Steampunk'd!

October 24, 2006 8:56 AM

Before Hollywood brats got "Punk'd," and before political opponents hacked each other's Web sites, the art of the practical joke was a bit simpler.
posted by unSane (11 comments total)

Ha. Slow-loading website but an interesting read.

I clearly recall the old ads for these in comic books; as a kid we had a pile of old comics that we discovered hidden in a chest inside the attic of our house. Being kids, we read them all rather than keeping them in mint condition (damn - could probably have paid off my school loans with those!) but the ads were funny. Blowing up a cigarrette load in Grandpa's smoke when he was driving? Not so much fun as the ad made it look. The ad left out the part that read "...and then watch Grandpa kick your little punk ass!"
posted by caution live frogs at 9:50 AM on October 24, 2006

Funny read. My current favorite practical joke involves mailing fake lawsuits to friends.
posted by saladin at 9:57 AM on October 24, 2006

I was always highly susceptible to practical joke advertising. When I was 13 I bought a packet of itching powder to use on my sisters. It accidentally went through the wash in my jeans pocket, which I didn't realize until I changed into those jeans after gym class and experienced a punishing, unfunny itch that resulted in being sent home from school to change clothes.

Some people are just born practical jokers. For example, my friend Megan was born breech-- on April Fool's Day.
posted by hermitosis at 10:19 AM on October 24, 2006

Slow-loading website but an interesting read.

Best assessment of Metafilter ever read, ZOINK!
posted by Peter H at 10:21 AM on October 24, 2006

This reminds me very little of a boss who at a previous firm was to be promoted and handed his final task of teaching his successor the territory and introducing him to the clients. Boss didn't like the guy from the minute he picked him up at the airport. So he bought a couple cans of mace. The company rented the mark a car which the boss gratiously offered to pickup (keeping the valet key) and would then drive over to shpritz some mace in it first thing every morning. He'd be ahead of him to the bathroom to do the same. Company leased an apartment for him and boss made an extra key set for that too. Bought one of those restaurant disinfectant things with the timer and hid it in an air duct. Would mist a tad o' mace every few hours. Guy was a total wreck sniffling and eyes watering all the time.

A month and several doctors and specialists later, the mark turns down job because there was some unknown substance in this town he was allergic to.
posted by hal9k at 11:22 AM on October 24, 2006

“...even the classic Whoopee Cushion can be harmful when swallowed by a two-year old, inflated in a pet's mouth, or placed in such a manner as to cause some poor senior citizen to fall off a chair and break a hip.”

Ah ha ha ha, die farting grandpa you old bastard! ha ha ha.

“Pens that reveal naked bodies when turned upside down, classical statues that turn into urinating drunks when a lever is pulled or a button depressed...”

I’ve always found the “suddenly revealed penis in an elevator” gag to be an enjoyable ‘naughty surprise.’ The authorities less so.
posted by Smedleyman at 11:48 AM on October 24, 2006

It's great to find the origins and inspiration for Chris Ware's own fake ads and novelty catalogue in the Acme Novelty Library. I didn't know this was for real.
posted by jchgf at 2:16 PM on October 24, 2006

Sample from Chris Ware's Acme Novelty Catalogue.
posted by jchgf at 2:21 PM on October 24, 2006

Wow, Creativepro.com still exists?
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:59 PM on October 24, 2006

So what's the very worst practical joke that was ever played on you people? For me, it was when a college friend kindly offered to make and bring me a cup of tea whilst we were sat in a group in the common room. As I sipped, we chatted about our studies and our day until I upturned the mug to slup the final sip and her old dental retainers (braces we call them in the UK) slid down and rattled against my teeth...

Gross!!!
posted by Inglesa Loquita at 1:55 PM on October 25, 2006

So what's the very worst practical joke that was ever played on you people? For me, it was when a college friend kindly offered to make and bring me a cup of tea whilst we were sat in a group in the common room. As I sipped, we chatted about our studies and our day until I upturned the mug to slurp the final sip and her old dental retainers (braces we call them in the UK) slid down and rattled against my teeth...

Eewwww... gross!!!
posted by Inglesa Loquita at 1:55 PM on October 25, 2006