Practical Joke

April Fools

The picture above is what Kianni Courtade did to Michael Mesa’s room for an April Fools prank.  April Fools is a day of making pranks and practical jokes.  Kianni first learned that April 1^st was a day to play jokes for a classmate when she was in elementary school.  The joke she played on Michael on April 1, 2008 was not the first time Kianni pulled an April Fools Day joke.

Originally, Kianni wanted to prank someone else, but that person did not seem to be leaving his/her room and since she did not want to waste the supplies she had already purchased, she decided to pull the prank on Michael instead.  Kianni had a friend put tape on the door so the door would not lock when it was closed.  She was surprised that Michael did not notice the tape.  After Michael left, Kianni saran wrapped Michael’s chair, desk, pillows, bed, and dresser.  She placed flower stickers on the walls and strategically placed alarm clocks with different alarm times around the room.  She used pink streamers and put a musical device in one of his drawers so that when he opened his drawer, the music would play.  In addition, Kianni also hid some of Michael’s things.  Michael was shocked when he returned to his room, and later on, Kianni apologized to Michael, who remained a fair sport.

April Fools Day demonstrates how the American culture is one that enjoys pranks and humor, especially at the expense of another person.  The American people enjoy harmless fun.  It is entertaining that Kianni chose pink streamers and flower stickers, which are considered feminine, to put into a male’s room.  The majority of men does not like to own anything feminine, especially anything that makes their room have any hints of feminism; therefore, the prank was funny to spectators, while it was probably embarrassingly funny for Michael to have pink streamers and flower sticks in his room.  The purpose of a practical joke is to make it difficult for the person who the prank was pulled on.  The saran wrap made it extremely difficult for Michael to use anything in his room.  It probably frustrated him that some his possessions had been misplaced.  Having music play when he opened his drawer and having alarm clocks ringing at different odd times must have annoyed Michael.  Practical jokes are supposed to be harmless but also embarrass, frustrate, and annoy the victim, and Kianni was successful.