15 silly gag gifts for April Fools' Day
These gifts will make your kids the most popular pranksters on the block... or not.
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Getty Images / Andrii Kotelnikov
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April Fools' Day is the ultimate day for kids. This springtime holiday is the one day a year when poop jokes are tolerated and obnoxious pranking is encouraged. It's the day to exact revenge on older siblings and watch teachers and extended family squirm.
Whether you have a silly mischief-maker or an aspiring comic in your midst, we have some laugh-inducing ideas to help them realize their prank-making potential for some side-splitting fun. We got the input of some stand-up comic and comedy-writer moms about their favorite classic gags and pulled together some of our own for 15 gifts that will either make your kids the most popular prankster on the block, or the bane of someone's existence.
1. A whoopie cushion
All of the silliness of farts but stink-free!
We maintain that no childhood is complete without a whoopee cushion. Kids love farts and obnoxious noises and this flatulence-simulator is self-inflating, so even little kids can get in on the action. This five-pack of fake farts comes in multiple colors, so it’s perfect for a household where everyone wants their very own.
“As someone who writes fart jokes for a living I've always encouraged my child to laugh at bodily functions,” says Eirene Donohue, a comedy writer and mom based out of Los Angeles, who is a huge fan of whoopee cushions. “The funniness of a fart without the smell. What's not to love?”
Get the DatingDay five-pack of self-inflating whoopee cushions at Walmart for $8.79
2. A six-pack of silly glasses
Your kids will get lots of mileage out of these glasses.
This set of glasses will not only make your little jokester the master of disguise, this set of six will be the gift that keeps on giving—whether it be for silly Halloween costumes, photobooth props, or at family photoshoots for years to come. We like that this set gives just as much attention to the Groucho Marx fans as they do to Pixar characters and Vegas Elvis impersonators. Reviewers say this is a particularly durable set, so it’s a good choice for kids who want to get lots of wear out of this wacky pack.
"I absolutely love disguise glasses!" says stand-up comic and mom, Lauren O'Brien. "Not only are they hilarious, but it’s equally fun as a parent to pretend like you don’t recognize your kid and keep the gag going."
Get the Ocean Line funny disguise glasses, set of 6, at Amazon for $15.98
3. A banana phone
The jokes basically write themselves.
“Knock, Knock! Who's there? Banana. Banana, who?” Or “I can’t hear you, I have a banana in my ear!” The jokes write themselves with this charmingly goofy gift that will get the giggles going. This banana phone hooks up to Bluetooth, and gets rave reviews for its excellent range so it somehow strikes the balance of hilarious and practical.
Get the Bluetooth banana phone at UncommonGoods for $40
4. Snakes in a jar
Keep these around for house guests who want to help themselves to a snack.
An old gag that’s perfect for a new generation of pranksters. The hilarity of someone settling in for a snack, only to have a snake jump in their face, never gets old. Betsy Stover, host of the Why Mommy Drinks podcast, co-founder of Illuminati Improv, and Upright Citizens Brigade alum says this is a favorite gag in her family. She took her kids to a joke store a few years ago and the snakes in a chip jar prank was such a hit, that her family “still keeps the original can locked and loaded in the pantry with the real chips.”
Get the VANVENE Snake in a Can gag gift at Amazon for $9.59
5. A folding spoon
No bowl of soup is safe with this bending spoon at the table.
If your kids are suddenly eager to set the table, you may want to mind your soup. This spoon rapidly bends under any sort of pressure, sending cereal milk spilling and ice cream rolling away with each spoonful. As one reviewer says, “Order this great prank now! The spooner the better.” If that review doesn’t make you groan the actual toy will!
Get the Loftus International folding spoon prank toy at Amazon for $5.39
6. A three-pack of gag gum
Three types of prank gum for three times the hilarity.
A roach, a surprising squirt of water, or a brief electric shock. This three-pack of gag gum may not give your kid any popularity points when their friends realize the candy is fake, but with three different options for surprise, this one will keep the pranks fresh.
Get the Gagster 3-prank chewing gum set at Amazon for $11.99
7. Candy to turn their mouths blue
The tastiest prank around!
One of our favorite pranksters of all time is the legendary Pee-wee Herman. This sweet sucker is reminiscent of when Pee-wee gave the town bully Francis Buxton gum that turned his mouth blue. Since no one will trust the gum your kid hands out after the roaches and shocks they got from the recommendation above, this lollipop should do the trick! Reviews say this is the “most delicious prank”, so this one is kid-safe, no matter what their age or temperament.
