The best pranksters are the ones who made people laugh with them, not at them — the pioneers of hidden-camera comedy and the masters of the great public hoax. From the fathers of candid-camera TV to the internet's viral wind-ups, the all-time greats share one thing: the pranks were clever and kind, and the reveal always landed. Here's a tour of the icons and the pranks that made them famous.
What Makes a Prankster One of the Best?
It isn't shock value. The pranksters people still talk about decades later nailed four things: a genuinely clever setup, a believable straight face, a target who ended up laughing, and a reveal that turned the whole room warm. Cruel "pranks" get forgotten (or regretted); kind, ingenious ones become legend. For the ground rules, see what is a prank.
The Pioneers of Hidden-camera Comedy
- Allen Funt — creator of Candid Camera (from 1948), the show that invented the hidden-camera prank and gave us "smile, you're on Candid Camera." Every prank channel alive owes him.
- Jeremy Beadle — Britain's king of the elaborate set-up with Beadle's About, staging wonderfully daft scenarios on unsuspecting members of the public.
- Their descendants — decades of hidden-camera shows worldwide built directly on that template.
The Great Media Hoaxers
The biggest pranks of all fooled everyone:
| Year | The prank | Who fell for it |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | The BBC's "spaghetti harvest" film | Viewers who rang in asking where to buy a spaghetti plant |
| 1962 | Sweden's "stretch a nylon stocking over your TV for colour" broadcast | A nation of hopeful viewers |
| 1996 | Taco Bell "buys" the Liberty Bell | Outraged Americans — until the reveal |
More where those came from in our greatest hoaxes in history.
The Internet Era
Hidden-camera comedy moved to the phone in your pocket. The modern prank-video genre — social experiments, wind-ups and reveals filmed for millions — is the direct heir to Candid Camera, just faster and more global. Browse the best of the format in our prank videos vault.
Want to Join Them?
You don't need a film crew. Pull off a believable wind-up with our free tools — a fake text message, a fake tweet or the Fake Broken Screen prank — then reveal it and enjoy the laugh. Not sure who even counts as a prankster? See prankster meaning.
For laughs only. The best pranks are kind — reveal the joke quickly and never genuinely frighten, harm or humiliate anyone.
