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* ''WesternAnimation:TinyToonAdvetnures'': In the "Pledge Week" episode, Elmyra gets calls asking for a "Bill Loney" (balogna), a "Pepe Roni" (pepperoni), and finally "Ima Yutz" (I'm a yutz).
to:
* ''WesternAnimation:TinyToonAdvetnures'': ''WesternAnimation:TinyToonAdventures'': In the "Pledge Week" episode, Elmyra gets calls asking for a "Bill Loney" (balogna), a "Pepe Roni" (pepperoni), and finally "Ima Yutz" (I'm a yutz).
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* ''WesternAnimation:TinyToonAdvetnures'': In the "Pledge Week" episode, Elmyra gets calls asking for a "Bill Loney" (balogna), a "Pepe Roni" (pepperoni), and finally "Ima Yutz" (I'm a yutz).
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* Prank-calling various members of the public is the entire premise of ''{{Fonejacker}}''.
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* Prank-calling various members of the public is the entire premise of ''{{Fonejacker}}''.''{{Series/Fonejacker}}''.
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* Strong Bad of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' repeatedly prank calls Marzipan on her answering machine in, what else, ''Marzipan's Answering Machine''.
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* In the "Marzipan's Answering Machine" segments of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'', Strong Bad of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' repeatedly leaves prank calls Marzipan messages on her Marzipan's answering machine in, what else, ''Marzipan's Answering Machine''.machine, like telling her she's won a million [--punches in the face--] in a sweepstakes, or offering her membership in the Royal Society for Total Dorks.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'', "Up All Night": This is one of the things that Norbert and Daggett try to do to pass the night. Daggett ends up not only botching the joke completely, but also accidentally calls his own mother.
to:
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'', "Up All Night": This is one of the things that Norbert and Daggett try to do to pass the night. Not only does Daggett ends up not only botching botch the joke completely, but also accidentally calls it turns out Norbert baited his own brother into calling their mother.
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* One {{vlogbrothers}} video has Hank [[http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=2O9BkGxWBVY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2O9BkGxWBVY "positively prank call"]] people. He calls them up and tells them an optimistic fact about the world such as a statistic about decreasing violent crime. After one call resulted in more of a conversation than a prank, in subsequent calls he hung up immediately after saying his fact.
to:
* One {{vlogbrothers}} WebVideo/{{vlogbrothers}} video has Hank Music/{{Hank|Green}} [[http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=2O9BkGxWBVY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2O9BkGxWBVY "positively prank call"]] people. He calls them up and tells them an optimistic fact about the world such as a statistic about decreasing violent crime. After one call resulted in more of a conversation than a prank, in subsequent calls he hung up immediately after saying his fact.
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* LetsPlay/{{Jayuzumi}} first became known for these on the internet before moving into gaming videos, keeping the soundboard gimmick that he was known for. After what he viewed as a dry spell with ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts'' (he thought that the franchise was by this point running out of ideas), he's moved back into them again, with gaming videos now few and far between.
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* Australian musician and alternative comedian Gregg Turkington also recorded an album of prank calls entitled ''Great Phone Calls'' which included the first appearance of his [[AntiHumor hilariously]] [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny unfunny]] stand-up comedian character Creator/-NeilHamburger.
to:
* Australian musician and alternative comedian Gregg Turkington also recorded an album of prank calls entitled ''Great Phone Calls'' which included the first appearance of his [[AntiHumor hilariously]] [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny unfunny]] stand-up comedian character Creator/-NeilHamburger.
Creator/NeilHamburger.
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* Australian musician and alternative comedian Gregg Turkington also recorded an album of prank calls entitled ''Great Phone Calls'' which included the first appearance of his [[AntiHumor hilariously]] [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny unfunny]] stand-up comedian character NeilHamburger.
to:
* Australian musician and alternative comedian Gregg Turkington also recorded an album of prank calls entitled ''Great Phone Calls'' which included the first appearance of his [[AntiHumor hilariously]] [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny unfunny]] stand-up comedian character NeilHamburger.
Creator/-NeilHamburger.