Get the Loftus prank candy lollipop at Amazon for $4.99
8. An electrifying hand buzzer
No one with trust their handshakes after a few days this this prank.
For an electrifying handshake, the classic hand buzzer never gets old (except for when it does). Jessica Glassberg, a comedy writer for NBC Digital and standup comedian, endorses this as a necessary item in any future comic’s joke arsenal. “I loved getting someone with a hand buzzer,” says Glassberg, "though being on the receiving end has lead to ceased friendships and estranged family.”
Get the metal hand buzzer at HaHaPrank for $1.49
9. A cricket-like chirper
When the recipient of this prank starts to get agitated, your child is sure to learn some colorful vocabulary words.
The fact that this gets over 1,000 5-star reviews should indicate that this joke has potential to be the stuff of legends. Dubbed by reviewers as “a harmless prank that will drive your loved ones crazy” this one is scare, shock, and anxiety-free. According to reviews this is a prank that elicits lots of colorful metaphors and lives up to its actual name, “frickin’ cricket”, so just be ready for your kid’s vocabulary to expand with this one.
Get the Frickin’ Cricket chirper by FUN Delivery for $10.99
10. Fake lottery tickets
Be sure your great aunt is taking her heart medication before she scratches these off.
Social restrictions are starting to lift! This is the perfect gift for your resident gagster to give to that aunt or uncle who always gives lottery tickets for Christmas. As many, many reviewers say, these tickets are believable, so make sure the recipient has a good sense of humor and has been religious about taking their heart medication. The payout may be fake, but the joke is priceless.
Get the Laughing Smith 5-pack of fake lottery tickets at Amazon for $6.99
11. Fake poop
Just be prepared for an angry grandmother if you use this in her house.
Take it from Amy Albert Cobb, comedy writer and host of the Mom, Get Your SH*T Together podcast, who swears by fake poop as the ultimate prank supply for kids of all ages: “A little fake dog poop on your great aunt’s sofa can either liven up a dull Thanksgiving get together, or get you cut out of a will! Either way, hilarious and worth it!” says Cobb. This gift will teach your child the fine art of deflecting blame: Maybe it’s the dog. Maybe it’s a younger sibling who is teetering on the edge of potty training. It could be anyone! The real question is, who is going to clean it up?
Before you click on the link, know that we searched far and wide for an alarmingly realistic piece of fake poop that gets hundreds of 5-star reviews. This one is even dubbed “delux.” Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Get the Delux Fake Lucy dog poop by Nicky Bigs Novelties at Amazon for $6.99
12. Disappearing ink
They can save this one for when everyone is dressed up on Easter morning!
Over 400 rave reviews tout this tiny vial of disappearing ink as a fun, low-stakes prank that gets lots of laughs with few repercussions. Just a little squirt on some treasured white linens or a freshly laundered shirt will have friends and family stunned, but in minutes the ink disappears and makes way for laughter.
Get the Rhode Island Novelty disappearing ink in blue for $2.64
13. A book of pranks
An encyclopedia of kid-friendly pranks!
Not just a few pranks, but a Pranklopedia of gags! This book gets high marks for being harmless fun that’s short on cruelty but big on silly. Written by the Editor-in-Chief of Nickelodeon Magazine, this book is "a boisterous collection of over 70 guaranteed-to-amuse (or annoy) pranks to be pulled on friends, siblings, and parents and guaranteed to be kid-friendly."
Each prank takes kids through the setup and necessary supplies—and it alerts them to when they should ask for the help of an adult. In the words of one reviewer, “This book is full of harmless fun. The pranks aren't cruel, and they do not promote bullying” and it’s filled with, “great, innocent fun.”
14. A spider in a box
The writer hates this joke.
Nothing makes a kid happier than seeing their parents pass out in terror. If my family is any indication, this toy is a surefire way to make that happen. This prank box is cleverly disguised as a candy box and it comes equipped with a creepy laugh to scare the beejeezus out of anyone who this trick is played on. I hate this toy.
Get the HALEEMS spider prankbox on Amazon for $14.97
15. A box of jokes
This box is a perfect starter set for a budding prankster.
If you can’t pick just one, this is everything your jokester needs in one package. Reviewers say that "adults hate this box but kids love it" and continue to pull out the gags months later. As one reviewer warns, “I was not aware that a 6-year-old could be so annoying until we bought this box. WONDERFUL. All of it is wonderful and exactly what you are paying for.” If you’re looking for a box of jokes where your kid will be able to really find their inner gagster, this looks like the perfect gift.
Get the Schylling joke box at Amazon for $17.99
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