“Mom, Mom! Wake up, your car is gone!” This was the good morning alarm my wary mother received from me and my sister one April Fools’ Day. With a fleeting moment of distress and shock, she stood up quickly, but upon realizing the date and who she was talking to, she slid back into bed and warned us to leave her room immediately. Despite the lack of creativity, we were satisfied that our April Fools’ pranks did at least pique some interest, even if it was for a minute.

In our defense, interesting pranks are hard to come up with on April Fools’ Day; everyone is already on guard, always expecting a swift joke to land upon them. But in the case of resident students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), inspiration for a good prank is everywhere, and can be done anytime to just about anyone. What’s better than annoying your busy and completely oblivious roommate? FCLC pranksters shared some of the fun pranks they have perpetrated for their own amusement.

“Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar”

Inspirations for pranks can come in many forms. Anthony Porretto, FCLC ’12, took inspiration from a random local advertisement that is often seen stuck to the windows of delis nearby.

“I Photoshopped the head of my friend Dan Quinn on to the picture of the advertisement to make it seem like he was giving out the guitar lessons, and put them up everywhere,” Porretto said. “All day, people would ask him if he really played the guitar and if he could give them lessons. He eventually found out I did it the same day; the ads were all over his door.”

Easing Academic Pressures with Saran Wrap

What’s the best way in helping a roommate de-stress and relax? Wrapping their bed in plastic, of course!

“My roommate Saran Wrapped my whole bed!” said Amy Bucknam, FCLC ’14, still in awe of her roommate’s light joke. Gabrielle Lentini and Anthony Corcoran, both FCLC ’14, decided to “lighten the mood” by completely wrapping Bucknam’s bed in plastic.

“We asked two other people to help us flip the bed and Saran Wrap the whole thing, even the pillow, down,” Corcoran said. “We even made the bed afterward so she wouldn’t notice right away. It was great!”

FCLC Version of Ding Dong Ditch

When in doubt, always revert to the classics. The “ding-dong ditch” is an old American favorite of pranksters. Jackie Krakowski, FCLC ’14, and her roommate still delight in the good old prank on their floor. But most times, Jackie herself becomes the victim of the prank.  “Usually when my roommate and I have to take out the trash, we would do the prank down the hall,” Krakowski said. “Sometimes my roommate would walk ahead of me, so when she did knock on the door, she could run quickly and leave me there! When the person opens the door, it becomes this awkward moment.”

From alarming your mom about a fake carjacking to annoying neighboring roommates with ding dong ditch, pranks will always initiate creative agendas to make a loved one’s life more “interesting.”