Zach Johnson made this humorous flyer in response to a job posting flyer he spotted on the UCSD campus.

via reddit

One of the most cliché tourist snapshots imaginable is the “look at me holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa” pose. As a prankster from the Romanian blog JEG recently discovered, the people posing for the photo also look like they’re asking for a high-five.

via Daily Picks and Flicks

French artist Florian Rivière converted a rotating ad kiosk in Berlin into a fun carousel for kids.

via rebel:art & today and tomorrow

Posing as comedian Aziz Ansari, Ansari’s look-alike started being interviewed on the TV show Anderson and briefly fooled the show’s host Anderson Cooper. Ansari has been hiring the look-alike man to help promote his new comedy special, Dangerously Delicious, and decided to also prank Cooper. He later brought out Cooper’s doppelganger and said, “I know you’re a busy guy, you’re holding down like three jobs, so I thought you could use a little help…”

via Viral Viral Videos

“Urban Plant Tags” by Carmichael Collective are plant nursery style tags for sidewalk fixtures.

In this video, comedy prankster group Losing All Hope Was Freedom (LAHWF) awkwardly holds doors open on the Utah Valley University campus for people who are way too far away.

via Viral Viral Videos

For their latest mission, Improv Everywhere created an “instant date” for an unsuspecting couple in New York City’s Central Park, complete with fancy dinner and classical concert (video).

photos by Katie Sokoler

As we posted about recently, prankster Joey Skaggs brought his mobile Trojan House and a band of “pissed off muppets” to protest “greed and corruption in the financial sector” outside of Goldman Sachs on April 23, 2012. The full story of how the protest went down is at Skaggs’ site, The Art of the Prank.

…Goldman Sachs played a key role in the collapse of the American economy by intentionally bundling tens of billions of dollars into risky loan investments. They are reported to have callously referred to their sucker clients as “muppets.”

…Say Skaggs, “The police were only concerned with protecting the power center, the white collar criminals with blood on their hands, who have exploited the public. The bankers, who control the politicians, will continue to get away with their crimes against society until we, the people, make stronger demands. Let’s keep the pressure on. Fight for awareness and for change with creativity and humor.”

photos 1-3 by Deborah Thomas
images via Joey Skaggs Archive

On April 20th, hackers at MIT converted the Green Building on campus into a giant playable game of Tetris (video).

via BostInno & Hacker News

photo by Erik Nygren

Legendary prankster Joey Skaggs is back with his latest project, Mobile Homeless Homes, featuring a “Trojan house” in the form of live-in garbage cans on a trailer behind a bike that will be accompanied by outraged homeless muppets who will all be parading to Goldman Sachs starting at 11am on Monday, April 23. Here’s the full press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Outraged homeless muppets to converge on Goldman Sachs

NEW YORK, April 21, 2012 — Homelessness is a great American tragedy. Our financial system and government have let us down and we, together, must take a stand to change the way the system works. With over 11 million homes underwater and millions in foreclosure, people are frightened, distressed and angry.

Although not a cure, Mobile Homeless Homes (MHH) offers a temporary solution — low cost alternative living spaces for the millions of upside-down, underwater or foreclosed homeowners who have lost their houses due to the banking crisis that caused the real estate collapse. The MHH centerpiece is a camouflage, stealth, mobile home made from a series of connected plastic garbage cans, propelled by a tricycle, that will be undetectable by authorities. It blends into any urban environment.

Designed by artist Joey Skaggs, this Trojan house has been created to focus attention on the disastrous effects of government deregulation on the welfare of the general public and to underscore the fact that people are not powerless to create change; that people should not be afraid to use their First Amendment rights to denounce actions they believe are unethical and criminal.

On Monday, April 23, 2012 beginning at 11:00 a.m. at 287 Spring Street (between Varick and Hudson) in New York City, Skaggs will parade his Mobile Homeless Homes prototype down to Goldman Sachs. He will be accompanied by his troupe of costumed muppets including the Fresh Juice Party band, performing their original “Mobile Homeless blues” ballad (lyrics). They will head from Spring Street to West Street and then down West Street to Goldman Sachs at 200 West Street. Other targeted sites will be announced at a later date on the MHH website.

