed sitcom The Office introduced the world to several classic office pranks. Indeed, Jim Halpert spent his days torturing Dwight Schrute with hilarious pranks. Office employees worldwide use Jim’s most famous pranks from time to time.

A classic Jim Halpert prank is to wrap a co-worker’s desk and belongings in wrapping paper. Of course, Jim took it to the next level and removed the items. Therefore, when Dwight went to take a seat, he fell to the ground. The harmless prank works best on Christmas and birthdays. 

4. Sticky Notes Prank

Everyone works with that co-worker that’s always forgetting to complete work or shows up late. Of course, sticky notes are perfect for forgettable co-workers. Well, a good prankster would go one step further. A great prank is to cover a co-worker’s car or desk with thousands of sticky notes.

It’s a harmless prank that won’t get the person fired or cause any damage. To make the prank even funnier, write reminders on the sticky notes. The co-worker will never forget to finish their assignments again. 

5. Switch Family Photos With Nicolas Cage

Office workers often have pictures of family and loved ones on their desks. It probably helps them get through the day and reminds them why they work long hours. A hilarious office prank is to switch out the family pictures with a celebrity. However, not just any movie star will do.

As noted, adding Nicolas Cage makes every prank better. Therefore, switch out the family photos with pictures of a wild-eyed Nicolas Cage. This prank requires a bit of leg work and speed in changing the pictures. One way or the other, it’s a funny office prank.

6. Desk Trolls Prank

It turns out that there’s more than one way to troll a co-worker. This prank doesn’t even require a computer. Of course, it does need a lot of trolls. Here’s a perfect office prank to pull on a colleague’s desk.

The prankster needs to buy as many toy trolls as possible. The more trolls, the better. Next, they simply decorate the co-worker’s desk with all the trolls. Put the trolls all over the desk, on the chair, and hide a few in the drawers. Eventually, the colleague will come to work and find their desk buried in trolls. 

7. The Hanging Desk Prank

The best pranks always require a bit of teamwork. In this case, the pranksters must get to the office early before their co-worker does. The hanging desk is a simple prank but involves a lot of time to set up. The pranksters hang the desk, chair, and other items from the ceiling.

It might take a lot of work, but it’ll be worth it when the co-worker starts their shift. A nice person would help take the items back down. A good prankster will take a lot of pictures. 

8. Voice Activated Toaster Prank

Not every prank requires a ton of time and work. Indeed, the best pranks are usually the simplest ones. It’s always fun to mess with a co-worker. However, it’s even better to mess with the entire office.

The voice-activated toaster prank is the joke that gets funnier each time. Simply put a label on the toaster that reads “voice-activated.” Next, pull up a seat and watch as co-workers shout at the toaster to keep toasting. The longer the prank goes and the more victims, the funnier it gets. 

9. Healthy Donuts Pranks

April Fools day is the perfect day to prank everyone in the office. Of course, the best way to prank the entire office is to go after the food. Replacing donuts with vegetables is a funny and healthy prank. It’s an easy prank that doesn’t require a lot of work either.

All the prankster has to do is get a Krispy Kreme donut box but fill it with carrots and celery sticks. To be fair, it’s a pretty mean joke. Donuts are the best thing in an office. Nothing would be funnier than expecting donuts and getting vegetables instead. 

10. The Justin Bieber Prank

Nobody in the office is untouchable when it comes to office pranks. Not even the boss. Of course, it’s crucial that the prank is harmless and doesn’t result in a firing. Therefore, the Justin Bieber prank is the perfect practical joke to pull on a boss.

Simply decorate the boss’s desk with Justin Bieber’s pictures and merchandise. If possible, cue a classic Justin Bieber song for when the boss enters their office. Ideally, this prank works best on a boss that isn’t a big Justin Bieber fan. Another option is Nicolas Cage. When in doubt, go with Nicolas Cage. 

11. Balloon Meeting in Conference Room B

Most bosses hold several meetings a week in the conference room. Indeed, conference room meetings are guaranteed to occur at least once daily. Therefore, the balloon prank is perfect for pulling on a boss that loves to have meetings.

Simply fill up the conference room with hundreds of balloons. Make it impossible to enter the room without unleashing the balloons in the office. The prank works best if it’s before a weekly staff meeting. If the prank works well, it’ll get a big laugh and possibly cancel that week’s meeting. It’s an elaborate prank that might require a bit of teamwork. 

