6: Trick Wands
In sixth place with have Trick Wands. There is no doubt that it would be rather funny to watch your friends try and cast a spell only for their wand to turn into a rubber chicken, a pair of underpants or box them round the head. Although having said that, we reckon this practical joke would only work the once and it would be difficult to fool your friend for a second time, which is why we haven’t placed it any higher on the list.
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5: Headless Hats
Next, we have Fred and George’s Headless Hats. We think there are plenty of tricks you could play with these rather ingenious inventions. Just pop one of these on your head, pretend to be a ghostly apparition and watch the horrified chaos unfold in front of you. Although, this is still towards the bottom of our list as we reckon there are many ways that this could backfire. Sometimes scaring people doesn’t always go according to plan – and you may end up having to use these hats to hide from an irate target of your joke…
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4: Portable Swamps
In fourth place we have the Portable Swamps. The size of the swamp is what makes this one funny. When the Weasley twins made their grand exit during Order of the Phoenix, and left this behind as a memento, the commotion they caused was brilliant. The image of Argus Filch (who is crochety at the best of times) punting students back and forth to their lessons with a scowl on his face is just perfect – not to mention the headache it caused Professor Umbridge. However, as these are notoriously difficult to get rid of, we think that the joke could end up wearing a bit thin and you might get fed up of having to wade across the grimy water with permanently wet feet.
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3: Weasleys’ Wildfire Whiz-bangs
We believe that Weasleys’ Wildfire Whiz-bangs just sneak ahead of Portable Swamps, mainly due to the spectacular show they put on. From sparklers that write swear words to immense fire-breathing dragons, there is something for every budding mischief maker. The pandemonium caused by the Weasley twins when they let them loose in Hogwarts has also pushed them up our list. The thought of slightly-singed and irate Umbridge trying to get control of the colourful chaos, but only managing to make things worse, is just plain funny – it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. Yet these haven’t quite made the top, as it was the circumstances that made this prank so amusing rather than the product itself. Although, the scope for creating mischief with these should not be underestimated.
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2: Skiving Snackboxes
Creeping up towards the top we have the snacks you would be best to avoid. The sheer range of products makes this one impressive – from Ton-Tongue Toffees to Fainting Fancies, to Nosebleed Nougat, there are so many opportunities for a budding troublemaker to cause a scene. Though for us, the funniest one has to be the Canary Cream. The thought of watching one of your friends suddenly morphing into a giant Canary after eating a custard cream is just hilarious – you’d have to be completely devoid of a sense of humour to not even crack a smile. And for only seven Sickles each, we reckon they’re a bargain.
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1: U-No-Poo
Taking the top spot, we have the constipation sensation that is sweeping the nation. A classic joke, it proves that sometimes simplicity is key. Mrs Weasley may have worried that the excellent name would have led to Fred and George being murdered in their beds, but we personally think it was a bit of comic genius. It does exactly what it says on the tin and makes one of the darkest wizards to have ever existed seem that little bit less scary. We don’t think we really need to say any more than that.