"I Was Cupped!" - Cupping Prank

This is a classic prank that's easy and annoying as hell.  It was pulled on me a few years ago and I was pissed, but impressed.

In the following steps I will explain how to put together a water-based obstacle that will annoy anyone and everyone and add a few tips for making it really evil.

Step 1: Materials: Cups and Water

I recommend little Dixie cups because I find they make this most annoying, but any plastic cup will do, large or small.  You also need a water source (sink, bucket, bottled water, whatever).  Depending on the size of the area you're going to prank, you may need a lot of cups and a lot of water (i.e. you might have to spend some money).

Step 2: The Prank

Simply stated, fill each cup with water (about half-way is good) and place them close together on the floor of the area you'd like to obstruct.  The closer together, the better.  You should not be able to step between the cups (or at least not easily).  Your prankee should find the set up and look upon it in awe, then quickly switch over to annoyance when they realize they have hundreds of tiny cups of water to dispose of to get to their bedroom/office/bathroom etc.

Step 3: Tips

Though simple, this prank can take a while to set up, so make sure you have the time to pull it off.  If you're caught mid set-up, you'll probably be stuck dumping out the water and disposing of the cups while your prankee glares.  

Friends are helpful and so is a nearby sink.  An assembly line makes this move much faster.

Watch out for doors that open into your prank space and anything else that could knock over the cups.  The goal isn't for your prankee to open their bedroom door and take out two feet of cups.  You'd rather they to try to walk through the cups and THEN knock them over.  Or knock them over while cleaning them up.

Step 4: Tricks

Get creative!  Floors aren't the only surfaces that can be covered, anything that's relatively flat will do.  Cup someone's desk, car, kitchen table/counters, or closet floor.   Remember, the goal is extreme inconvenience!

Make designs or elaborate figures.  Add a prize to the mess (say in the middle of 6 feet of cups) to offset the prank if you want to be nice.

Step 5: Mean Tricks

If you want to be mean (and colorful) fill the cups with colored water or Kool-aid (or dye if you're really bad).  You could also fill the cups with something your prankee wouldn't want to dump down the sink (like good booze).  Of course this would increase the cost of the prank, but it might be worth it.

Prankee have a cat or dog?  Toss an animal into the mix and cups will tip.  

If you can time it, consider punching a pin hole in the bottom of some of the cups.  Leave them be or place a square of paper towel underneath to soak up some of the leakage.  In this prank, nothing says "panic" like leaking cups.

Connect a few cups with a piece of thread (taped to the bottom of the cups).  Your prankee will pick up one cup and empty a handful of them all over the floor.

Comments

[DannyM164]

would it be ok to share this site on face book?

[pcanywii]

you say its easy. its NOT!

[zeratul_mega_freako_fans]

i am going to do this ur awesome *5

[the dashing hero]

naboo fighter!

D

[sparky131313]

You can also put grasshoppers or crickets under the cups. they are easy to catch and if your victim is afraid of bugs it is absolutely hilarious.

[FrozenIce]

wow...... ur evil......u deserve 5 stars.....

[patridged]

Staple the cups together at the top edges for a really evil setup!

[ghicks1]

I've had this style played on me before, and if works great! Besides cleaning up each cup, you are forced to drain each one first!

[Tomasauk]

Three words:
Milk, Old milk

And set it up at night, while they are asleep, because you probably wont get caught.

[lbruketa]

i have an idea that could enhance this prank, tho it would take much more time. especialy for larger areas. Tie all the cups together in a web like patter, that way if any1 tries to step between or move them, they all dump their contents

[brittain123]

i would just jump them and make little clearings by drinking the cups

[Plo Koon]

Truly evil. (Ha! Ha!) >=)

[Plo Koon]

Bathroom would be best, because the victim might try to drink their way through, and if not, the sight of all that water might cause them to have to go more. >=)

[00JAMIEJOHNSON00]

if its a vinyl or concrete floor or something similar, use vegitable oil instead of water and watch them slide

[Derek Vigil]

Thats awesome!

[minioop]

hahahahahahahaha..wow thats mean

[arpoky]

That's cold...

[opticalfx]

Being a janitor working at a CC I want to point out that if anyone did this in the dorms I clean several things would ensue;
1: I'd be cleaning it up, not the student the prank was pulled on.
2:I'd would not be cleaning the bathrooms or taking out the trash that day because I'd be to busy trying to get all the crap up and out of the carpet
3:If no one stepped up and claimed it then the entire hall would be charged for the cost of cleaning/damages

All I'm saying is take a moment and think of who would actually have to clean it up.
And don't forget the janitor has control of the toilet paper.

[legless]

Frankly if this was done in my workplace I'd just go straight to the boss or call him if it impeded my work. If it was done on a concrete or tiled floor and the liquid caused someone to slip and get hurt, it could open up the employer to a lawsuit so someone's head would roll.

If nothing was going to be hurt by it, I would just walk (roll my chair in my case) right over them.

[CyclonicNinja]

if you know your Victim will have to cross the sea of cups within a few minutes of finishing. add glue or some liquid latex (latex gets stuck in fabric big time!) in some cups and add a tripwire so they will fall down.