Goldman Sachs has been selected as the destination for the MHH debut as it is one of the primary companies responsible for causing the housing crisis. The muppets are there to help hold them accountable, because Goldman Sachs employees commonly have disrespectfully referred to their clients as muppets. The word muppet in British slang is a derogatory term commonly used to mean idiot or loser.

“I’m not a bank regulator. I’m not a legislator. I’m not a politician. I’m an artist. I believe it’s my responsibility to do what I can to bring attention to the issues and inspire our lawmakers to make the critically necessary changes to protect the public from greed and fraud,” says Joey Skaggs.

The MHH performance has been designed to be a fully legal public expression of individual rights. With the current rash of arrests of Occupy Wall Street protestors and the forcible removal of personal belongings from people sitting peacefully in parks, Skaggs says the MHH procession will be on the move at all times, except when waiting for street lights to change. And, since Mayor Bloomberg just the other day kissed Ms Piggy and announced that the Muppets (of Sesame Street fame) are now the official New York City family ambassadors, it might prove embarrassing if the police arrest Ms. Piggy as she exercises her First Amendment rights.

For more information, contact:
Joey Skaggs, 212-254-7878
info@mobilehomelesshomes.com
http://mobilehomelesshomes.com (coming soon, check back)

Botar the scary skull guy is the face of Botarz.com, a funny, rude and offensive t-shirt company based in Kansas. Watch as Botar scares people by “coming to life” at The Park City Chill Motorcycle and Car Show. Charles Black, the guy behind Botar, is a lot less scarier without the makeup.

via Viral Viral Videos

Quadruplets, the latest mission by Improv Everywhere featured 8 sets of identical quadruplets hanging out in the park.

UPDATE: As one might have guessed, this mission was an April Fool’s Day prank.

photos by Charlie Todd

This Star Wars Admiral Ackbar Singing Bass by ThinkGeek is an April Fool’s Day joke, but they should consider making it a real product like they did with their 8-bit Tie in 2007.

The Star Wars Admiral Ackbar Singing Bass features the good admiral’s head sculpted onto a singing fish’s body (“IT’S AN ALMAGAM!”). Either by button press or by sensing motion, Ackbar springs to life – first dancing to the Cantina Song and then uttering his immortal catch phrase, “IT’S A TRAP!” It’s just that simple, and you know you’re already planning where you’d put yours right now. Admiral Ackbar wants you to own a Star Wars Admiral Ackbar Singing Bass, so hurry up and order; it’s easy (“IT’S A SNAP!”).

via Neatorama

Sir Richard Branson has unveiled his plans for Virgin Volcanic, a faux voyage to explore the center of the earth using a giant passenger drill. This volcano-dwelling drill can hold three people and for this particular journey he has chosen himself, “Black Eyed Peas recording artist and science enthusiast will.i.am and actor/producer Seth Green.” Branson is quoted as saying, “I have long held a fascination with volcanoes since reading Jules Verne’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Alongside our adventures with Virgin Galactic and Virgin Oceanic, volcanoes are the next great unexplored terrain. What can I say, I lava challenge!”. (Are you sure there’s not room for one more, Sir Richard? I lava challenge too.) More information about this amazing voyage can be found at Virgin.

The team behind Virgin Volcanic believes going to the core of the five most active volcanoes is just the first step. In future this technology can be developed as a clean, safe and fast alternative to trans- continental commercial aviation. By taking the heat from molten lava Virgin Volcanic plans to develop a totally renewable energy source to power the VVS1. It is seen as a way to literally fulfil Richard Branson’s philosophy of screwing business as usual.

This would involve going through the Earth rather than round it. Experts predict that one could travel from Hawaii to Naples in a couple of hours via the molten lava flows, with passengers boarding and disembarking from a network of “Earthports” close to the world’s volcanoes.

The first Virgin Volcanic trips are scheduled for 2015.

Branson also recently traveled back to 1972 in the Virgin Time Travel machine. He is shown here looking stylish in bell-bottoms and goatee, all while toting the Virgin Records released album, Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield:

via Tim Holt

Veteran prankster Joey Skaggs has announced New York City’s 27th Annual April Fools’ Day Parade, scheduled for April 1. This year’s theme is “Occupy Washington Square Park.”

