The Student Room Group

Practical pranks at Cam

Hey guys, some of you probably have heard of the MIT Hacks. Are you aware of similar pranks being performed at the Cambridge University atm (ie pranks that require ingenuity, intelligence, skill, etc?) Are there any active societies/groups that perform such things?
Reply 1
Well, there's the assassin's guild, but I'm not sure that's quite what you're after. Most of the best pranks I've known of/been involved in have been fairly spontaneous and done by a small group of friends, rather than there being a society.
Reply 3
Original post by Helenia
Well, there's the assassin's guild, but I'm not sure that's quite what you're after. Most of the best pranks I've known of/been involved in have been fairly spontaneous and done by a small group of friends, rather than there being a society.


Thanks for the reply. The assassins are not quite what I was looking for. It's a shame that pranks are not done on a more official level. Well, at least I won't have to fear rustication :wink:
Reply 4
Original post by warfarin
Thanks for the reply. The assassins are not quite what I was looking for. It's a shame that pranks are not done on a more official level. Well, at least I won't have to fear rustication :wink:


Surely a lot of the point of pranks is that they aren't official? I can hardly imagine the university would approve of a pranks-based society. They're just one of those things that happen best spontaneously, rather than being organised at committee meetings.

That's not to say you can't e.g. newspaper your friend's room or turn their balcony into a beach though... :angel:
Reply 5
I guess that Mr Oldfield performed a prank on the boatrace... hopefully he will receive return pranking soon
Reply 6
Original post by Helenia
Surely a lot of the point of pranks is that they aren't official? I can hardly imagine the university would approve of a pranks-based society. They're just one of those things that happen best spontaneously, rather than being organised at committee meetings.

That's not to say you can't e.g. newspaper your friend's room or turn their balcony into a beach though... :angel:


For a small joke on a friend a small group of fellow students from your college might indeed be the best option. However, I would imagine it's quite hard to find like-minded people in your college if you want to display the prank to the general public. (Not to mention that pranks on a bigger scale would require some thinking and more preparation). It would be nice to have an inter-collegiate society where like-minded people could meet. Of course both the society and the planning would have to remain secret.
Reply 7
Original post by the bear
I guess that Mr Oldfield performed a prank on the boatrace... hopefully he will receive return pranking soon


yeah hopefully
The Cambridge Nightclimbers do things like put santa hats on top of the spires of King's Chapel.

The really famous pranks though are spontaneous. Best one has been mentioned already: the car on top of the Senate House roof. Other pranks are the replacement of the spire of King Henry VIII above Trinity's Great Gate with a wooden chair leg
Reply 9
http://hacks.mit.edu/by_year/2010/tardis/

No TARDIS appearing anywhere on the venerable roofs of Cambridge?
Reply 10
Original post by It could be lupus

The really famous pranks though are spontaneous. Best one has been mentioned already: the car on top of the Senate House roof.


Yes, an absolute classic. Really hard to pull off anything like that these days though.

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