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* On ''VideoGame/TheSims'' sims would randomly receive these.
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* On the internet, the term "prank call" appears to mean people {{troll}}ing 1-800 numbers on Skype. It's a given, since 1-800 numbers don't use up Skype credits.
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This trope is where a character decides to prank another by calling them on the telephone. These pranks are mostly just jokes and puns. The most popular joke used when prank calling someone is "[[IncrediblyLamePun Is your refrigerator running? You'd better catch it!]]" PunnyNames are also popular, especially when calling a person who then has to ask ''for'' the punny-named person, leading to awkwardness such as "I'm looking for Amanda Huggenkiss." This has been made largely extinct in RealLife because of [[TechnologyMarchesOn caller ID]].
to:
This trope is where a character decides to prank another by calling them on the telephone. These pranks are mostly just jokes and puns. The most popular joke used when prank calling someone is "[[IncrediblyLamePun Is your refrigerator running? You'd better catch it!]]" PunnyNames are also popular, especially when calling a person who then has to ask ''for'' the punny-named person, leading to awkwardness such as "I'm "[[TheSimpsons I'm looking for Amanda Huggenkiss.Huggenkiss]]." This has been made largely extinct in RealLife because of [[TechnologyMarchesOn caller ID]].
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* ''Webcomic/TalesFromThePit'' has Nicol Bolas, Prank Caller, with such gems as "Is your refrigerator running? Of course not. I had it disabled." and "Can you please see if there is a Michael Rotch there? He goes by Mike. [pause] Well, I've reanimated his corpse and sent him to kill you, so be on the lookout. And yes, I ''have'' disabled your caller ID! [[EvilLaugh Bwah ha ha ha ha!]]"
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* This was also the M.O. for "Roy D. Mercer", a character created by Brent Douglas and Phil Stone for their morning show on KMOD-FM in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Douglas would affect a stereotypical Southern voice and prank call various people for perceived wrongs, usually threatening that they compensate him or receive an "ass-whoopin'." Between 1997 and 2013, over a dozen Roy D. Mercer albums were released. The two ended their show in 2012, just a few months before Stone died.
to:
* This was also the M.O. for "Roy D. Mercer", "Radio/RoyDMercer", a character created by Brent Douglas and Phil Stone for their morning show on KMOD-FM in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Douglas would affect a stereotypical Southern voice and prank call various people for perceived wrongs, usually threatening that they compensate him or receive an "ass-whoopin'." Between 1997 and 2013, over a dozen Roy D. Mercer albums were released. The two ended their show in 2012, just a few months before Stone died.
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* In an episode of MalcolmInTheMiddle, Stevie tries to do this, using the refrigerator pun. Because he has to take deep breaths between every couple of words, he's recognized before he can finish.
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* ''Radio/DeadRingers'' would have a segment where an incredibly accurate impressionist would ring up various services in character as the [[Series/DoctorWho Fourth Doctor]] as played by Tom Baker. Notably this included calling random numbers to ask WhatYearIsThis, to [[DeconstructiveParody explore how the trope would work in real life]]. He also called former Doctors Peter Davison (who played along politely but a bit sarcastically), Sylvester [=McCoy=] (who seemed convinced he was talking to the real Tom Baker despite his incredibly odd behaviour, asking him several times if he was drunk) and Tom Baker himself (who, after a bit of confusion, settled straight into character, completely upstaged the fake with improvised comebacks, and managed to get him {{Corpsing}}).
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This trope is where a character decides to prank another by calling them on the telephone. These pranks are mostly just jokes and puns. The most popular joke used when prank calling someone is "[[IncrediblyLamePun Is your refrigerator running? You'd better catch it!]]" This has been made largely extinct in RealLife because of [[TechnologyMarchesOn caller ID]].
to:
This trope is where a character decides to prank another by calling them on the telephone. These pranks are mostly just jokes and puns. The most popular joke used when prank calling someone is "[[IncrediblyLamePun Is your refrigerator running? You'd better catch it!]]" PunnyNames are also popular, especially when calling a person who then has to ask ''for'' the punny-named person, leading to awkwardness such as "I'm looking for Amanda Huggenkiss." This has been made largely extinct in RealLife because of [[TechnologyMarchesOn caller ID]].
