A practical joke or prank is a humorous practice (usually in action, not just in words) in which another person is fooled, annoyed, or embarrassed in what the perpetrator imagines to be a mild and light-hearted fashion. Some types of practical jokes include:
hoaxes, especially ones perpetrated on or by the media (See also: culture jamming).
physical types of practical jokes, such as causing someone to:
forms of mild harassment (ex: soaping someone's windows, decorating their yard with toilet paper, sending them on a snipe hunt).
Practical jokes are features of various kinds of holidays, such as April Fool's Day, Halloween, and in Spanish-speaking cultures, the Day of the Holy Innocents. They also feature in various rites of passage, such as stag nights.
