Life finds a way

August 27, 2013 4:33 PM

This is the greatest practical joke of all time...(via io9.com)
posted by Renoroc (87 comments total)

Apparently he was too frightened to notice the camera operators, let alone the human legs sticking out of the bottom of the costume.

I also disagree with an act being called a "great prank" when it involves scaring the mortal shit out of somebody - I'd call it "rank assholery" instead. There'd probably be lawsuits if it happened (and got televised) in the US.
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:51 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

Actually, on second viewing, I'd call it "staged".
posted by Greg_Ace at 4:51 PM on August 27, 2013 [16 favorites]

Must go faster...
posted by ShutterBun at 4:51 PM on August 27, 2013 [3 favorites]

I'd call it "rank assholery" instead

Lighten up. This is par for the course in Japan.
posted by ShutterBun at 4:53 PM on August 27, 2013 [4 favorites]

Tough crowd here. That's the funniest thing I've seen this week.
posted by downing street memo at 4:56 PM on August 27, 2013 [10 favorites]

I prefer my pranks subtler, like a fine scotch.
posted by Navelgazer at 4:57 PM on August 27, 2013 [24 favorites]

I would have had to be all "Who's a good raptor? Who's a good little predator?" and scratch it under the chin. Culture jamming FTW.
posted by Samizdata at 4:58 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

Direct link to the YouTube clip, from which we learn there are more raptors !!!
posted by filthy light thief at 4:59 PM on August 27, 2013

I liked it better when it scared the kids.
posted by Kabanos at 4:59 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

Someday someone is going to do something like this to a person who is legally carrying a concealed weapon, and one of the pranksters is going to wind up dead.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 4:59 PM on August 27, 2013 [3 favorites]

This kind of killed my this is what a ceremonial first pitch in baseball looks like in Japan post. Damn.
posted by phaedon at 4:59 PM on August 27, 2013 [6 favorites]

"Tough crowd here. That's the funniest thing I've seen this week."

Really? I know the truth?fiction thread is thataway, but I want to ask how it could be funny to you if you know that it's staged. Like, er, all comedic narrative, ever. What is funny? Why is funny?

How is funny formed?
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:01 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Being chased by an "actual velociraptor" would be kind of like being chased by an "actual chicken," wouldn't it?
posted by koeselitz at 5:02 PM on August 27, 2013 [4 favorites]

I'd be all like, holy shit, run!, it's a velociraptor from the parallel universe where velociraptors didn't have feathers! Fuck, what if there's a Jessica Rabbit, too?
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:03 PM on August 27, 2013 [4 favorites]

Curse you, koeselitz.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 5:03 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Suggested for further reading: a relevant AskMe containing a long series of self-described pranks pulled by Mefites in high school, some of which are quite brilliant and funny.
posted by mosk at 5:07 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Being chased by an "actual velociraptor" would be kind of like being chased by an "actual chicken," wouldn't it?

In much the same way that climbing in bed with a wolf wearing Grandma's jammies would be like climbing in bed with Grandma.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:09 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

See also Trigger Happy TV's version of this!
posted by yaymukund at 5:17 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

It's all fun and games until someone has a heart attack.
posted by arcticseal at 5:18 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

Look, you can easily outrun it, I mean the costume is damn heavy and he can only go so fast, so when he's chasing you, fall down 2 or 3 times so he can stay close, OK?

And...action!
posted by davebush at 5:28 PM on August 27, 2013 [3 favorites]

I liked it better when it scared the kids.

So did I!
posted by ActingTheGoat at 5:33 PM on August 27, 2013

Got all excited to see someone being scared by a raptor. Was disappointed.
posted by rtha at 5:35 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

There was also that dinosaur at the job interview that was going around a while back. I couldn't find a good video, but I did find this.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 5:35 PM on August 27, 2013

This is practically the Mona Lisa of pranks. I've pulled a few decent ones in my lifetime, but I would be able to retire from pranking forever if I ever got to do something like this.

A prank is always assholery at some level, but the trick is to only pull them on people who would be more than happy to pull the same thing on you - ideally close friends and loved ones. If I chased a friend down a hallway dressed as a velociraptor, I would be profoundly disappointed if I didn't end up being shaken awake at 3:00 am by a living skeleton a month later.
posted by Joey Michaels at 5:38 PM on August 27, 2013 [11 favorites]

I liked it better when it scared the kids.

