Birthdays are some of the best days of our lives, and sometimes a well timed prank can make it the best day of everyone’s lives! These little jokes can be really funny, but remember the Beano’s rule number 1 for pranks! If you think that the person might not enjoy the prank, don’t do it! Everyone should be laughing at the end of the prank!

1. Make a mashed potato cake!

Ask for help with this one! When it comes to making a birthday cake, instead of flour sugar and all that nice stuff – make it with mashed potato, and then cover it in icing so the birthday victim doesn’t expect it! Nice!

2. Glitter in a birthday card!

When you make the birthday victim’s birthday card, fill the envelope with glitter and glue it tightly shut, so when they open it glitter goes everywhere! Remember to still write a nice message in there, and of course offer to help hoover up the mess!

3. Put the wrong name in the card!

It’s a simply prank, simply put the wrong name in their birthday card! Maybe they’ve got a silly nickname, or something only Granny calls them? But remember, don’t be rude or mean about it!

4. Fake money in the card!

5. You are the present!

In this prank, you are the present! Find a really big box and hide inside! You’ll need some help to get the birthday victim to fall for it, but all you need to do is wait patiently in the box until the right moment and BAM! Happy Birthday!

6. The endless wrapping prank!

This prank takes quite a long time and a lot of paper, but it’s definitely worth it! Get the birthday victim a real gift, but wrap it in so much paper it takes them ages to get into it! Don’t forget to recycle everything when you’re done, but don’t worry, this prank takes a while, and it ONLY GETS FUNNIER!

7. Pretend you forgot

This is a very easy prank, but remember it only works if you give them a gift and make them feel really special on their special day right after!

8. The big box prank!

The big box prank is a classic. All you need is a small gift, and a HUGE box! They’re gonna think you’ve got them a pony or a new car and them BANG, it’s actually a fridge magnet!

9. Ooops, that’s not your age!

Try out this prank by writing out their birthday card as normal, but get their age completely wrong! Maybe your birthday victim is a bit childish, looks like they’re getting some well-wishes on their 3rd Birthday?!

10. Wrap up their own stuff!

You need to be sneaky the night before their birthday with this prank. All you need to do is borrow one of their things, and re-wrap it up. They’ll be so surprised when they open it up and find out what you’ve done! Don’t forget to get them something else too though!

11. A big box of rocks!

This one is easy and very funny, all you need to do is get a strong box, and fill it with rocks! If you haven’t got any rocks, mud will do just as well, but remember that you’ll have to help clean up if it gets messy! But it’ll be worth it, they’ll be so surprised!

12. The photo of gifts prank!

For this prank to work you need to ‘accidentally’ tell them that you’ve got them a gift, maybe a new Xbox or Scooter. Let them think that you’ve got them a really special gift, and then when it comes to it, give them a photograph of it! Don’t forget to get them a little something for real though, and definitely a nice card too!

13. A surprise party!

It’s the classic prank, and it takes a bit of arranging, but find a place that you can hide the whole family, or even a load of your close friends! Wait till the birthday victim comes downstairs and then suddenly they’re surrounded by their friends and family! The look on their faces will be priceless! Remember though, not everyone likes surprises so think about it first!

14. Change the clocks!

Nobody wants to be late to anything on their birthday, so why not change all the clocks in the house to make it seem like they’ve slept in and wasted their day! Or if it’s a school day, that they’re going to be late for school! Don’t forget to remember what the actual time is though, or you’ll all be late for real!

15. Fill a room with balloons!

You need to have good lungs for this one and it takes a long time to do, especially if you don’t want the birthday victim to find out before it’s ready! All you need to do is blow up loads and loads of balloons and hide them outside their room for when they wake up. They’ll open the door and all they’ll be able to see is balloons! Make sure not to fill up the bathroom though, nobody wants to have an accident! And don’t forget to throw them safely in the bin afterwards!

16. Pretend it’s Christmas!

This one also takes a bit of work and you’ll probably need some help with it! But why not decorate the house with tinsel and stockings the night before they wake up so when the birthday victim wakes up they’re super confused! They’ll think they’ve slept for months! Remember this doesn’t work if their birthday is on Christmas day!

17. Put a toy spider in a box

A lot of people don’t like spiders, so why not hide a toy spider in their present, they’ll probably scream the house down! Until they realise it’s only a toy spider! Make sure your gift isn’t fragile or easy to break, because they might drop it in fear!

18. Replace the bathroom pull-cord with a party popper!

This one takes a bit of practice but it’s a great prank! Tie the piece of string from the party popper to the bathroom pull-cord and wait for them to scare themselves silly! It works best at night when the room is dark and they can’t see what they’re doing. It also helps if you tie the cord up so it’s the normal height, they’ll pull it without even thinking and then BANG!

19. The fake moustache prank!

This is another classic prank but you need to be very very sneaky! Wait till they go to sleep and draw a funny moustache on them, when they wake up they’ll have no idea! Remember to ask an adult for the right kind of pen to use, make-up is a good idea, because they can wash it off once everyone has had a good laugh!

20. Put bubble-wrap under their bedside rug!

You’ll need to be sneaky with this one too, but the night before their birthday when they’re sleeping soundly in their bed, put some bubble wrap under their rug if they have one. When they wake up to get their presents they’ll be really shocked to find the floor popping underneath them!