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* In another episode [[ItMakesSenseInContext a bunch of Bloos]] make a prank call asking for Prince Albert in a can. A Prince Albert imaginary friend in a can bounces around afterwards.
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* In another episode [[ItMakesSenseInContext a bunch of Bloos]] make a prank call asking for Prince Albert in a can. A Prince Albert imaginary friend in a can bounces around afterwards.
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** One episode reveals that Joey keeps calling his room mate Chandler to work, pretending that he's a female StalkerWithACrush. Ross is at first somewhat disturbed, but comes to enjoy the joke later. Poor Chandler sound genuinely freaked out.
to:
** One episode reveals that Joey keeps calling his room mate Chandler to work, pretending that he's a female StalkerWithACrush. Ross is at first somewhat disturbed, but comes to enjoy the joke later. Poor Chandler sound is genuinely freaked out.
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Changed line(s) 1,2 (click to see context) from:
This trope is where a character decides to prank another by calling them on the telephone. These pranks are mostly just jokes and puns. The most popular joke used when prank calling someone is "[[IncrediblyLamePun Is your refrigerator running? You'd better catch it!]]" This has been made largely extinct in RealLife because of [[TechnologyMarchesOn caller ID]]
to:
This trope is where a character decides to prank another by calling them on the telephone. These pranks are mostly just jokes and puns. The most popular joke used when prank calling someone is "[[IncrediblyLamePun Is your refrigerator running? You'd better catch it!]]" This has been made largely extinct in RealLife because of [[TechnologyMarchesOn caller ID]]
ID]].
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* "Phoney Calls" by Music/WeirdAlYankovic, a parody of TLC's "Waterfalls".
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* "Phoney "Phony Calls" by Music/WeirdAlYankovic, a parody of TLC's Music/{{TLC}}'s "Waterfalls".
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* This was the entire schtick of The Jerky Boys, who released recordings of their various prank calls, and even made a Movie.
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* This was the entire schtick of The Jerky Boys, who released recordings of their various prank calls, and even made a Movie.
movie.
* Australian musician and alternative comedian Gregg Turkington also recorded an album of prank calls entitled ''Great Phone Calls'' which included the first appearance of his [[AntiHumor hilariously]] [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny unfunny]] stand-up comedian character NeilHamburger.
* Australian musician and alternative comedian Gregg Turkington also recorded an album of prank calls entitled ''Great Phone Calls'' which included the first appearance of his [[AntiHumor hilariously]] [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny unfunny]] stand-up comedian character NeilHamburger.
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* In ''VideoGame/ManiacMansion'', the player can call villainess Nurse Edna in order to distract her when entering her room. She naturally mistakes this for a poor quality prank call, commenting that there's "no heavy breathing."
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* Inverted by Tom Mabe who pranks telemarketers that call him.
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* This was also the M.O. for "Roy D. Mercer", a character created by Brent Douglas and Phil Stone for their morning show on KMOD-FM in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Douglas would affect a stereotypical Southern voice and prank call various people for perceived wrongs, usually threatening that they compensate him or receive an "ass-whoopin'." Between 1997 and 2013, over a dozen Roy D. Mercer albums were released. The two ended their show in 2012, just a few months before Stone died.
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[[AC:RecordedAndStandUpComedy}]]
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* "Phoney Calls" by WeirdAl, a parody of TLC's "Waterfalls".
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* "Phoney Calls" by WeirdAl, Music/WeirdAlYankovic, a parody of TLC's "Waterfalls".
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[[AC:{{Stand-Up Comedy}}]]
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* Strong Bad of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' repeatedly prank calls Marzipan on her Answering Machine.
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* Strong Bad of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' repeatedly prank calls Marzipan on her answering machine in, what else, ''Marzipan's Answering Machine.
Machine''.
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* In the ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivPeople'' episode ''Homestar Ruiner'', Strong Bad can use Homestar's cell phone to prank call several characters, including Homsar and himself.
