A Blast From the Past

It was an almost normal night in the late 1950's... My father had made one of the biggest mistakes of his life, only he had no idea at the time; all he knew, is that if he could pull it off the expected reaction, it would be an hilarious April Fool's Day prank. Since he also knew that his mother (my grandma) always stuck to her nightly routine, the prank was likely to work. Each evening, she first tucked her kids in for the night, watched her favorite black & white television programs, maybe read a little bit, and always finished her daily crossword puzzle; then went to the bathroom at ten o'clock sharp, before finally going to bed an hour later.

That April 1st, she had just finished her crossword puzzle and was making her way to the bathroom. My dad was in his bed biting his tongue trying not to laugh. When his mom opened the door to the changing area between the bedroom and restroom, BANG!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! A horrific scream filled the house. At this point my dad is laughing so hard he can't breathe. His father runs from the den to where his beloved wife was screaming her brains out. after hearing the loud bang and the scream from my grandma. My grandpa was probably thinking she got shot or something. Relieved to see she was OK, they calmed down and began to realize what happened... My dad had taped some thumbtacks to the back of the hall door, and some balloons to the closet behind it. A very simple yet very effective prank. Unfortunately for my father they figured out that it was him, since his brother was too young to pull off a prank so smooth, and perfectly, like my dad did.

While my grandpa was confronting my father over the prank, my dad couldn't stop laughing, confusing my grandpa even more. A few seconds later, BANG!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Another horrific scream fills the house. My grandma had finally made it to the toilet, and lowered the lid, engaging part two of my dad's April Fool's Day prank; setting a party popper to go off when the toilet seat was lowered. Even my grandpa had to laugh at that point, though my grandma wanted to punish my dad for his pranks.

The following night my grandma and grandpa stuffed my fathers pillow with books, but my dad still says that was definitely one of his best April Fool's Day pranks, and the pay back was worth it.

Step 1: The Fun Begins

To pull off the same prank my father did you will need...

- one balloon
- one party popper or two party poppers
- a pair of scissors
- tape
- thumb tacks
- an unexpecting victim

It really is as simple as that. Also make sure you have the availablity of a restroom for a few seconds to set this prank up, and trust me its a lot easier setting up the prank when no ones using the bathroom.
=-)

Step 2: Original Set Up: Part 1

This will only work if there is a work if the door opens parallel to a wall. To do the exact same thing my dad did, take the balloon, inflate it, the last time i checked flat balloons don't pop. Then tape the balloon to the inside of the door. Try to tape it about one to two inches from the door hinges. Open the door all the way and mark where the balloon touches the wall. Now, tape the thumb tack to the wall. Now close the door all the way shut. When the door is opened the balloon should be pushed against the tack and pop loudly. Theoretically this technique can be used on almost any door.

Step 3: Original Set Up: Part 2

Now for the popping toilet part. Take the party popper and remove the cardboard disc on the bottom and remove the confetti. On most party poppers there is another cardboard disc, if so remove that too. Take your scissors and cut up the plastic body of the popper. Cut up to the neck and then cut around so all you have left is the string coming out of the explosive part surrounded by the plastic neck of the popper shell. This may be confusing for some so check out the pictures if you need help. Installment: (tricking a women) tape the neck and the explosive bit to the inside of the lid (the solid one without the hole thing) and tape the string to the seat (the one thats shaped like a U). Now raise both seats to the full up right position. (Tricking a man) tape the neck and explosive bit to the top of the main base of the toilet and the the string to the inside of the U shaped seat. Now put both lids to the full down right position. The heavier the seat and the stronger the tape (A.K.A duct tape) the better this will work. unforcunetly the tape will not stick to the toilet so if that is true for you try to find a way of sticking the explosive to the seat. Don't be afraid to use a hot glue gun for the glue should come off with out leaving a mark on ceramic.

Step 4: Other Set Ups

There are many other ways to set this trick up, for example you can take the popper and tape the explosive part to the door and the string to the door frame. The materials and locations are almost endless for this very versatile prank.

Step 5: Have Fun!

You may say what is the point of making the second one of two startling pops isn't one enough. Well, what makes this prank works so well is on the most part, the second pop. most people think the prank is over after the the first pop so they really don't expect the second one. In fact, the second pop throws people so far off balance that after doing this to one of my friends, he didn't trust any thing or any one for a few days. so just remember to have fun with this and don't get caught like my dad did. =D