High school senior pranks are a time-honored tradition for high schoolers about to move on to college and beyond. Most of them are good, harmless fun, but teenagers don’t always know where the line falls between “hilarious” and “could completely ruin half the student body’s lives.”
Let these true tales from Reddit be a lesson to future, well-meaning pranksters: If a joke could get you charged with a felony, maybe don’t do it.
Not a Safety Hazard at All
Ted_Denslow
The possibility of students contracting diseases from collecting decomposing animals off the road is totally NBD. It would be even funnier if a dead deer fell out of the ceiling onto an unsuspecting teacher in the middle of class. Haha. Grits teeth. So. Funny. Seriously, it’s fine.
Dealing with silly shenanigans like this is why teachers should get paid the big bucks.
Causing City-Wide Panic? Hilarious
EiMBa
This was too tame, IMO. Why fake a kidnapping when you could stage a murder?
Go big or go home.
This Senior Prank Was Technically Harmless — Technically
Nrikks
What if someone had a paralyzing fear of crickets?
There would have been a school-wide stampede, with hallways paved with squished insects.
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This One, Not So Much
Iamplumbus
Putting baby oil or anything else slippery on school property is an instant red flag.
Slapstick comedy makes falling look funny, but it’s a lot less funny when it’s not staged.
What Would Have Happened If a Real Fire Broke Out?!
hd_c4se
It’s safe to say that any prank that could end in an arrest is a few steps too far.
This one could have also ended in tragedy if an emergency had actually happened.
Don’t Copy What You See in Cartoons, Kids
Pac_Eddy
The phrase “common sense” is misleading because it’s not common at all.
As a general rule, high school senior pranks involving puncture wounds aren’t ideal, even if they’re tack-sized.
Senior Pranks Are Evidence That Teenagers Aren’t All There
NaturallyPerfect
This one was supposed to be harmless, but anyone with a single rational brain cell would realize the risk here was not worth the reward.
Have fun running across campus to pee, everyone.
Is It Bad That We Want to Try Ghost-Pepper Popcorn Now?
We’re assuming that the burning effect resulted from letting the spice-encrusted kernels cook way too long. That’s because mass recalls would have made the news if every bag sent people to the hospital with eye irritation.
Cooked correctly, though, it sounds pretty good.
What in the Lord of the Flies Is Happening at This High School?
HBry1004
If “Lord of the Flies” seemed like a stretch before, it doesn’t now. It seems like a very real possibility.
This was supposed to be a harmless high school senior prank, but once things start to escalate, teenagers don’t know when to stop.
Funny … but Still Not the Most Responsible Senior Prank
TheGreenListener
We’re unsure how this kid did not see the consequences of his actions written on the wall.
If he had run over a second grader, his reckless endangerment charge would have been upgraded to involuntary manslaughter.
What’s That Smell? Oh, a Lawsuit
Spiking anyone’s food with medication, even something as benign as laxatives, is a criminal offense. Just because it’s funny in the movies doesn’t mean it is in real life.
You’d think kids would have figured out by the end of high school that poisoning people isn’t a joke.
A Classic Senior Prank, but With Conditions
Kandiafme
Letting animals loose in the school seems like a funny senior prank at first glance, but it’s not so funny from the animal’s perspective. Chickens have been accidentally trampled during senior pranks.
The cow-on-the-roof thing can be funny, but the rumor about cows being incapable of going down stairs is true. If the school doesn’t have the means to hire a crane operator to safely lower the cow off the roof, the poor thing has to be killed.
Superglue and Bees. Nothing Could Possibly Go Wrong There
karskars12345
Ah, a perfect time to play the “Bees?” card from the original Cards Against Humanity deck. Imagine showing up to work and finding your classroom full of stinging, flying insects that you’re deathly allergic to.
If the entire staff quit on the spot, we wouldn’t blame them.
What Happens in the Lab Is Supposed to Stay in the Lab
jon_cli
Yes, this really happened.
We’re not sure why people thought giving 16-year-olds access to reactive chemicals was a good plan, but hey, at least we know who’s not getting a chemistry scholarship.
Lastly, a Senior Prank That’s Hilarious and Wholesome
Ziggote
Juniors, take notes. This is how you deliver a quality senior prank. It checks all the boxes:
- Funny
- Wholesome
- Harmless
- Not illegal
We didn’t realize how much emphasis that last one required, but judging by the myriad senior prank horror stories, it very much does. Don’t do drugs and stay in school, kids, unless the teachers are so fed up with your life-threatening “jokes” that they all retire early.