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* In the ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivPeople'' ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivePeople'' episode ''Homestar Ruiner'', Strong Bad can use Homestar's cell phone to prank call several characters, including Homsar and himself.
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[[AC:VideoGames]]
* In the ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivPeople'' episode ''Homestar Ruiner'', Strong Bad can use Homestar's cell phone to prank call several characters, including Homsar and himself.
* In the ''VideoGame/StrongBadsCoolGameForAttractivPeople'' episode ''Homestar Ruiner'', Strong Bad can use Homestar's cell phone to prank call several characters, including Homsar and himself.
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* Strong Bad of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' repeatedly prank calls Marzipan on her Answering Machine.
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This trope is where a character decides to prank another by calling them on the telephone. These pranks are mostly just jokes and puns. The most popular joke used when prank calling someone is "[[IncrediblyLamePun Is your refrigerator running? You'd better catch it!]]" This has been made largely extinct in RealLife because of [[TechnologyMarchesOn caller ID]]
In some countries, making what are termed "nuisance calls" is illegal and can lead to either criminal or civil prosecution.
Not to be confused with PhoneyCall which is where a character pretends that they are talking on the phone when the phone is off.
Contrast MistakenForPrankCall when the character receiving the call thinks that they're being pranked. Any subversions of this trope will go there.
----
!Examples:
[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]
* In Episode 6 of the ''Anime/LittleLulu'' anime, after Lulu's attempts to find fires to fight only results in getting Tubby in trouble, Tubby decides to get back at Lulu by calling her on the telephone and tricking her into thinking that he's the fire chief by telling her to climb up a tree and meow like a cat so that the fire department will come and rescue her. [[spoiler: [[GoneHorriblyRight It backfires spectactularly when some people in the park discover Lulu meowing in the tree, which prompts one person to call the fire department for real.]] After Lulu is rescued from the tree (while also at the same time accidentally discovering and actually saving a CuteKitten that had by chance was also stuck up in the same tree as Lulu), the firemen decide to reward Lulu by letting her ride with them on the fire engine, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard while Tubby and the other boys can only watch, feeling that they've been outshined]] due to Tubby's jealousy and {{Pride}}.]]
[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* In a DisneyComics story with Donald Duck, Donald is making prank phone calls with his favorite victim being a Mister Upjohn ("It's almost 11 o'clock. Are you Upjohn?"). When Donald tries to get a job "making phone calls for a living", he discovers that his boss will be the aforementioned Mister Upjohn, who recognises Donald's voice. He still gives Donald a job - taking calls in the complaints department.
[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', Jeannie calls 911 after she finds Dean Rooney snooping around her house. When the police arrive, Rooney is gone, so they assume Jeannie was prank calling and arrest her.
[[AC:{{Fanfiction}}]]
* There exists a ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' fanfic on Fanfiction.net where Takuya and the others, celebrating their one-year anniversary of their victory over Lucemon, decide to pull some prank calls on hapless citizens.
[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* ''Literature/TheBabysittersClub'':
** In ''Poor Mallory'', the club prank call both of the two girls who have been picking on Mallory over her father's redundancy. They each call one girl in turn, asking "Is Sissy there?" repeatedly, whilst Mary Anne calls the other girl enquiring about the pigs she ordered in a fake southern accent.
** In the same series, Kristy's older brother Sam also loves to call the girls when their meetings are in session, especially in earlier books.
[[AC:{{Live-Action TV}}]]
* ''TheDickVanDykeShow'': Rob is the victim of a prank call made by a prankster at a party Buddy was hosting. The pranker got Rob to take his phone apart, put it in a paper bag, and throw it out the front door.
* ''TheAmandaShow'' had a short sketch of a girl prank calling someone called Mr Oldman.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'':
** One episode reveals that Joey keeps calling his room mate Chandler to work, pretending that he's a female StalkerWithACrush. Ross is at first somewhat disturbed, but comes to enjoy the joke later. Poor Chandler sound genuinely freaked out.
** When Dr. Wiener decides that he wants to kick out Rachel for keeping calling him at night because of very minor problems her baby might have, she calls him back seconds later and starts repeating his surname in a funny voice ("Wiiieeener"). She thinks he wouldn't know it's her.
