School prank
Encyclopedia
A school prank is any of several common pranks primarily occurring in an educational setting.
The effect and intent of school pranks may range from everyday play and consensual bonding
behavior to hazing
, bullying
or assault
, including sexual assault
.
Note: In some US states (e.g., Massachusetts), that is considered sexual harassment and can result in suspension and/or expulsion.
The Circle Hand Game can be traced back to 1929 when the 'brothers' of the City College of New York
's Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity
were searching for a new way to haze
pledges without technically breaking CCNY's anti-hazing rules.
, Australia
, and New Zealand
, "buffalo skin" in India
, "snake bite" or "Indian rub" in Canada
, an "Indian sunburn
" or "Indian rug burn" in the United States (except in some midwest states such as Wisconsin where it is known as a snakebite), "Indian burn" in France, "policeman's glove" or "hundred needles" in Hungary, "barbed wire" in the Netherlands, "needles" in Bulgaria and "Brennessel" ("stinging nettle") in Austria and the southern parts of Germany, "thousand needle stings" in the northern parts of Germany, "thousand needles" in Sweden, "Nettle" in Poland and Russia, "French Cuff" in Denmark, "kuuma makkara" in Finland, this is a prank done by grasping the victim's forearm firmly in both hands, and then twisting the hands in opposite directions about the victim's arm, causing the tender skin to stretch, making it red and sore.
s or other objects like paper and tape.
, Oregon
, was charged with a misdemeanor
for perpetrating this act on a 13-year-old boy. The 15-year-old was fined $67 and given three days of community service
.
is untucked at the foot end of the bed and folded toward the head, making it look as if it is two sheets (an undersheet and top sheet). The victim will find that he or she cannot get into bed (as doing this "shortens" the bed length). Also known as an 'apple-pie bed' in the UK.
In a variant of the 'apple-pie bed', described in "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald," a story by P.G. Wodehouse, the upper and lower sheets are sewn together and a spiny plant inserted in between to keep company with the victim as he slips himself in between.
flushing in Australia.
with a towel corner at the tip. The prankster then "snaps" the towel as if cracking a whip, striking the victim with the end tip of the towel and causing pain. This prank is usually performed in communal showers, where wet towels are plentiful and bare skin provides opportunity to maximize the pain inflicted.
and may even be performed to the extent that the victim's underpants are torn off. A wedgie may be performed by one attacker, or by a group. On April 6, 2006, Fox News reported on an Albany
, New York teacher who was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child for giving a 10-year-old pupil a wedgie.
In 2007, eight-year-old second graders Jared and Justin Serovich came up with "wedgie-proof" underwear at the Central Ohio Invention Competition 2007 where their invention got them into the finals.
and inserts it into the ear of the victim.
The effect and intent of school pranks may range from everyday play and consensual bonding
Human bonding
Human bonding is the process of development of a close, interpersonal relationship. It most commonly takes place between family members or friends, but can also develop among groups such as sporting teams and whenever people spend time together...
behavior to hazing
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
, bullying
School bullying
School bullying is a type of bullying that occurs in connection with education, either inside or outside of school. Bullying can be physical, verbal, or emotional and is usually repeated over a period of time.In schools, bullying occurs in all areas...
or assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, including sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
.
Debagging
Debagging, also known as repantsing or "pantsing", "kegging" and various other names ["dacking" in Australia] is the act of pulling down a person's pants and sometimes also the person's underwear, which reveals the person's genitalia. The most common method is to sneak up behind the intended victim, grab the pants', shorts', or skirt's waistband, and apply a quick downward tug before the victim is aware of the debagger's presence.Note: In some US states (e.g., Massachusetts), that is considered sexual harassment and can result in suspension and/or expulsion.
Circle game
The central theme in the Malcolm in the Middle "Dinner Out" TV episode is the circle game (also known as hole-tempting or ball-gazing), where by a person gets someone else to look at their hand while forming a circle below the waist. If they look, the prankster gets to hit them.The Circle Hand Game can be traced back to 1929 when the 'brothers' of the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
's Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity
Sigma Alpha Mu
Sigma Alpha Mu , also known as "Sammy", is a college fraternity founded at the City College of New York in 1909. Originally only for Jewish men, Sigma Alpha Mu remained so until 1953, when members from all backgrounds were accepted. Originally headquartered in New York, Sigma Alpha Mu has...
were searching for a new way to haze
Hazing
Hazing is a term used to describe various ritual and other activities involving harassment, abuse or humiliation used as a way of initiating a person into a group....
pledges without technically breaking CCNY's anti-hazing rules.
Flat tire or flat foot
The heel of the victim is trodden upon, which may cause the victim to stumble. Stepping on the rear portion of the shoe as the foot lifts and thereby removing it is also a "heels" variant known as a "flat tire". A variant is to kick their heel forwards as it lifts.Indian or Chinese burn
Known primarily as an "Indian burn" or "Chinese burn" in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, "buffalo skin" in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, "snake bite" or "Indian rub" in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, an "Indian sunburn
Sunburn
A sunburn is a burn to living tissue, such as skin, which is produced by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, commonly from the sun's rays. Usual mild symptoms in humans and other animals include red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness. An excess of UV...
" or "Indian rug burn" in the United States (except in some midwest states such as Wisconsin where it is known as a snakebite), "Indian burn" in France, "policeman's glove" or "hundred needles" in Hungary, "barbed wire" in the Netherlands, "needles" in Bulgaria and "Brennessel" ("stinging nettle") in Austria and the southern parts of Germany, "thousand needle stings" in the northern parts of Germany, "thousand needles" in Sweden, "Nettle" in Poland and Russia, "French Cuff" in Denmark, "kuuma makkara" in Finland, this is a prank done by grasping the victim's forearm firmly in both hands, and then twisting the hands in opposite directions about the victim's arm, causing the tender skin to stretch, making it red and sore.