For three decades, New York City’s Annual April Fools’ Day Parade has offered the public an opportunity to express, in a comical way, its outrage against the foolishness of mankind. Thousands of participants in look-alike costumes with satirical floats creatively mock the thoughtless, corrupt and selfish acts of the past year. Kicking off at noon on Sunday, April 1, the parade will march down 5th Avenue from 59th Street to Washington Square Park where revelers will party to demonstrate against new rules that restrict the First Amendment rights of performing artists in the park. It will conclude with the annual crowning of the King of Fools. Spread the word!

On Instructables, Ben of GrassRootsDIY shows how to make an exploding prank ashtray using flash cotton, an ashtray and a seeming lack of common sense.

Here I demonstrate a prank that used to be common many years ago. It has for the most part been completely lost in time. In honor of April Fool’s Day which is rapidly approaching, I decided this prank would be fitting to bring back to life through video…

Stay safe, and use common sense as to when this prank may or may not be appropriate.

For their latest prank, Improv Everywhere converted a late night New York City subway car into an unauthorized sleeper car, complete with three beds (video).

For our latest mission we converted a New York City subway car into a “sleeper car,” giving New Yorkers the chance to rest their heads during a late night commute. We set up three beds, each outfitted with a comforter, pillow, and sheets. Pajamas, sleep masks, and earplugs were also provided as part of this unauthorized free service. The project took place on the above-ground N train in Astoria, Queens around midnight on a Sunday evening.

photo by Katie Sokoler

At the recent TED2012 conference, Improv Everywhere and TED collaborated to stage a fake TED talk in which the speaker’s slideshow presentation was frozen by the infamous Mac OS “spinning beach ball of death.” After a long awkward pause, things take a turn for the absurd.

Ohio-based comedian Dennis Roady of Sketch Empire caused a series of awkward interactions with police officers by simulating public urination with a water bottle (video).

via Viral Viral Videos

French prankster Rémi Gaillard is back with his latest prank where he pretends to live in an elevator.

via The Awesomer

This Canadian driver wanted a novelty driver’s license photo, so he shaved half of his head and the opposite half of his beard. The whole process is documented in photos.

via Reddit

Sacha Baron Cohen arrives for the 84th Annual Academy Awards from Hollywood, CA February 26, 2012.

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen went to the 2012 Academy Awards dressed as Admiral General Aladeen to promote The Dictator, his upcoming film which he plays a Middle Eastern dictator. While being interviewed on the pre-show Red Carpet segment by Ryan Seacrest, he brought the purported ashes of “his friend” in an urn, the late North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, and then proceeded to spill them all over Seacrest. It seems, initially, he was banned to the event by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences but was later invited to attend. The “ashes” are said to actually be powdered pancake mix.

VICTORY IS OURS! Today the Mighty Nation of Wadiya triumphed over the Zionist snakes of Hollywood. Evil and all those who made Satan their protector were vanquished and driven into the Pacific Sea. What I am trying to say here is that the Academy have surrendered and sent over two tickets and a parking pass! TODAY OSCAR, TOMORROW OBAMA!

Here he is earlier last week as Admiral General Aladeen on Today Show talking about being banned:

image 2 via General Aladeen

photo 1 by Heather Ikei / ©A.M.P.A.S. for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

“Holes of Happiness” is a short documentary about the guerrilla pothole gardens of East London. The film and the gardens are by The Pothole Gardner.

via The Art of the Prank

photos by The Pothole Gardener

Back in 2006, Improv Everywhere sent comedian and black person Colton Dunn to the overwhelmingly white ski resort town of Aspen, Colorado so the inhabitants could meet a black person. Improv Everywhere is remastering and rereleasing some choice videos from its archives to commemorate its 10th anniversary.

The NYC Idiotarod 2012, a costume-mandatory shopping cart race, takes place on January 28. The Idiotarod is based on the Urban Iditarod organized by The Cacophony Society, which first struck San Francisco in 1994.

The Iditarod is the famous long-distance race in which yelping dogs tow a sled across Alaska. The IDIOTAROD is pretty much the same thing, except that instead of dogs, it’s people, instead of sleds, it’s shopping carts, and instead of Alaska it’s New York City. Teams of five will race for cash prizes and glory.

via Winkel & Balktick