* Prank-calling various members of the public is the entire premise of ''{{Fonejacker}}''.
[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* "Phoney Calls" by WeirdAl, a parody of TLC's "Waterfalls".
[[AC:PuppetShows]]
* ''Series/LesGuignolsDeLInfo'': After the 2012 French presidential election, Jacques Chirac makes regular pranks against Nicolas Sarkozy (since the latter lost), pretending to be some other head of state or personality, and asking something ludicrous out of Sarkozy.
[[AC:{{Stand-Up Comedy}}]]
* This was the entire schtick of The Jerky Boys, who released recordings of their various prank calls, and even made a Movie.
[[AC:{{Radio}}]]
* Nephew Tommy on the Steve Harvey Morning Show makes prank calls for a living. A famous comedian, Thomas Miles' prank calls are one of the most popular segments in the show. He even sells collections of prank calls on [[http://rhu040.sma-promail.com/v5fmsnet/OeCart/OEFrame.asp?Action=NEWORDER&cmenunodseq=&FromFav=&PmSess1=108417&pos=TNTINC&v=3 CD]].
* Todd Pettingill of WPLJ's Scott & Todd does a "phone scam" segment where he prank calls people.
[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* ''WebVideo/FiveSecondFilms'' gives us an appropriately titled "[[http://5secondfilms.com/watch/prank-call Prank Call]]" and "[[http://5secondfilms.com/watch/the-last-prank-call-ever The Last Prank Call Ever]]".
* One {{vlogbrothers}} video has Hank [[http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=2O9BkGxWBVY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2O9BkGxWBVY "positively prank call"]] people. He calls them up and tells them an optimistic fact about the world such as a statistic about decreasing violent crime. After one call resulted in more of a conversation than a prank, in subsequent calls he hung up immediately after saying his fact.
[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Telephonies" dealt with the girls being prank called by the [[GoldfishPoopGang Gangreen Gang]] into fighting against [[ManiacMonkeys Mojo Jojo]], [[CorruptHick Fuzzy Lumpkins]], and [[CampGay Him]], even when the three latter villains didn't commit any crimes at all.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Bart loves to call up Moe's and ask to speak to people with names like Al Coholic. Moe always asks his customers for that person, then realizes the pun when they start laughing. One time he used it to sic Moe on his babysitter's boyfriend. (He had a crush on the babysitter.)
** Radio [=DJs=] Phil & Marty prank call a man by telling him his wife died in an accident.
** Bart and Lisa mention in one episode that Homer occasionally calls to the radio to give fake accounts about car accidents.
* In ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', Coco uses the "Is your refrigerator running?" call to distract Mr. Herriman. Herriman actually goes to catch the refrigerator, leaving the others free to throw a wild party. [[spoiler:Turns out there ''was'' a refrigerator running - an imaginary friend that looked like a refrigerator.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' has the Prank Master, whom Mordecai and Rigby try to prank call back, and when they do, he uses a prank call to ''send them back in time!''
* Referenced in ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', where Mom notices the family refrigerator being pushed around by a [[ItMakesSenseInContext cyborg turtle]]. She calls out "Honey, our refrigerator is running!", to which Dad upstairs answers cheerfully "And we've got Prince Albert in the can!" (At which point a literal prince emerges from the toilet.)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'', "Up All Night": This is one of the things that Norbert and Daggett try to do to pass the night. Daggett ends up not only botching the joke completely, but also accidentally calls his own mother.
* ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt'': In the first episode Newton showcases his abilities by shapeshifting into a number of characters and performing various sketches. This includes him prank calling someone and using the "refrigerator" gag... only to learn that the refrigerator in question indeed ''wasn't'' running, at which point he shapeshifts into a refrigerator repairman.
* In the third act of the ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS2E8BogusToTheRescue Bogus To The Rescue]]", Bogus receives a call from an unknown recipient that he needs a superhero right away. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to do a good deed, Bogus quickly rushes off to the rescue, only to run past [[BrattyHalfPint Brattus]], who was prank calling him from a nearby phone booth. Bogus backtracks before angrily confronting Brattus about it, even when [[FreudianExcuse Brattus tries to explain that he was just trying to cheer up Bogus.]]