Pssshhht. Why scare kids with a dinosaur when you can scare them with a zombie?
posted by webmutant at 5:42 PM on August 27, 2013

Someday someone is going to do something like this to a person who is legally carrying a concealed weapon, and one of the pranksters is going to wind up dead.

DE-FANG THE RAPTOR
posted by turbid dahlia at 5:46 PM on August 27, 2013 [8 favorites]

Man, I wish I had one of these suits. Not for scaring people, but just because they're cool.

The natural history museum in LA has "Dinosaur Encounters" featuring a feathery little T. rex. Fun stuff.
posted by brundlefly at 5:48 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

There was also that dinosaur at the job interview that was going around a while back. I couldn't find a good video, but I did find this.

Here it is.
posted by brundlefly at 5:54 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Someday someone is going to do something like this to a person who is legally carrying a concealed weapon, and one of the pranksters is going to wind up dead.

Knowing Japan, it'll probably be a counter-prank to another prank. Because there was actually a prank on Japanese TV that was a fake sniper attack.
posted by FJT at 5:55 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

And not to pick on Japan only, there's also this prank on Brazilian TV that involves having a Ringu-girl appear in an elevator and scream at the rider.
posted by FJT at 5:58 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

Chocolate Pickle: "Someday someone is going to do something like this to a person who is legally carrying a concealed weapon, and one of the pranksters is going to wind up dead."

Or kicked in the face.
posted by the_artificer at 6:04 PM on August 27, 2013 [3 favorites]

Or kicked in the face.

Watching that kick to the face multiple times, I see the runner notices the kick coming and tries to use a hand to block and also turned his face away. But, the face turn is what causes the kick to land squarely on the nose, instead of like on his cheek.
posted by FJT at 6:10 PM on August 27, 2013

Hmmmm, I wonder if they'd lend that to me for Halloween this year... Just one night, I promise I'll return it on Nov. 1!
posted by wenestvedt at 6:20 PM on August 27, 2013

Someday someone is going to do something like this to a person who is legally carrying a concealed weapon, and one of the pranksters is going to wind up dead.

God, I hope it's one of the Janoskians.

(I say one, but really, more than one of them would also be very welcome.)
posted by Naberius at 6:25 PM on August 27, 2013

You know what's a great way to make people love something they haven't seen yet? Really aggressively oversell it, then disappoint them.
posted by DU at 6:35 PM on August 27, 2013 [4 favorites]

Um, I like to joke about Bear Grylls style wilderness documentaries glossing over the fact that there is also a cameraman going through the same shit, but there is literally a cut in this video where the camera is suddenly shoulder to shoulder with the velociraptor costume. I think the dude's legs sticking out under the costume are the least of the things the scared man should be noticing.
posted by lucidium at 6:35 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

The weirdest thing about this is that I seriously did not notice the pair of human legs sticking out until the end of the video. And I'm not even panicked like that guy was.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:38 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

I prefer my pranks subtler, like a fine scotch.

Oh for crying. Where DO they find these completely unobservant people?
posted by DU at 6:38 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

For those wondering why the guy didn't notice the cameraman running alongside - this is shot inside a TV studio building, so having cameras around would not be that unusual.
posted by Metro Gnome at 6:54 PM on August 27, 2013

Um...they don't exist? Isn't anyone over the age of 6 going to just laugh?
posted by jimmythefish at 6:54 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Oh for crying. Where DO they find these completely unobservant people?

Have you *been* out in public lately?
posted by jeremias at 6:55 PM on August 27, 2013 [4 favorites]

DU: are you referring to the people surprised by a The Ring-type creepy little girl around the corner in a hotel hallway, or the ones trying to figure out why the mirror doesn't work?
posted by Navelgazer at 6:59 PM on August 27, 2013

Someday someone is going to do something like this to a person who is legally carrying a concealed weapon, and one of the pranksters is going to wind up dead.

