How a $4.98 LED Strip Sparked the Most Legendary Prank War at Work
It started with a simple impulse buy: a $4.98, 10-foot RGB LED strip. But in the wild world of hardware retail, even the smallest spark can ignite a full-blown prank war. What began as a harmless moment of indecision between two coworkers—Dan the flooring specialist and our narrator, the millwork specialist—soon escalated into a symphony of petty revenge, mischief, and relentless office hijinks.
If you’ve ever wondered how far a workplace rivalry can go when left unchecked (or, let’s be honest, gleefully encouraged), buckle up. This is the story of how one LED strip became the opening salvo in a battle of wits, creativity, and sheer stubbornness—where the only rule is: never, ever back down.
The LED Strip That Launched a Thousand Pranks
Our saga kicks off in the familiar aisles of a big box hardware store. The millwork specialist, u/SnarkyRetort, casually grabs an LED strip, then abandons it on Dan’s desk. Days later, four LED strips appear mysteriously on the original poster’s (OP’s) desk. The message is clear: Dan has accepted the challenge.
But Dan underestimated his opponent. The OP retaliates by doubling down—eight LED strips on Dan’s desk, and then, for maximum effect, dragging the entire sidestack of LED strips over to the flooring department and updating the store system so Dan's area was now the “official” LED strip location. In the words of OP: “At this point, it’s war.”
The back-and-forth escalates until Dan reveals his love for Christmas “Elf on the Shelf” mischief. For OP, this wasn’t just a confession—it was a declaration of open season.
Tiny Annoyances, Big Laughs: The Art of Petty Revenge
With LED escalation reaching its peak, the war evolves into psychological skirmishes. Enter the humble safety badge: OP begins sneaking one under Dan’s keyboard every day, always just slightly off position—just enough to annoy, never enough to spot right away. The goal? Not just to prank, but to make Dan question his very sanity.
The community was all in on these micro-moves. “Does he sit in a chair with rollers?” asked u/Kat121, offering up the classic paperclip-in-the-wheel trick. Others suggested changing the chair height a few millimeters at a time or locking a single wheel for maximum chaos. u/Madwolf64 and u/Amerlan both agreed: subtle tweaks win the war of attrition.
Another high-scoring suggestion: swap keyboard keys or even switch the keyboard layout to something diabolical like Dvorak (thanks, u/Quoth666, for that truly evil inspiration—“Calm down, Satan,” responded another). OP was delighted by these ideas, promising to throw a “monkey wrench” into Dan’s day.
And for the tech-savvy? Tape over the mouse’s optical sensor, swap the mouse to the less-dominant hand, or sneak in a second wireless mouse to remotely hijack the cursor. OP gleefully reported success with the mouse tape, causing hours of confusion before Dan finally discovered the fix.
The Community Joins the Fray: Prankspiration Nation
As word of the prank war spread, the r/PettyRevenge community rallied with a treasure trove of battle-tested tactics:
- “Hide 150 tiny objects and label them 1/200, 2/200… (but skip some numbers),” suggested u/cheese4geese. “That way, your opponent finds 200/200 and wonders where the rest went,” added u/ChipperEeyore.
- “Googly eyes. Everywhere,” urged u/iBaccus and u/AnaisNinjaTX, noting you can buy a thousand for a few bucks. OP confirmed: “I have $5 worth on order from Amazon.”
- “Plastic babies, tiny rubber chickens, even skeleton ducks,” proposed u/apoostasia and u/kelimac, sharing stories from their own office prank battles.
- “Wrap everything on the desk in gift wrap,” reminisced u/dippitydoo2, who once spent four days on this task (and got to expense it!).
- For the digital prankster: screenshot the desktop, set it as wallpaper, then hide all the icons—leaving the victim to click in vain (a classic, per u/Adal-bern and u/Bonejesta).
And let’s not forget the psychological mind games. “If one of my coworkers left their desk unlocked, I’d schedule a nonsense calendar appointment months in the future—‘Pants Off Dance Off,’” confessed u/Dependent_Concert165. The best part? Hearing your coworker say, “What the heck is a pants off dance off?” months later.
When Does It End? (Spoiler: It Doesn’t.)
As the battle rages, the creativity grows bolder. Dan counters with $500 worth of outdoor LED lights dumped on OP’s desk. OP escalates with more safety badges, a mouse sabotage, and plans for a googly eye invasion.
One thing’s for sure: there are no losers in this war—only coworkers who refuse to let the daily grind crush their sense of humor. As u/Melvin_T_Cat put it, “This isn’t petty revenge. This is sport!” The Reddit community agrees: “Who doesn’t enjoy some workplace shenanigans?” asked u/contemplating7, while u/Lonely-Coconut-9734 called it “the epitome of petty revenge.”
The advice from the peanut gallery? Keep it harmless, keep it fun, and never underestimate the power of a well-placed googly eye.
Conclusion: How Would You Wage War?
So where does the saga end? According to OP: “I don’t know where this ends. But I’m committed.” With the community’s endless supply of ideas—from subtle desk tweaks to elaborate prank setups—this war could go on forever.
What about your workplace? Got a coworker you’d challenge to an epic prank duel? Or maybe you have your own legendary office shenanigans to share? Drop your best stories or tips in the comments—just remember, keep it safe, keep it friendly, and always respect the sacred code of the break room.
After all, sometimes the best way to survive the daily grind is to make it a little more… entertaining.
Original Reddit Post: This all started because of a $4.98 10’ RGB LED strip.