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Practical jokes for cache fun,,,kewl or NOT?


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Brand new to geocaching and wanted to place my first cache. Looking for something out of the ordinary I was thinking about rigging the container with a practical joke. Like the loaded spring snake thingie that comes out when you open the lid. Is this considered in poor taste and not recommended or should I go for it? Nothing dangerous or too scary, but something different.

BTW what is the strangest or most original "suprise " you have encountered when opening a cache?

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I recently found a cache in the middle of the desert. It was so quiet & serene...until an extemely loud alarm went off and startled me! :rolleyes: There were several hand-held games in the cache so I was frantically pushing buttons to try to turn if off. I eventually realized that all I had to do was shut the lid! It totally ruined the moment of enjoying the moment of sitting on a sand island with no one around. :laughing: Although I enjoyed the hike out to the cache and the location, it ruined the actual find for me...

Edited by Nevada Stars
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Twice I've been surprised by critters that infiltrated 2 caches I didn't think were able to be infiltrated. Both times they were ants and both times I did the "get em off me!!!" dance swatting and swiping them off me and on one of the two cases the left seat of my vehicle where I placed one container. Seems it took me two tries to check out the contents for critters before placing in an area I don't want critters.. :rolleyes::laughing:

 

Vince

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Brand new to geocaching and wanted to place my first cache. Looking for something out of the ordinary I was thinking about rigging the container with a practical joke. Like the loaded spring snake thingie that comes out when you open the lid. Is this considered in poor taste and not recommended or should I go for it? Nothing dangerous or too scary, but something different.

BTW what is the strangest or most original "suprise " you have encountered when opening a cache?

 

Practical Jokes are for friends.

 

Anything else is too unpredictiable. You dont know when you are going to get your butt kicked or when you are gong to give someone a heart attack.

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One of my most memorable finds was on a cache with built in electronics. When you opened the lid, a .wav file started playing. It was a nasal sounding voice bemoaning fate, in a quiet tone. Kind of a "Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me" diatribe that lasted for quite some time, and had me in stitches. Had this been set up to frighten, it probably would not have left me with such fond memories.

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I don't think what you describe is necessarily "off limits" but you must consider that different people will react differently to the "surprise". there will undoubtedly be those who will get mad, post SBA, or remove the cache "for the safety of others".

 

I presently assist in maintenance on one with a "furry friend" in the hole as the front-line greeter. It gets good reviews.

 

I have found another that has a "surprise" in the way of a Halloween theme and it is one of the best i have ever found.

 

As to the desert cache with the alarm, i would have thought that was a hoot myself. But you can see from the earlier post that one man's hoot is another man's holler.

 

Idea:

Permanently attach the springy-dingy-thingy to the bottom of the box and put the swag ON TOP OF IT. Then when the box is opened all the contents "explode" at the unsuspecting cacher who gets to play "52 pickup". Hilarious! But you MIGHT get sued (especially when a cacher gets pointy swag in the eye). NEVER MIND!

 

It is probably best that practical jokes be PASSIVE, not the kind that "pop out."

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Hey, I got it!

 

A fake electrical box... you know one that all the "experts" can clearly see is FAKE because it doesn't have wires coming out of it and it is in a place where there is no apparent electricity?

 

When the finder opens it, he gets SHOCKED from one of those novelties they sell at the gas station!

 

What Fun! :laughing:

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Practical Jokes are for friends.

 

Anything else is too unpredictiable. You dont know when you are going to get your butt kicked or when you are gong to give someone a heart attack.

 

That has to be the best possible way to say it.

 

It's like tickling. If you tickle someone who loves you, they may laugh. If you tickle a complete stranger, they may break your neck.

Edited by nonaeroterraqueous
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Brand new to geocaching and wanted to place my first cache. Looking for something out of the ordinary I was thinking about rigging the container with a practical joke. Like the loaded spring snake thingie that comes out when you open the lid. Is this considered in poor taste and not recommended or should I go for it? Nothing dangerous or too scary, but something different.

BTW what is the strangest or most original "suprise " you have encountered when opening a cache?

 

My cache Boomslang is just what you're describing. People always seem to enjoy it -- have a look at some of the logs :laughing:

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I have found a cache with a classic snake jumping out of a can joke as one stage of a multi. I wasn't tricked by it (for some reason) but my kids thought it was the coolest thing ever! I will remember that hunt forever where there are many other good caches that are now lost in the obscurity of my brain!