I guess I can imagine that happening, but I hope most concealed carry permit holders don't just shoot anything that startles them and ask themselves the basic questions: Am I in danger of immediate and grave bodily harm? and Has my assailant been extinct since the cretaceous period?
posted by justkevin at 7:19 PM on August 27, 2013 [5 favorites]

If you long for a raptorsuit of your very own, I saw this beauty in use at Dragoncon 2011. Clever cosplayer!
posted by nicebookrack at 7:23 PM on August 27, 2013

Thanks, nicebookrack. saw that one but didn't get a photo. You going this year?
posted by radwolf76 at 7:28 PM on August 27, 2013

Greatest prank?!!! Come on! Its so fake and staged that the prank part is getting everyone to laugh at it.
posted by TheLittlePrince at 7:29 PM on August 27, 2013

koeselitz: "Being chased by an "actual velociraptor" would be kind of like being chased by an "actual chicken," wouldn't it?"

I've seen some shit.
posted by jquinby at 7:40 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Clever girl. Came stumbling most unmenacingly right down the hallway.
posted by Camofrog at 7:51 PM on August 27, 2013

For my money, this is the greatest prank-turned-into-sudden-violence-against-a-costumed-person video.

I don't understand at all what is happening in the video with the guy who gets kicked in the face. Is that like a German reform school?
posted by Mid at 7:51 PM on August 27, 2013

From the comments at i09, this one would scare the shit out of me.
posted by crossoverman at 7:55 PM on August 27, 2013 [3 favorites]

For my money, this yt is the greatest prank-turned-into-sudden-violence-against-a-costumed-person video.


Similarly
posted by ActingTheGoat at 8:10 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Staged? Staged. STAGED. STAAAAAGGGGEEEEEEDDDD!!!!!!!!!!
posted by localroger at 8:18 PM on August 27, 2013

Oh for crying. Where DO they find these completely unobservant people?

Everyone saw the guy in the gorilla suit walk past in the background, right?
posted by figurant at 8:36 PM on August 27, 2013 [3 favorites]

Were the velociraptors tossing a ball back and forth?
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 8:38 PM on August 27, 2013 [5 favorites]

Why is he running? Throw a saddle on it and ride that sucker and be completely freaking awesome. At least until your lunch break is over.
posted by srboisvert at 8:40 PM on August 27, 2013

What show is that? I have seen a ton of clips from that show and it looks hilarious. My favorite one was the ski lodge where they launched people down the mountain.
posted by gucci mane at 9:04 PM on August 27, 2013

Halloween is coming and I need to know how to get this gigantic velociraptor costume.

I also need to work on my Monster Calls because the usual GRAR HARRGH ain't gonna cut it.
posted by cmyk at 9:08 PM on August 27, 2013

I prefer my pranks subtler , like a fine scotch.
posted by Navelgazer at 7:57 PM on August 27 [9 favorites +] [!]


Thanks, those are great.
posted by anothermug at 9:24 PM on August 27, 2013

Ivan, I'm gonna give you some simple but important advice.

Fuck, what if there's a Jessica Rabbit, too?

RUN TO HER.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:29 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

From the comments at i09, this one would scare the shit out of me.

A classic. I like the contrast between the people getting the living shit scared out of them, and the heh-heh avuncular laugh of the host of the show.
posted by anothermug at 9:34 PM on August 27, 2013

For my money, this is the greatest prank-turned-into-sudden-violence-against-a-costumed-person.

There's the classic scary snowman one, too.
posted by anothermug at 9:38 PM on August 27, 2013

These guys are the undisputed prank champions for my money, if only for their consistently good output.

(although I also loves me some Improv everywhere)
posted by Popular Ethics at 9:41 PM on August 27, 2013 [9 favorites]

And not to pick on Japan only, there's also this prank yt on Brazilian TV that involves having a Ringu-girl appear in an elevator and scream at the rider.

I met Kyra Schon about a year back (went through a haunted house with her, actually) -- she was the little girl in the original Night of the Living Dead, and this image of her was on hundreds of covers of reissues of the film. I asked her if she sees all these films nowadays of little, pale-skinned, blank-eyed girls with their hair covering their face that appear in movies nowadays and thinks "Well, there I am again."

"Yes I do," she said.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 9:52 PM on August 27, 2013 [6 favorites]

"I asked her if she sees all these films nowadays of little, pale-skinned, blank-eyed girls with their hair covering their face that appear in movies nowadays and thinks "Well, there I am again." "Yes I do," she said."

