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A prank call, also known as a crank call, hoax call, phony call, or phony phone call is a form of practical joke committed over the telephone. As with all practical jokes, prank calls are generally done for humorous effect, though there is a thin line between humor and harassment, and the person receiving the call may not find it funny. Prank phone calls began to gain an America-wide following over a period of many years, as they gradually became a staple of the obscure and amusing cassette tapes traded amongst musicians, sound engineers, and media traders beginning in the late 1970s. Among the most famous and earliest recorded prank calls are the Tube Bar tapes which centered around Louis "Red" Deutsch, and the Lucius Tate phone calls. Comedian Jerry Lewis was an incorrigible phone prankster, and recordings of his hijinks, dating from the 1960s and possibly earlier, still circulate throughout the country to this day.
Even very prominent people have fallen victim to prank callers, as for example Queen Elizabeth II, who was fooled by Canadian DJ Pierre Brassard posing as Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, asking her to record a speech in support of Canadian unity ahead of the 1995 Quebec referendum. Two other particularly famous examples of prank calls were made by the Miami-based radio station Radio El Zol. In one, they telephoned Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and spoke to him, pretending to be Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. They later repeated the prank, except that they called Castro and pretended to be Chávez. El Zol was also fined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Prank Calls Links
- Roy D. Mercer Official Website
- Prank call clips and merchandise from the southern caller.
- Franksworld of Pranks
- Prank calls in Real Audio, WAV, and text. Offers links, information, and phone tips.
- Disturbed Idiot Pranksters
- Prank tapes for trade, message board, joke page, unique ways to order pizza.
- Willie P. Richardson - The Phone Prankster
- Clean but politically incorrect comedy recorded on the telephone for humor purposes.
- Brooklyn Telephone Theater
- The ultimate answering machine with crazy music and comedy. Sample a message in Real Audio or MP3. CD also available.
- Johnny O Radio
- Morning show prank calls played on birthday victims. "Happy Birthday!" plus jokes, interviews, and music.
- Detonator
- The creators of the Jerky Boys and Musacha Tapes. Sample audio clips in Real Audio. Also CDs and T-shirts.
- Chris' Prank Calls
- A telemarketer's nightmare. Download recorded conversations of twisted fun with those pesky telemarketers.
- A1 Prank Calls Unlimited
- Downloads of telephone prank calls in WAV, Real Audio, and MP3. Also weird sound effects, mail sounds, and other humor.
- The Web Squad
- Selection of prank calls in Real Audio. Also news and links.
- Pert Moody Newt's Garden of Phone Etiquette
- A tiny portion of prank call downloads that allows the listener a Real Audio sample.
- Tom Mabe
- Revenge on telemaketers in Real Audio samples. CD and merchandise also available.
- Wind Up Jokes
- Prank joke phone calls to pull on your friends. Listen to them, but they can't hear you.
- NeighborFromHell's Prank Call Site
- Telephone pranks recorded in Real Audio format.
- Monkey Phone Calls
- Order a special call for friends and loved-ones. Also FAQ and an example of the call script.
- The Unofficial Arnold Calls Fan Site
- Sounds from Arnold's movies and recorded calls made with various witty one-liners.
- The Arnett Tapes
- Samples of prank calls in Real Audio. CDs are available.
- Lucius Tate
- Prank call samples in Real Audio. CDs and merchandise are also available.
- College Sucks
- A collection of original prank phone calls. In both MP3 and RealAudio format.
- Buck: The World's Funniest Prank Caller
- Mostly redneck humor and harrassment, but a good sampler of types of calls. Listen in realaudio or Windows media.
- MokMok.com
- A collection of wind-up calls to annoy telemarketers.
- Amery's Antics Online
- Prank phone calls, celebrity soundboards, call recording tutorials and other downloads.
- SkyDaddy
- Selection of prank calls and humor articles.
- Thank you for taking my call!
- Video clips of prank calls to live TV call-in shows.
- Junkyard Willie
- Customer service prank calls. Real Media, MP3 and WAV format.
- Grampa and Hitman
- Samples of prank calls from a New York radio station made in the mid 1990s.
- Bill Corey
- Sample prank calls. Not for the easily offended.
- Phone Losers of America
- Pranksters message boards and chat. Features recorded calls in Real Audio.
- Prank Phone Calls
- A set of scripts to use when making prank calls.
- Telephone Solicitors Nightmare
- Poking fun at the telemarketing industry, featuring sound clips and other material.
- Artistic Terrorism
- Disturbing prank calls and other material.
- Sprint Phone Prank
- Demonstrating an elaborate prank played on telemarketers.
- KDK Prank Calls
- An archive of calls, plus a gallery, soundsboards and a forum.
- Rate My Gag
- Visitors can listed to and rank a series of telephone pranks.
Great Prank Calls Stuff
The Jerky Boys: Don't Hang Up, Tough Guy!
Amazon Price: (as of 05/17/2008)
Voice Changer Professional version
Amazon Price: (as of 05/17/2008)
Londons Times Funny Society Cartoons - Prank Call To Alexander Bell - Mouse Pads
Amazon Price: (as of 05/17/2008)
Prank Phone Calls Volume II
Amazon Price: $16.99 (as of 05/17/2008)
The Jerky Boys
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 05/17/2008)
Prank Calls on eBay
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