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I have found a cache with a classic snake jumping out of a can joke as one stage of a multi. I wasn't tricked by it (for some reason) but my kids thought it was the coolest thing ever! I will remember that hunt forever where there are many other good caches that are now lost in the obscurity of my brain!

I see the GOOD,,,the BAD,,and the UGLY side of this little hoax. I must admit I still want to come up with something original but will have to give it much more thought and consideration for how others may enjoy it,,,or not. Don't want anyone hurt or upset. Thanks for all the advice and sorry to post in wrong place,,must have used the wrong "forum datum",,hehhehheheh :laughing:

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I found an ammocan stuck down in an old abandoned armadillo hole this one time. Seemed easy enough but when i pulled the cache from the hole, a snake came out following it. That thing looked like it was striking so i did the boot scootin boogy trying to get away from it. To this day, that is one of my favorite caches.

 

We now have one with one of the spring loaded snakes inside ourselves. Nothing but good responses since everyone so far seems to have enjoyed it. Well, i have gotten a couple of threats letting me know that paybacks were heck. :laughing: That cache has all kinds of hints going in so most people have an idea that something isn't kosher before they even open the thing. It doesn't matter though,,, it still makes ya jump!

 

p.s. It even got me one time when i was doing my own maintenance on it. :rolleyes:

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I found a cache that was a water jug and after unscrewing the lid as you pulled it away a rubber snake attached to the lid came out of the jug.I landed about 20 feet behind myself on my backside.I didnt see the humor in it but my wife almost wet herself laughing at the site of me.I will always remember the cache but cant remember the name of it.I just refer to it as Heart Attack city.Which should of been the name of the cache but wasnt

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My biggest "heart stopper" with a cache was in western PA. It involved a lengthy hike up a mountain road, and along the way we ecounterd a timber rattler sunning itself. No big deal, snapped a few pics and moved on.. but of course, we were on "high snake alert" after that. Got to ground zero, cache is apparently hidden under a rock. Definitely on super high snake alert turning over large rocks in rattlesnake territory. Some joker left a fake wooden snake on top of the cache. My heart stopped for a split second until I realized is was indeed fake. The setup couldn't have been more perfect...

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I own several caches that may or may not have a slight wimsey twist to them. So far no one has commented on doing me any harm, and most of the logs and personal comments have been quite favorable. There is one snake in a can cache around there that would otherwise just be another one of those caches. I was part of a conversation that led up to the placement of that cache. Yet wehn I got around to seeking it, I had forgotten about the discussion and had a double gotcha moment. :laughing:

Edited by wimseyguy
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or it could be filled with bees.

 

 

or dogs

 

 

or dogs that shoot bees out of their mouths

 

Well go ahead,do your worst...

 

Just don't put a robotic Richard Simmons in the cache.

 

:laughing::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

The Simpsons rule.

 

Seriously though,I don't think the practical joke thing is a good idea.Some cachers would get POed,some may find it in good humor.You know how today's world is.And what if a small kid opened it up first or something.

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Wow, interesting responses.

 

Personally, I'd love a little joke in/near a cache.

 

Just keep some things in mind:

1) Keep it family friendly, nothing that is TOO scary

2) Keep it simple so that people CAN reset it (if needed)

3) Keep in mind the terrain and location. Don't have things jump out at people at your cache next to cliff or on a rocky surface (yep, it needs to be said)

 

I've been meaning to pick up one of those "shock pens" to put in my new caches, but I keep forgetting.

 

With al lthe mundane caches out there, I applaud you for wanting to make something memorable.

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Ralphie, you'll put an eye out!

 

page0blogentry2041iu4.jpg

 

Apparently, a lot of cachers are packin' heat (I base this on some of the caching kits people have shown in another thread), so unless you want your cache shot up by someone who might think an animal was attacking them or something, I'd hold back on this one.

:rolleyes:

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Wow, interesting responses.

 

Personally, I'd love a little joke in/near a cache.

 

Just keep some things in mind:

1) Keep it family friendly, nothing that is TOO scary

2) Keep it simple so that people CAN reset it (if needed)

3) Keep in mind the terrain and location. Don't have things jump out at people at your cache next to cliff or on a rocky surface (yep, it needs to be said)

 

I've been meaning to pick up one of those "shock pens" to put in my new caches, but I keep forgetting.

 

With al lthe mundane caches out there, I applaud you for wanting to make something memorable.

