Ranking of Popular Surprise/Prank Ideas
We’re introducing popular surprise and prank ideas in a ranking format!
Do you like surprises and pranks?
From touching surprises for special occasions to lively pranks among friends, there are many forms—but for those who love being startled, these plans are irresistible.
We’ve gathered ideas that will help when you’re planning a surprise or want to pull a prank on a friend.
If you’re the one setting it up, keep in mind that “everyone should be able to laugh in the end,” and have fun enjoying surprises and pranks together!
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Surprise and Prank Popular Idea Rankings (21–30)
message board (with group messages), group card, or collective autograph22rank/position
A message board filled with notes from all the students might be the best possible birthday present for a teacher.
Because the words of thanks and congratulations remain on a shikishi board, the teacher will surely want to look back on it again and again at home or in the staff room.
All you need is a board and some pens to get started, but if you’re going to do it, adding decorations or illustrations is highly recommended to give it an even more handmade feel.
It’s a gift that lets the teacher feel the bond with the students—things that are usually too embarrassing to say can be written down precisely because they’re in writing.
Handmade album23rank/position
When it comes to surprising a friend or partner, a handmade photo album is perfect.
Choose your favorite photos and arrange them on the pages to bring shared moments back to life.
Add heartfelt messages to create a piece full of originality.
You can customize a store-bought album, of course, but it’s also fun to make one from scratch using construction paper or a sketchbook.
When adding accents like colored paper, masking tape, or stickers, try to reflect the recipient’s tastes and personality.
If you present it at a drinking party or gathering, your warm feelings are sure to come across.
A scary face in the car window24rank/position
The sight of an eerie face reflected in a car window is a classic pattern among ghost phenomena.
This prank takes inspiration from that situation where a scary face appears on a window.
While inside the car, you ask the target in the passenger seat to close the window, and as the window rolls up, a scary face that’s been attached there comes into view.
Because something is stuck to the clear window, the target feels a sense of wrongness, instinctively looks in that direction, and gets startled.
It’s recommended to use an image or photo with a strong impact—something that surpasses the mere feeling that ‘something’s on the window.’
clear ramen25rank/position
This is a transparent ramen made mainly with transparent ingredients such as clear soy sauce, clear dashi, and clear glass noodles.
The finished dish looks like cloudy hot water with glass noodles sunk in it—hardly an appetizing appearance—but when you eat it, it mysteriously tastes like regular shoyu ramen.
Because the flavor that spreads across your tongue differs from what the appearance suggests, your brain gets confused even if you know how it’s made.
Since it’s about enjoying tasty food, it’s something everyone present can have fun with, and it’s also an interesting prank that lets you examine the relationship between appearance and taste.
flash mob26rank/position
A flash mob, where a large group starts performing all at once, is a great surprise for a preschool graduation party! When the adults suddenly begin dancing, the children are amazed and get excited, wondering what’s about to happen.
While timing and formations need to be coordinated in advance, the dancing itself can be practiced individually.
And because you’re dancing with a big group, there’s no need to feel pressured to make everything perfect.
There are also classic songs commonly used for flash mobs, so use those as a reference and give it a try!
whoopee cushion27rank/position
I’m sure many people were pranked by one of these as kids: the whoopee cushion.
You inflate it and hide it under a seat cushion or pillow, and when someone unknowingly sits down—“Brrrt!”—that loud, embarrassing sound echoes through the room.
It’s a classic prank item and kids absolutely love it (lol).
Even adults would probably burst out laughing at how silly and straightforward it is.
It’s such a harmless prank that even those watching end up cracking up and feeling happy.
Transfer student prank28rank/position
If you’re a student, I recommend this transfer prank.
The idea is simple: make it seem like one of your close friends is transferring to another school, and it’s surprisingly effective.
First, drop hints that someone might be transferring so the target picks up on it naturally.
Then, when you finally confess that the transfer is really happening, they’ll think, “I knew it,” which makes them easier to fool.