12. Horn Under the Chair Prank

Most employees working in an office stay silent for most of the day. Therefore, any prank that involves loud noises is perfect for a quiet office. The horn under the chair prank is simple and easy to put together. All it takes is duct-taping a loud air horn to the bottom of an office chair. When the co-worker sits down, it’ll trigger the horn to go off.

The prank works on many different levels. First, it’ll scare the bejesus out of the employee taking a seat. However, it’ll also frighten anyone that’s working nearby. It’s really a 2-for-1 prank.

Another version of the prank involves putting a body spray bottle under the chair. Anytime the employee takes a seat, it’ll release a pleasant scent. This version is more challenging for the victim to figure out. Regardless, it’s one of the best office prank ideas. 

13. Bathroom Stall Prank

It’s impossible to make it through the work day without visiting the bathroom multiple times. That makes the bathroom a perfect location for an office prank. The person in the stall prank is simple yet effective.

Grab a pair of pants and shoes, then place them in the bathroom stall. Set it up so it appears that someone’s using the stall all day. Indeed, the longer the prank goes, the funnier it’ll get. By the end of the day, the co-workers will wonder which one of them has been in the bathroom for eight hours. 

14. Fish Tank in the Drawer

There are dozens of office prank ideas that involve a co-worker’s desks. One of the best targets is the drawer. Hence, the fish tank in a drawer prank is ideal for an unsuspecting co-worker. Simply decorate one of the drawers with fish tank items. Of course, leave out the fish and water to avoid causing any damage. However, make sure to include fish food in this prank. 

15. The Boss Is Watching Prank

Most pranks target unsuspecting co-workers or the boss. Therefore, it’s time for the boss to pull a prank on their employees. This prank will also help make the manager feel more human.

The first part of the prank requires the boss to print out hundreds of pictures of themselves. Next, the boss decorates the employee’s desk using those same pictures. Most employees have a tough time working with their boss looking over their shoulders. Now imagine being surrounded by that same boss. It’s a funny prank that’s perfect for a manager to pull. 

16. Nicolas Cage Browser Prank

As established, the key to a great office prank is Nicolas Cage. Indeed, Cage always elevates every movie role and prank. This Nicolas Cage browser prank is simple but requires a bit of tech-savvy. The prankster goes into the co-worker’s computer and adds the nCage Chrom extension to the web browser. The extension replaces every image with a picture of Nicolas Cage. It’s a funny office prank that won’t get anyone fired or hurt. 

17. Back on Vacation Prank

The back-on-vacation prank works best on someone who just returned from a vacation. However, it’ll also work on someone that has never gone on a vacation. The prank works in all situations. Simply decorate the colleague’s desk to resemble a beach with some shark pictures, a beach ball, and fake water. It’ll make them feel like they’re back at the beach and far from work. 

18. Bring Home To Work

Nowadays, more people enjoy working from home. However, that’s no excuse not to prank them. This prank is a bit more elaborate and probably requires some teamwork. Despite working from home, these co-workers still have a desk in the office.

In this prank, decorate the desk to look like a home. This way, the employee will feel at home whenever they come to work at the office. It’ll take some work to construct a fake home, but it’ll be worth it. 

19. The Ghost at Work Prank

The ghost prank is perfect for Halloween but works any day of the year. There’s nothing better than scaring co-workers during a long work day. Simply make a fake ghost using white paint, paper mache, and a black wig. The idea is to create a ghost similar to The Ring or The Grudge.

Unlike other horror movies, these ghosts are subtle and hide in the darkness. That makes them perfect for a hilarious office prank. Next, place the ghost in the ceiling of the lunch room, conference room, or above an easily scared colleague. The prankster should hide nearby to hear the employee’s screams. 

20. Celebrity Crush Prank

The best way to prank a co-worker is to target their desks. Indeed, a desk is a sacred place in an office. That’s why it’s the best place to prank. The celebrity crush prank is funny and an excellent way to bond with co-workers.

Simply find out the colleague’s celebrity crush. Get to work early the following day and print out hundreds of pictures of that celeb. Next, decorate the co-worker’s desk with celebrity crush pictures. It’s a harmless prank that’ll bring the staff together. Nobody gets hurt, and everyone laughs. Of course, bonus points if the celebrity turns out to be Nicolas Cage.