In 1974, panic erupted in the sleepy town of Sitka, Alaska. Once just a big piece of ice, it’s since melted and is now home to just over 8,000 people. Accessible only by air and sea, the place is relatively drama free. But on this particular morning, emergency services were inundated with calls from panicked residents. 

They’d woken to a plume of black smoke rising from the Mt Edgecumbe volcano, which lies about 16 miles away. The volcano was considered dormant, having last spewed lava more than 4,000 years ago. So it’s only natural, people would be freaking out.

As they continued to frantically alert firefighters and police, the Coast Guard sent out a helicopter to investigate. But when the pilot hovered over the crater, he noticed something strange. Where was the lava? Upon closer inspection, he saw a huge pile of charred black tires. And then, the words APRIL FOOL spray-painted boldly across the snow next to them.

Proof that some people will, quite literally, go to great heights to pull off a good prank.

The epic practical joke was the work of a local prankster, Oliver “Porky” Bickar. He’d spent three years planning his prank, collecting hundreds of old tires, gallons of kerosene and other equipment. Bickar enlisted the help of a helicopter pilot and some friends. They flew to the volcano, did the deed and casually left.

While he did make international news, “Porky” didn’t get into trouble for his shenanigans because he’d informed police of his plans beforehand. He’d just forgotten to let the Coast Guard know. Oops!

And once the town realized they’d been tricked, most people erupted into laughter.

As "Porky" proved, a well-played prank can elicit feelings of panic, fear, irritation and even anger in the moment but we will often look back on them afterwards and have a good giggle.

“Pranks can seed inside jokes that friends and groups share and remember forever. They are frequently part of reminiscing, and when recalled decades later, participants are likely to be amused and laugh all over again,” wrote Dr. Kathleen Pike, a Professor of Psychology and Director of the Global Mental Health WHO Collaborating Centre at Columbia University.

Dr. Joseph Polimeni is an internationally recognized expert in the science of humor. In an exclusive interview with Bored Panda, he said people have probably been pranking each other for tens of thousands of years. 

“Pranks are a form of humor. In fact, the proposed cognitive structure of humor can be nicely demonstrated inside most pranks. Humor requires two disparate views of one social situation, with at least one view containing a social violation,” he said. 

“So, for example, my children, during their grade school years, once planted a plastic mouse in a cupboard to scare their mother. This scenario created two social views of one situation: 1) the perception that a real mouse was in the cupboard and 2) there was just a piece of plastic in the cupboard. The social violation pertains to an attempt to unnecessarily scare another person.” 

I asked Polimeni what possessed people to pull someone’s else’s leg. “The possible psychological motivations to invent a prank are varied and unique to each prank. Many pranks could be a gentle reminder that the target of the prank is not as socially powerful as they may portray,” he said. “Humor is often used as a playful way to broach potentially contentious social problems between people. Sometimes a prank is completely innocent and simply a gesture of friendship, solely reflecting a willingness to play.”

Many psychologists agree that practical jokes are a subtle form of “play-fighting” and research shows we tend to prank those we are closest to. 

Pike explains it this way: “Pranks are an investment in a relationship and pulling off a good prank takes planning, imagination, and effort.”

Pike believes practical jokes can actually be beneficial to families. “When done well, practical jokes connect people and promote a sense of closeness in the relationship," she explained. "When pranks make us laugh together, we are likely to report elevated levels of affection and bonding for one another. The shared moments of surprise and laughter create environments that build trust, break down barriers, and promote teamwork.”

And while we don’t need to be as elaborate as “Porky” and take years to plan them, there are plenty of hilarious and harmless pranks to pull on the people you love.

One of my friends has a 23-year-old son who is on a mission to turn his body into a walking work of art. A moving Sistine Chapel, if you will… He currently has 18 tattoos - and counting. And she’s okay with that. Afterall, she also has a few. Albeit only four small ones. When it comes to getting inked, she only has one rule for her grown up child: “no face tattoos or I’ll kick you out of the house”.

Not too long ago, her son went for his umpteenth tattoo. He arrived back home while my friend was in the middle of a (remote) work meeting and flashed his newly inked arm. He’d had the words “Respect, Trust, Loyalty” etched forever into his skin. She silently gestured how much loved it and continued her meeting. 

Her son then casually removed his cap, to reveal the words TRUST emblazoned across his forehead in big, bold letters. Needless to say, my friend’s meeting came to an abrupt halt as she flew out of the chair and lunged towards him, shouting profanities that we’d rather not repeat here. 

My friend later told me it took her about ten seconds to realize she’d been pranked and another one minute to fully calm down. Today, they laugh about it “all the time”.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word “prank” has been around since the late 1500s. But back then, it had a much more sinister meaning to what we know today.

The dictionary states: “A prank was once more serious than it is now, not a practical joke nor a piece of mischief but rather some wicked or malicious act. For example, the 17th-century biblical commentator John Trapp described a person’s murder of their brother and sister as ‘lewd pranks’.”

Nowadays, a prank is defined as “a trick that is played on someone as a joke”. But experts warn modern pranks can still be sadistic in nature. It all depends on the motivation of the prankster - and the harm caused. 

“The more serious prank failures occur when the prankster’s intent is flawed from the start. In these situations, the practical jokes aren’t jokes at all. They are mean-spirited forms of social aggression, bullying, harassment, and exclusion,” said Pike. 

“When humor is used skillfully, it can serve as a non-aggressive reminder that one may have a different opinion or perspective about a certain social question,” said Polimeni. 

“However, pranks can often be selfish since they frequently provide a disproportionate sense of pleasure for the creators of the prank, and usually less joy for the target. Having said this, some individuals enjoy the attention, especially if the prank is mostly harmless,” he added.