[An extemporaneous exegesis on the dualistic horror/appeal of this little-girl archetype of evil and innocence, with investigation of latent sexualization and its relationship to the traditional western dichotomy of femininity, in conjunction with physical immaturity, and within the context of notions of the capacity for good and evil in relationship to the moral development of children. Mythical malicious tricksters; projection, externalization, sublimation of a buried self that would pull wings from flies; transgression is alluring and terrifying.]
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 10:37 PM on August 27, 2013 [2 favorites]

Shouldn't this be "via YouTube?"

The fact that this is fake really ruins it for me. They didn't really even try to make it look real. The stuff like the guy gets chased by flash mob, ski slope massage chair, sky launch port-o-potty, those are good genuine fun, and the illusion never actually gets shattered.
posted by GoingToShopping at 11:18 PM on August 27, 2013

I think this has a lot to do with the magnificence that is Jurassic Park, but if I ever saw a velociraptor turn a corner in an office building, I would first shit myself and only then come to my senses.
posted by phaedon at 11:57 PM on August 27, 2013 [1 favorite]

Apparently he was too frightened to notice the camera operators, let alone the human legs sticking out of the bottom of the costume.

About ten years ago at some top-tier natural history museum (Chicago or DC, I think) there was one of these suits in operation around the main floor hallways, I think as a promo for an animated dinos exhibit, which were a burgeoning draw in the field at the time.

Differing in that deployment from this, the operator's legs were clad in stagehand black jeans. In essence, these are lifesize muppets which benefit from the skill of the operator.

I watched the one with the black legged puppeteer inside for damn near an hour. It was easily fifteen minutes before I noticed the legs. It was fucking awesome. I have seen a dinosaur walk the halls of one of America's great museums, thrilling children and adults and only occasionally provoking tears. It was literally incredible.

I have an early digital-camera movie of it, even! Alas, not online.
posted by mwhybark at 12:06 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

Popular Ethics: "These guys are the undisputed prank champions for my money, if only for their consistently good output."

Okay, lost it at the pink elephant/police prank. That's delightfully evil.
posted by brokkr at 1:23 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

There was an interesting comment on Reddit about how often on this type of TV prank show, they get the prankee to "re-do" their reaction if it wasn't good enough the first time (e.g. if they immediately see the cameraman/human legs and go "oh it's a costume"). Apparently even though everyone knows the reactions are often fake, they still find them entertaining.
Not sure how accurate the comment is, but it makes interesting reading.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:26 AM on August 28, 2013

Hmmm...they used the T-Rex "train whistle" sound effect in the video, instead of the raptor's "Squawk". This may not be legit.
posted by ShutterBun at 3:35 AM on August 28, 2013

These guys are the undisputed prank champions for my money

I spent a couple of afternoons looking for old "Candid Camera" clips on YouTube, and always ended up watching clips of that show. And yep, they are nothing if not prolific, and usually pretty consistent (if a bit broad). I guess this doesn't exactly sound like high praise, but it was enough to keep me watching for at least a couple of hours straight, so there's that.

For more "shit that would get people sued in the U.S." from Japan, check out 100 vs 1
posted by ShutterBun at 3:40 AM on August 28, 2013

On further research I have to agree with those who claim this video is fake. Velociraptors actually went extinct hundreds of years ago.
posted by ShutterBun at 4:58 AM on August 28, 2013 [5 favorites]

Because genuinely scaring people and risking giving them a heart attack is just so hi-fucking-larious. I really hate thoughtless, sniggering shit like this, but not as much as I hate the irresponsible fools who think it's funny to take chances with people's stress-levels and responses.
posted by Decani at 5:03 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

A prank is always assholery at some level

Not really. It doesn't have to scare the fuck out of someone. It just has to be confusing and amusing.
posted by pracowity at 5:54 AM on August 28, 2013

These guys are the undisputed prank champions for my money, if only for their consistently yt good yt output yt .

Just for Laughs Gags are kind of hit and miss, in my finding, and sometimes wander into the easy and mean-spirited range. That being said, the bicycle race at the "consistently" link is up there with this one as the kind of thing I would do with my time and money if I had their resources at my disposal. These both are beyond the range of any one person to pull off, and meet pracowity's definition of "just has to be confusing and amusing."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:02 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

Ivan Fyodorovich: “I'd be all like, holy shit, run!, it's a velociraptor from the parallel universe where velociraptors didn't have feathers! Fuck, what if there's a Jessica Rabbit, too?”