[[AC: RealLife]]
* Prince Albert is a brand of tobacco sold in a metal can. It was named for the RealLife Prince Albert, who later became King Edward VII. A prankster would call a person or store and say "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?" If the victim said "Yes", the prankster would say "Then you'd better let him out!"
----
In some countries, making what are termed "nuisance calls" is illegal and can lead to either criminal or civil prosecution.
Not to be confused with PhoneyCall which is where a character pretends that they are talking on the phone when the phone is off.
Contrast MistakenForPrankCall when the character receiving the call thinks that they're being pranked. Any subversions of this trope will go there.
----
!Examples:
[[AC:AnimeAndManga]]
* In Episode 6 of the ''Anime/LittleLulu'' anime, after Lulu's attempts to find fires to fight only results in getting Tubby in trouble, Tubby decides to get back at Lulu by calling her on the telephone and tricking her into thinking that he's the fire chief by telling her to climb up a tree and meow like a cat so that the fire department will come and rescue her. [[spoiler: [[GoneHorriblyRight It backfires spectactularly when some people in the park discover Lulu meowing in the tree, which prompts one person to call the fire department for real.]] After Lulu is rescued from the tree (while also at the same time accidentally discovering and actually saving a CuteKitten that had by chance was also stuck up in the same tree as Lulu), the firemen decide to reward Lulu by letting her ride with them on the fire engine, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard while Tubby and the other boys can only watch, feeling that they've been outshined]] due to Tubby's jealousy and {{Pride}}.]]
[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* In a DisneyComics story with Donald Duck, Donald is making prank phone calls with his favorite victim being a Mister Upjohn ("It's almost 11 o'clock. Are you Upjohn?"). When Donald tries to get a job "making phone calls for a living", he discovers that his boss will be the aforementioned Mister Upjohn, who recognises Donald's voice. He still gives Donald a job - taking calls in the complaints department.
[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* In ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', Jeannie calls 911 after she finds Dean Rooney snooping around her house. When the police arrive, Rooney is gone, so they assume Jeannie was prank calling and arrest her.
[[AC:{{Fanfiction}}]]
* There exists a ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'' fanfic on Fanfiction.net where Takuya and the others, celebrating their one-year anniversary of their victory over Lucemon, decide to pull some prank calls on hapless citizens.
[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* ''Literature/TheBabysittersClub'':
** In ''Poor Mallory'', the club prank call both of the two girls who have been picking on Mallory over her father's redundancy. They each call one girl in turn, asking "Is Sissy there?" repeatedly, whilst Mary Anne calls the other girl enquiring about the pigs she ordered in a fake southern accent.
** In the same series, Kristy's older brother Sam also loves to call the girls when their meetings are in session, especially in earlier books.
[[AC:{{Live-Action TV}}]]
* ''TheDickVanDykeShow'': Rob is the victim of a prank call made by a prankster at a party Buddy was hosting. The pranker got Rob to take his phone apart, put it in a paper bag, and throw it out the front door.
* ''TheAmandaShow'' had a short sketch of a girl prank calling someone called Mr Oldman.
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'':
** One episode reveals that Joey keeps calling his room mate Chandler to work, pretending that he's a female StalkerWithACrush. Ross is at first somewhat disturbed, but comes to enjoy the joke later. Poor Chandler sound genuinely freaked out.
** When Dr. Wiener decides that he wants to kick out Rachel for keeping calling him at night because of very minor problems her baby might have, she calls him back seconds later and starts repeating his surname in a funny voice ("Wiiieeener"). She thinks he wouldn't know it's her.
* Prank-calling various members of the public is the entire premise of ''{{Fonejacker}}''.
[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* "Phoney Calls" by WeirdAl, a parody of TLC's "Waterfalls".
[[AC:PuppetShows]]
* ''Series/LesGuignolsDeLInfo'': After the 2012 French presidential election, Jacques Chirac makes regular pranks against Nicolas Sarkozy (since the latter lost), pretending to be some other head of state or personality, and asking something ludicrous out of Sarkozy.