I agree and I love them too! If you are worried about someone having a heart attack then do the prank in a higher terrain cache.
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We fell for a good 'prank cache' today. We drove twenty-three miles and walked about quarter mile to the cache. Inside of it there was one of those prank soaking wet log books that you can't sign. What a hoot! The container was like a flippin' fish tank. (Good thing we keep a few extra containers stash-ready.)

 

Seriously, I'd wait until you've been to an event or two and met some of your fellow cachers before setting up prank caches. That way you can assess their personalities and possible reactions before scaring them.

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I have a snake in the can that has been out since 2004 and it's been found almost 150 times.

 

I have never had a log or email from anyone who didn't like it.

Anyone who has had kids along has liked it even more.

I've never known it not to be reset properly.

 

Maybe folks around here aren't wound so tight.

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As I mentioned, the last time this assinine and juvenile idea was brought up in the fora, I would beat such a cache with a stick, and then with rocks, to make sure it was harmless, and then I'd toss it down the mountain, or into the river. This idea is even more stupid than lamp post caches!

Hummm,,wound a little tight I'd say,,,breathe slowly, and go to your happy place,,,, B)

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After a find that had a nice snake near the cache the other day we are thinking of posting a picture of me and the snake and leaving a comment that I put the snake in the ammo box, then leaving a good looking rubber snake in the container.

Might wanna put a couple sets of new shorts in the kitty for the poor suckers like me that will prolly soil thiers when they see that!!!! B)

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I have an ammo can cache that applauds for about 20 seconds when the cache container is opened. I just took the noisemaker out of a greeting card and rigged it to the inside lid of the can. Not too scary, nothing the finder has to reset, and it gets great reviews.

That's a neat idea. They have many good sounds we could use. B)

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If you want to try a very simple "feeler" joke, you could super glue a plastic spider to an ammo can. I found a cache under some sticks with that exact feature and it scared the crap out of me even though the cache mentioned spiders in the name.

 

Or you could glue a big spider to the inside of the ammo can lid. Might scare someone pretty good.

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I placed a cache like that. It was active for several years before I archived it four months ago.

 

It was a wooden bird house with a hinged lid. I attached a "mixed nuts" can inside without the screw on cap. There was a hook and eye latch on the lid that kept the snake from springing out. And the snake's tail was tied to the can with string. I had to shorten the spring in the snake by about one-third to avoid taking someone's eye out. There was no trouble with finders resetting the cache. It was easy to push the snake back in and close the lid.

 

The cache was placed near a small stream called Snake Brook.

 

You can read the logs. The first logs are favorable -- most finders liked the surprise. I think after a while the spring lost its oomph, and the snake didn't spring out so much as just pop up. I archived it because the wood around the hinges started to rot.

Edited by CacheNCarryMA
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Brand new to geocaching and wanted to place my first cache. Looking for something out of the ordinary I was thinking about rigging the container with a practical joke. Like the loaded spring snake thingie that comes out when you open the lid. Is this considered in poor taste and not recommended or should I go for it? Nothing dangerous or too scary, but something different.

BTW what is the strangest or most original "suprise " you have encountered when opening a cache?

 

thats lame.

 

K.I.S.S.

 

Keep It Simple Stupid

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Brand new to geocaching and wanted to place my first cache. Looking for something out of the ordinary I was thinking about rigging the container with a practical joke. Like the loaded spring snake thingie that comes out when you open the lid. Is this considered in poor taste and not recommended or should I go for it? Nothing dangerous or too scary, but something different.

BTW what is the strangest or most original "suprise " you have encountered when opening a cache?

 

thats lame.

 

K.I.S.S.

 

Keep It Simple Stupid

Of course, I've heard many people complain about how "That cache is just another box in the woods! How Lame!" Lame is a very subjective term, be careful how you use it.

 

K.I.I.S.

 

Keep It Interesting, Stupid. :cool:

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Just give a warning on the cache page that if people don't like surprises and have a good sense of humor that they should pass this cache by.

 

There's a cache I know of with a fake snake in it. The cache description clearly states essentially what I've said above, without ruining the surprise - yet giving fair warning.

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As I mentioned, the last time this assinine and juvenile idea was brought up in the fora, I would beat such a cache with a stick, and then with rocks, to make sure it was harmless, and then I'd toss it down the mountain, or into the river. This idea is even more stupid than lamp post caches!

is that your normal procedure before you open a cache or after?

 

maybe you should join the Boston Bomb Squad? :blink:

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