10 Last-Minute DIY Gag Gifts Anyone Can Pull Off

Everyone loves a good laugh now and then, and what better way to get the good times rolling than with a funny gag gift? Whether you’re planning a prank for April Fool’s Day or you’ve simply decided to spice up the next gift-giving occasion with a little mischief, we’ve put together a list of easy DIY gags that anyone can pull off. Some of them take a few days of planning, but others can be thrown together in minutes. Keep reading to find the perfect DIY for you!

1 - Goofy Gift Card

Send Them a Silly E-Gift Card for a Prank That Turns Into a Real Gift

Text or email an egift card in just a few clicks

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First up on our list is the prank gift card. Wait, you might be thinking, that sounds like a huge waste of money! And if you got someone a funny physical gift card, it definitely would be. Luckily in the age of the internet, digital gift cards let you enjoy the laughs from gifting a loved one a silly gift card, but they can also exchange it for a digital gift card they would actually use in just a couple of clicks. 

Or at least, you can exchange in just a couple of clicks with GiftYa. GiftYa also offers plenty of other benefits for gag gifters and gag giftees, but we’ll keep it short. You can customize with a wacky photo or funny video clip before you send your gift, plus there are multiple ways for your recipient to cash it in.

But what kind of gift card would actually be a good gag? Here are a couple of ideas to jog your creativity:

• Buy a Dogtopia gift card for a friend who owns a cat 
• Send a Carters Babies and Kids gift card to the teen in your life that’s about to hit the big one-eight
• Grab a Blue Apron gift card for the home chef who doesn’t need any meal prep help

And when it’s all said and done, they can exchange it for an Amazon gift card, Target gift card, or any of the thousands of other national and local brands in the catalog. 

Text or email an egift card in just a few clicks

2 - Potato Parcel

Turn the Least Exciting But Most Beloved Vegetable into a Funny Gag Gift

For a plain-looking tuber, potatoes get a lot of attention. From Tolkein’s heroic sidekick Samwise Gamgee demandingto boil ‘em, mash ‘em, or stick ‘em in a stew to Jane Austen’s Mr. Collins award dinner conversation (“Boiled potatoes… many years since I’ve had such an exemplary vegetable”) potatoes have had our attention as a culture for centuries.

Sure, they’re delicious and nutritious, but now they can make a great gag gift, too. Potato Parcel burst onto the scene a few years back with the promise to send anyone you want an anonymous potato (lol), but considering you can get a 10lb bag of potatoes for a couple of bucks at any grocery store, transforming an ordinary potato into a gag gift is a cost-effective way to prank everyone on your list… and give them the perfect side dish for their next steak dinner, to boot.

3 - Glitter Bomb

Give the Gift That Just Keeps Giving, No Matter How Many Times You Try to Vacuum It Up

Fair warning: While nobody will be that upset about having to exchange a gift card or incorporate a versatile spud into their dinner plans at the end of a prank, this next gag gift might burn a few bridges. And we highly recommend that you don’t use it on anyone who lives in your house.

Beloved by middle children acting out everywhere, glitter is perhaps the most annoying substance on earth. Once it’s on something, there’s no getting it off. Not for a really long time and a lot of washes, anyway. So if you really want to get someone good with your gag gift, a glitter bomb is an effective option.

There are companies out there that will do the dirty work so you don’t have to, like Ship Your Enemies Glitter. The name speaks for itself, doesn’t it? 

But if you think your relationship with your loved one can withstand the lingering sparkles that will remind them of your gag for the next several years, it’s pretty easy to make a DIY glitter bomb too. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Some tissue paper
• Glitter of your choice
• Glue stick
• Card

Once your supplies are gathered, carefully craft a pouch from the tissue paper and seal the glitter inside. Glue it inside of the card – it should be glued to both sides so that when the card is opened, the pouch rips open and rains glitter down upon the unsuspecting lap/lawn/car/table below.

Check out the video above for a walkthrough of the whole process.

4 - Real Gift in a Prank Box

Surprise Them with a Gag Gift, and Then Surprise Them Again with the Real One

Nobody wants to get a game called Hay in a Needle Stack or an exciting video game called Extreme Chores, and luckily for people everywhere those products don’t actually exist. But the packaging for them does! If you want to go the store bought route, you can simply buy prank packaging for your gift. 

