There are a few simple rules required to pull off the perfect prank. Number one, make sure the victim has a good sense of humor. Number two, be prepared to go to full lengths to ensure the quality of the prank. And, most importantly, never be afraid to laugh at yourself because before you know it, retribution will strike.
Pranks are often seen by the unwilling participant as childish or vulgar. I would disagree and call it an art, if done properly. The key to a good prank is finding out what it is that is really going to hit home on the victim. If, for example, you've learned a fear about someone, don't be honor bound not to use that to your advantage. Long ago, I worked in a lab with a man who told us he was afraid of snakes. Over the following six or seven months, snakes were all he saw. We rigged them to pop up whenever he opened a desk drawer, or to pop down and land right in front of his face whenever he reentered a room. Of course, the elemental surprise attacks never go out of style- we would likewise place small firecrackers just within a bunsen burner, only to blast off when the burner was lit.
Take a note from martial artist Jackie Chan, whenever possible, to use the surrounding environment. If, for example, you live someplace hot, car pranks, like peanut butter under the door handles in the midday sun, or vaseline wiped over the headlights (takes forever to clean off and when it's dark out, the headlights are wavy) are excellent tricks. My personal "hot weather" trick favorite is the open can of cat food left on the engine manifolds (the engine will cook it up and the car will eternally smell like old fish!).
Car tricks in general are always good- most people dont know enough about cars to identify something as simple such as a removed distributor cable.
A great rule to live by when doing a prank is to make the prank itself personal. When I was younger, I roomed with a guy who eventually started a "prank war" with me. One day he'd get me by, say, turning the power off when I was using the computer. The next day, I'd pour laundry detergent over his head when he was in the shower (funny as hell- it took him an hour to get it all off and the entire time he was slipping and falling down). As luck would have it, we also worked together in a conrete business. Like I said before, use personal information as an advantage whenever possible. One day, after he had made a large display of how much just a little sand in his shoes can bother him, we were pouring up a slab for a driveway for a rich older lady. He needed to use the bathroom and removed his boots before entering. So I, being the considerate guy I am, took his boots and buried them four feet under wet cement. He was so mad when he came out and I told him where he could find his boots, that he later took my wallet and dropped it into a 14 foot high, 2 foot wide wooden frame we would later turn into a solid post. It took me about a full hour to cut out a piece of the frame, get my wallet, and rebuild the frame.
Now, it's time I told you some of the classics that have been told to me. My father, who I obviously get me mishevious traits from, used to be a master. In his day, he often was told to stay away from weddings and religious events for fear of waterguns or streaking, and even stole and held ransom for his boss's slinky. Appearently, this boss would walk around the office, playing with his slinky all day, rolling it around in his hands as he talked. Well, one day, my dad broke into his office and took the slinky and left in it's place pictures of it being stretched out, threatened to be cut by a set of wire cutters. I don't know for sure how that story ends.
Another famous one comes from none other than the famous Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. himself. Appearently, as a young man, Kurt had friends with the devils streak in them. One buddy of his actually went out and bought a park bench, demanding a receipt. He would then take the bench into the park, and sit for hours until a policeman came by. Then, he would pick up the bench and run like hell. The cop would give chase, obviously thinking the bench was being stolen. Eventually, the cop would catch up and discover that the bench was in fact not stolen, but paid for. The man repeated this trick so many times that, eventually, all the local police knew the trick and left him alone. It was at this point when the man actually stole every bench in the park, the police thinking they belonged to him, and later piled them up in a different location.
These are the guidelines for a perfect prank. Use them well- don't be afraid of consequence, don't be worried about peoples feelings. And, don't be afraid of payback. I grew up all my life watching physical humor, like the Three Stooges, and the one thing I've learned is this- if something is funny whenever it happens to someone else, it should be just as funny if it happens to me. Happy tricking, everyone!