Heh. Well, and my own main point was that velociraptors were generally two or three feet tall. They were still carnivores, but being chased by a velociraptor would be kind of like being chased by an eagle with legs instead of wings. It might be slightly scary – I mean, being chased by geese about the same size is scary, I know – but kicking the thing would probably be an effective defense.

Yeah, it's sad, and there were probably dinosaurs that were legitimately terrifying, but velociraptors themselves are a bit underwhelming overall, I think.
posted by koeselitz at 7:29 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

Yeah, it's sad, and there were probably dinosaurs that were legitimately terrifying, but velociraptors themselves are a bit underwhelming overall, I think.

Just substitute "deinonychus" or "utahraptor" in your head whenever anybody says "velociraptor". While deinonychus is only about as big as a large wolf (~160 lbs), unlike a wolf, deinonychus can bite and claw you with its foot claws at the same time. Also, it can give you a terrifying hug while biting and clawing you.
posted by Pyry at 9:31 AM on August 28, 2013 [2 favorites]

Pull that shit in Florida, son. I ain't scurred uh no Velociraptor.
posted by basicchannel at 9:53 AM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

You want terrifying? Therizinosaurus is my current favorite dinosaur. 40 feet long, 8 foot arms, and the largest claws of any animal ever (+3 feet). Just be glad it was herbivorous.
posted by brundlefly at 11:24 AM on August 28, 2013

Herbivorous animals may not eat you, but they can still mess you up real good. I'll just be glad it's extinct.
posted by Greg_Ace at 1:03 PM on August 28, 2013

They were still carnivores, but being chased by a velociraptor would be kind of like being chased by an eagle with legs instead of wings.

Maybe closer to say that it would be like being chased by an immature cassowary. Which should give one pause, since cassowaries will fuck up your shit.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 1:35 PM on August 28, 2013 [1 favorite]

You heard it here first, folks. Velociraptors were basically Chocobos.
posted by Navelgazer at 2:40 PM on August 28, 2013

These guys are the undisputed prank champions for my money, if only for their consistently yt good yt output yt .

Their channel is an undisputed time sink hole. Beware! Before you know it you've watched hours of this stuff. Ahem.

(Magnetic Madness is the pinnacle of human accomplishment. Shut it down, we're done here. Mission accomplished.)
posted by Rhomboid at 4:01 PM on August 28, 2013 [3 favorites]

being chased by a velociraptor would be kind of like being chased by an eagle with legs instead of wings

Don't laugh at eagles. I'm sure I related this elsewhere on the Blue, but my wife traveled to Africa awhile back to do some birdwatching, and beneath one eagle nest there was a pile of monkey skulls. The local bird expert explained that these eagles primarily feed on monkeys, and their capture technique is remarkably consistent; he pointed out in skull after skull the single hole in the rear of the skull, complementing the other two talons sunk into the eye sockets so as to pick up the victim and haul it off to the nest. After consuming with, dumpage to the skull pile below.

Although modern humans are a bit too big for the eagles to pull this trick (despite which, the birdwatching group retreated beneath another tree just in case the pair who were displaying and cavorting with vigorous intent might get a little showoffy) the local bird guy was convinced that eagle predation had had a major impact on prehuman primate evolution, possibly driving us out of the trees onto the savannah.

His group had identified an umber of specific primate calls identifying various predators, including one they called "OHCRAPEAGLE." He told my wife's group that he thought OHCRAPEAGLE might have been one of the very first words ever spoken by our prehuman ancestors.
posted by localroger at 6:51 PM on August 28, 2013 [3 favorites]

FUCK, AN EAGLE!
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:04 PM on August 28, 2013

Also, the scene in Jurassic Park where the young girl is swarmed by cute but persistent little raptors seemed kind of realistic, based on watching geese and hawks deal with humans they don't like.
posted by sneebler at 8:19 AM on August 29, 2013

Pull that shit in Florida, son.

Great, another "stand your ground" test case.
posted by ShutterBun at 12:31 AM on September 1, 2013