[[AC:{{Stand-Up Comedy}}]]
* This was the entire schtick of The Jerky Boys, who released recordings of their various prank calls, and even made a Movie.
[[AC:{{Radio}}]]
* Nephew Tommy on the Steve Harvey Morning Show makes prank calls for a living. A famous comedian, Thomas Miles' prank calls are one of the most popular segments in the show. He even sells collections of prank calls on [[http://rhu040.sma-promail.com/v5fmsnet/OeCart/OEFrame.asp?Action=NEWORDER&cmenunodseq=&FromFav=&PmSess1=108417&pos=TNTINC&v=3 CD]].
* Todd Pettingill of WPLJ's Scott & Todd does a "phone scam" segment where he prank calls people.
[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* ''WebVideo/FiveSecondFilms'' gives us an appropriately titled "[[http://5secondfilms.com/watch/prank-call Prank Call]]" and "[[http://5secondfilms.com/watch/the-last-prank-call-ever The Last Prank Call Ever]]".
* One {{vlogbrothers}} video has Hank [[http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=2O9BkGxWBVY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D2O9BkGxWBVY "positively prank call"]] people. He calls them up and tells them an optimistic fact about the world such as a statistic about decreasing violent crime. After one call resulted in more of a conversation than a prank, in subsequent calls he hung up immediately after saying his fact.
[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' episode "Telephonies" dealt with the girls being prank called by the [[GoldfishPoopGang Gangreen Gang]] into fighting against [[ManiacMonkeys Mojo Jojo]], [[CorruptHick Fuzzy Lumpkins]], and [[CampGay Him]], even when the three latter villains didn't commit any crimes at all.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Bart loves to call up Moe's and ask to speak to people with names like Al Coholic. Moe always asks his customers for that person, then realizes the pun when they start laughing. One time he used it to sic Moe on his babysitter's boyfriend. (He had a crush on the babysitter.)
** Radio [=DJs=] Phil & Marty prank call a man by telling him his wife died in an accident.
** Bart and Lisa mention in one episode that Homer occasionally calls to the radio to give fake accounts about car accidents.
* In ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'', Coco uses the "Is your refrigerator running?" call to distract Mr. Herriman. Herriman actually goes to catch the refrigerator, leaving the others free to throw a wild party. [[spoiler:Turns out there ''was'' a refrigerator running - an imaginary friend that looked like a refrigerator.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' has the Prank Master, whom Mordecai and Rigby try to prank call back, and when they do, he uses a prank call to ''send them back in time!''
* Referenced in ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', where Mom notices the family refrigerator being pushed around by a [[ItMakesSenseInContext cyborg turtle]]. She calls out "Honey, our refrigerator is running!", to which Dad upstairs answers cheerfully "And we've got Prince Albert in the can!" (At which point a literal prince emerges from the toilet.)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'', "Up All Night": This is one of the things that Norbert and Daggett try to do to pass the night. Daggett ends up not only botching the joke completely, but also accidentally calls his own mother.
* ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt'': In the first episode Newton showcases his abilities by shapeshifting into a number of characters and performing various sketches. This includes him prank calling someone and using the "refrigerator" gag... only to learn that the refrigerator in question indeed ''wasn't'' running, at which point he shapeshifts into a refrigerator repairman.
* In the third act of the ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS2E8BogusToTheRescue Bogus To The Rescue]]", Bogus receives a call from an unknown recipient that he needs a superhero right away. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to do a good deed, Bogus quickly rushes off to the rescue, only to run past [[BrattyHalfPint Brattus]], who was prank calling him from a nearby phone booth. Bogus backtracks before angrily confronting Brattus about it, even when [[FreudianExcuse Brattus tries to explain that he was just trying to cheer up Bogus.]]
[[AC: RealLife]]
* Prince Albert is a brand of tobacco sold in a metal can. It was named for the RealLife Prince Albert, who later became King Edward VII. A prankster would call a person or store and say "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?" If the victim said "Yes", the prankster would say "Then you'd better let him out!"
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