Kancho
Kancho is a prank played out in Japan; it is performed by clasping the hands together so the index fingers are pointing out and attempting to insert them sharply into someone's anal region when the victim is not looking. It is similar to the wedgie or a goosing."Kick me"
A note (commonly reading "Kick me") is attached to the back of an unsuspecting victim. This prank may be performed with Post-it notePost-it note
A Post-it note is a piece of stationery with a re-adherable strip of adhesive on the back, designed for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. Although now available in a wide range of colours, shapes, and sizes, Post-it notes are most commonly a square, canary yellow in colour...
s or other objects like paper and tape.
Mooning
"Mooning" is displaying one's bared buttocks to someone, so-called because the buttocks are generally not suntanned, so resembles a full moon. It is commonly performed out of windows of moving buses and cars.Nipple cripple
Also known as a "titty twister", "nipple twist", "ruby booby", "tweak", "nipple wrench", "nipple gripple" or a "purple nurple", "purple herbie" or "diddy nip". It is the act of taking a person's nipple between the thumb and forefinger and then twisting it around, often causing extreme pain for the victim. On August 8, 2005, a 15-year-old living in Gold HillGold Hill, Oregon
Gold Hill is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of July 1, 2009, the population was 1,080 people.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, was charged with a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
for perpetrating this act on a 13-year-old boy. The 15-year-old was fined $67 and given three days of community service
Community service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
.
Noogie
Sometimes called a Monkey Scrub, Hippo Handing or Russian Haircut, a noogie is performed when the middle knuckles of the fore and middle fingers are rubbed vigorously against the surface of the scalp, stretching the skin and pulling the hair. A headlock may be applied for more exact or prolonged execution. This will trap the victim. An open-hand variant known as the Dutch Rub is performed with the heel of the hand.Shoe-lacing
This prank involves the tying of a victim's shoe laces together, typically while the victim is seated and distracted. The laces may also be tied to a nearby object such as a chair leg. This may cause the victim to unexpectedly trip or stumble when attempting to get up and move. This prank may be combined with a taunt or additional prank designed to provoke the victim into getting up and running after the prankster, resulting in a more pronounced effect. A related but more destructive prank involves secretly cutting the shoelaces with scissors.Short sheeting
A prank done at boarding schools, college dorms, camps or on excursions where children sleep in full beds (also common in the military). A bed sheetBed sheet
A bed sheet is a piece of cloth used to cover a mattress. It is this sheet that one typically lies on.In many areas of the world, a second flat bed sheet is laid on top of the sheet covering the mattress. This is known as a "top sheet" and when a top sheet is used, the sheet covering the mattress...
is untucked at the foot end of the bed and folded toward the head, making it look as if it is two sheets (an undersheet and top sheet). The victim will find that he or she cannot get into bed (as doing this "shortens" the bed length). Also known as an 'apple-pie bed' in the UK.
In a variant of the 'apple-pie bed', described in "The Reverent Wooing of Archibald," a story by P.G. Wodehouse, the upper and lower sheets are sewn together and a spiny plant inserted in between to keep company with the victim as he slips himself in between.
Spitball
A "spitball" is a clump of paper that the prankster has chewed and steeped in his or her saliva, to be thrown, spit, or blown at a person or object. If not removed from some types of surface, they dry and harden into a sort of paper cement. Small spitballs are often propelled by placing them in a straw or the shaft of a disassembled hollow pen and blowing through the other end. Larger spitballs are sometimes flicked with the fingers, a flexible ruler or through the use of a rubber band. Sometimes, whole sheets of paper are crumpled and inserted into the mouth for a period of up to five minutes to form a large spitball that is usually thrown manually.Swirlie
The act of holding the victim upside down with his head in the toilet bowl, and flushing. Typically perpetrated by two or more older, larger individuals, this type of bullying can be dangerous as it can result in the drowning of the victim. Instances of swirling have been prosecuted in courts. More commonly known as bogwashing in the UK and New Zealand, or dunnyDunny
Dunny or dunny can is Australian slang for toilet, either the room or the specific fixture, especially an outhouse or other outdoor toilets. It is often used to specify a distinction between a flushing toilet and a non-flushing toilet...
flushing in Australia.
Towel snap
Also known as a "Towel Whip," "Towel Whipping," a "Rat-Tail," or "Rat-Tailing," the prankster twists a towel along the diagonal (typically dampened to hold its shape), making it into a whipWhip
A whip is a tool traditionally used by humans to exert control over animals or other people, through pain compliance or fear of pain, although in some activities whips can be used without use of pain, such as an additional pressure aid in dressage...
with a towel corner at the tip. The prankster then "snaps" the towel as if cracking a whip, striking the victim with the end tip of the towel and causing pain. This prank is usually performed in communal showers, where wet towels are plentiful and bare skin provides opportunity to maximize the pain inflicted.
Wedgie
A wedgie (sometimes also known as a "gotchie" or "grundy" in Canada or "melvin") is any one of a variety of pranks involving pulling the victim's underwear up so that it wedges between the buttocksButtocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
and may even be performed to the extent that the victim's underpants are torn off. A wedgie may be performed by one attacker, or by a group. On April 6, 2006, Fox News reported on an Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, New York teacher who was arrested for endangering the welfare of a child for giving a 10-year-old pupil a wedgie.
In 2007, eight-year-old second graders Jared and Justin Serovich came up with "wedgie-proof" underwear at the Central Ohio Invention Competition 2007 where their invention got them into the finals.
Wet willy
Usually performed on a sleeping or otherwise unsuspecting person, the perpetrator of a wet willy wets his or her finger with salivaSaliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
and inserts it into the ear of the victim.