When I got the assignment to write this article, it automatically entered my mind as a school assignment. So naturally, I put the assignment deep in the back of my mind and forgot about it. I figured I'd have to write it just like I'd write an essay. But screw that, I'll write this how I want to write it! After all, I am a prankster, and this is one thing that I know I can write well!

What makes good prank call? This question has been asked by pranksters throughout history. Even Alexander Graham Bell had to ponder this question before making his famous call to a local blacksmith about ordering horse shoes to help his grandmother's posture. We ourselves can also determine whether a prank is funny or not by the way we are rolling on the floor laughing, only to rise and find a curious wet spot on the front of out jeans.

Even if that isn't exactly true, there are still ways of finding out what a good call is. This could probably best be done using flowcharts, but I'm an idiot and don't know how to do that. So, I'll explain. Think for a second what your favorite call is. Okay, are you done? Now, let's break it down. How long is it? What kind of voice is being used? How is the victim's reaction? Is there any way you could have made it better?

The first step is to make sure the basic idea is good. Almost every call starts with a pre-call idea. Even the Jerky Boys first thought to themselves "I'll call up this eye doctor with a hindu accent and say that a snake bit my eye!". Simple idea, yet the call came out hilarious! If you toss the basic idea around in your head and think of some twists that could make it hysterical, then there's a good chance that you'll be able to perform the prank just as hysterically as you first envisioned it.

It would be interesting if a prankster would state his basic idea before performing a prank. We could stop the tape after the statement, then think to ourselves about how WE would do the call. You might find that your ideas would go in completely different directions.

Still, one of my favorite parts of a good prank call is when you know that something has just been ad-libbed. When you can tell the prankster said something spontaneously, it gives you an idea about just how funny he can be. This is why I like listening to my own calls so much. I always know when I ad-libbed something and when I didn't. And when I know something funny was ad-libbed, then it's that much more hilarious.

Okay, I think I'm starting to ramble. I could go on forever explain just what is so good about a good prank call! I've given all my favorite opinions on what makes a good call, hopefully this will help you figure out why you like your favorites so much. Maybe one day I'll get some flowchart software and thoroughly explain the whole process, but until then, just laugh at the good, and fast-forward through the bad.