But if you’re feeling crafty, you can also put your own spin on it. Here are a few ideas:

• Poke air holes in the box and place danger stickers on it to build suspense
• Try the classic infinite unwrap gag – wrap your gift, then wrap it again in a slightly large box, and then again in a slightly larger box, until you ultimately have a huge parcel for a pretty small present
• Tape it shut, and we mean really tape it shut – there should be no un-taped inch of wrapping paper for the eye to see
• Freeze your gift in a block of ice. This works great for gift cards, cold hard cash, and other waterproof items. But you can also seal a less waterproof gift in a plastic bag before freezing it too

5 - Emergency Kit

Create a Funny Gift Basket with “Practical” Gifts for 

This gag gift is all about leaning into stereotypes. It works best for big milestones – 50th birthdays, bridal showers, heading off to college, and so on. All you have to do is put together a bag with essentials to help your gift recipient survive that stage in life. 

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

• Over the Hill: Advil for those aches and pains, hair dye, windup teeth for “spare parts”
• Bridal Shower: Ear plugs, wine glass, air freshener, chili powder (for heat)
• College: Smarties candy, ramen, calendar with days marked to call home to mom

6 - World’s Greatest Mullet Calendar

Create Your Own Calendar Dedicated to the Iconic Hairstyle

Whether they’re wall calendars or tear of calendars, these simple planning tools have lots of pranking potential. Why? Your gift recipient will see them every day for a year, and it’s also not a huge investment to buy or make a funny calendar. We think this mullet-themed calendar is particularly iconic, but there are plenty of other options out there.

Find an idea you like? You don’t have to shell out the cash to have it shipped to you. It’s pretty easy to DIY a calendar – just print off your images and free monthly calendar sheets back to back, or send them to be professionally bound at your local office supply store.

Bonus points if you dig up some old pictures of your gift recipient’s glorious former mullet to be the star of the show.

7 - Earthquake Detector

Simple and Adorable DIY Gag Gift

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The trouble with pranks and gags is that sometimes they can get out of hand. You don’t have to worry about that with this simple and adorable DIY gift. This “earthquake detection device” is perfect for anyone who lives in an earthquake-prone area, or honestly even just for people who love a cute googly eye face.

You’ll need:

• Two googly eyes
• Something to stick them on

Using a piece of cardboard with a brief explanation of the gift is the easiest, but you can also stick them to a rock, a piece of wall art, or anything else you like.

8 - Dumb Smartphone

The Perfect Gag Gift for People Who Want to Unplug

Know someone who is always talking about how they need to unplug but never actually does? Help them stick to their own ideals when you make them this funny (and easy) DIY gift. All you’ll need to get started is a piece of wood or cardboard. 

Then have fun adding features to serve as low-tech substitutes for smartphone features:

• Tiny compass from the dollar store for GPS
• Small mirror for selfie
• Hand with numbered fingers drawn on for calculator

Don’t be afraid to get creative!

9 - Old School Spider Box Gag Gift

Spook them with a Surprise Spider When they Reach for Their Gift

Rubber snakes and plastic spiders are go-to gags for many pranksters, so why not incorporate them into your gag gift too? The premise is simple – just connect a plastic spider to the lid of your gift box so that it “jumps out” when they open their gift. If you don’t feel like rigging it up yourself, you can also pick one up online for just a couple of dollars.

10 - Funny TP

It Might Be a “Crappy” Gift, But at Least It’s Funny Too!

Bodily functions have always been a staple in humor, and that includes funny gifts. With the pandemic TP shortage well over and done with, it shouldn’t be too much trouble to sacrifice a roll for this DIY gag. Sure, you can order a roll with a funny message, but it’s also easy to get the same idea across at home.

Just grab a piece of cardstock for your message, or throw your roll of TP into a clear cellophane gift back and prepare to write your message on the packaging. Here are a few ideas:

• Holy 💩, you’re 30!
• Just in case the [insert sports team here] play like 💩!
• You’re the 💩!
• Here’s your crappy gift!
• Thanks for putting up with my 💩

This one may not be everyone’s style, but it’s definitely an easy DIY!

There you have it – some great DIY gag gifts anyone can pull off, even at the last minute.

From classic to creative, we have covered plenty of quick and easy gags to get your creativity going. Have an awesome idea that you don’t see on this list? Drop us a line – we’re always looking for new ideas and recommendations to refresh our articles!

And don’t forget – whether it’s for a last-minute prank or any other last-minute gifting occasion, GiftYa carries thousands of local and national brands for you to choose from. Stop by and check out the whole catalog sometime.

Until then, happy pranking!