Prank News - The Art of the Prank

July 17, 2026

Happy Trails To You…

Environmental art. Wiring the great outdoors for unexpected cacophony.

Spooky discovery on mysterious Mount Shasta after horseback riders follow ‘apocalyptic’ sounds: ‘Summoning something’, by Ben Cost, New York Post, June 26, 2026.

Are they the horsewomen of the apocalypse?

A California woman was left shaken after discovering the eerie source of some “apocalyptic” sounds she heard on Mount Shasta. They detailed these anomalous finds in a series of videos going viral on Facebook.

Karrie Ann Snure and her daughter Jordan had been horseback riding in the area when they heard a creepy screeching noise blaring throughout the trees. Curious, the pair investigated and went off the path and into some nearby brush, whereupon they found a patch of solar-powered Bluetooth speakers jutting up from the dirt.

“This is straight apocalyptic,” Snure declared. “Someone is summoning something here.” Read the whole article here.

July 17, 2026July 17, 2026

Prank Artists or ___ Artists? You Decide

A production budget between $2.5 million and $5 million changes the dynamic from a Yes Men corporate prank to something entirely different.

Here are two articles, one day apart, about Northland Tales, an unscripted prank comedy series, produced by the Yes Men’s Igor Ramos (and others) and financed through CBC, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, and the Indigenous Screen Office. The show purported to use pranks for “social action” to address “historical injustices.”

When two interviewees, Frances Widdowson and Lindsay Shepherd, separately expressed concerns about the truthfulness of their interviewers, CBC paused production. Frances Widdowson, sensing something was “off” during her interview, live streamed it to social media (see below).

Article #1:
CBC pausing production on satirical Indigenous show, by Mark Gollom, CBC News, May 20, 2026.

Article #2:
The CBC’s Northland Tales scandal isn’t about bad taste—it’s about what happens when public money funds deception, by The Hub, May 21, 2026.

Frances Widdowson’s live stream in the middle of her interview with “Mike Smith” (aka Igor Vamos of the Yes Men):

April 1, 2026

Gothamist covers Joey Skaggs’ 41st Annual April Fools’ Day Parade

New York City’s greatest pranks, from fantastical parades to a phony Mets star, by Samantha Max, Gothamist, April 1, 2026

Trump’s Military Parade at the 33rd Annual April Fools’ Day Parade

Artist and activist Joey Skaggs has been inviting members of the New York City media to his annual April Fools’ Day parade along Fifth Avenue since 1986.

Press releases archived on Skaggs’ website describe the event as an attempt to “bring people back in touch with their inherent foolishness” and celebrate “the public’s right to laugh in the face of authority.” Past parades have included a President Donald Trump look-alike contest and a Y2K-themed end-of-the-world party. This year’s press release invites participants to ponder “what’s real and what’s not” at a parade led by the president himself, followed by a screening of the “Melania mockumentary” and a reading of all redacted names in the Jeffrey Epstein files, other than victims.

Read the rest of the article here.

April 1, 2026

Joey Skaggs’ Cathouse for Dogs Turns 50!

50 years ago on April 1, 1976, in response to a subpoena issued by the New York State Attorney General, Joey Skaggs revealed that his Cathouse for Dogs (doggy bordello) was a satirical media performance hoax.

April 1, 2026April 1, 2026

Google Maps Hack Leads to Hilarious Phone Mishap

Hello? Is this the White House or Epstein Island?

Fact Check: Did White House Phone Number Show ‘Epstein Island’ on Android Devices? Here’s What Happened as Google Fixed the Glitch’ by Amreen Ahmad, Sunday Guardian, March 28, 2026.

Android users briefly saw the White House number labeled “Epstein Island” due to a Google Maps edit glitch. Google quickly fixed the issue.

Epstein Island Glitch: A surprising caller ID glitch briefly stirred confusion after some Android users reported that the official White House phone number appeared as “Epstein Island.” Perhaps this odd tagline, which was initially discovered by journalists at The Washington Post, virally disseminated on social media, raising concerns about the accuracy of the data, the susceptibility of platforms and the way that digital listings can shape people. Read the whole article here.