The Practical Joker's Handbook [Paperback]

Tim Nyberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

The Duct Tape Guy is hysterical! We laughed so hard, phlegm came up!" --WSNY, Columbus, Ohio, on author Tim Nyberg

Any guy who can get not just one, but six books-selling well over a million copies-out of a topic like duct tape has to know how to make people laugh. Tim Nyberg, creator of the Duct Tape books, truly is such a funny person. He brings his bizarre sense of humor to everything he does.

Fun is certainly the operative word for Nyberg's The Practical Joker's Handbook, the only practical joke collection in print. Using his Web site, the author spent six years collecting practical joke and prank ideas from around the world. This definitive handbook features the best and the funniest of these, all designed to remind readers to have fun, not take life too seriously, and catch people off-guard to make them laugh. (Potentially harmful jokes and pranks were purposefully omitted.)

The results are a hilarious collection of stories, tips, and tactics for bringing humor to the forefront. Nyberg first explains the art of the joke, then goes on to outline where and how to pull off the best practical gags on friends and loved ones. From how to jury-rig a toilet tank to using a kazoo to place an order in the fast-foot drive-through, Nyberg delivers the goods. This one will have readers in stitches!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tim Nyberg is a graphic designer and illustrator who created the enormously popular Duct Tape Book series and a decade of best-selling Duct Tape Calendars, a publishing coup that can claim nearly three million copies sold. He appears regularly on North American radio and television shows promoting his creative, offbeat humor books. He lives in Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. To learn more about Tim, visit www.octanecreative.com and www.ducttapeguys.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740741985
• ISBN-13: 978-0740741982
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tim Nyberg started out his writing career as a graphic designer and illustrator. With his wife, Julie, they created four creative children's books, the "Jake's Unfolding Adventures" series. The series was heavily illustrated and literally unfolded like a road map as the story built.

Then, the Duct Tape Books happened (the complete story is at http://www.ducttapeguys.com/jimntim). This is where Tim met his friend, Tony Dierckins, Duct Tape Book one editor and subsequent Duct Tape Book co-author. With Tony, Tim continued the Duct Tape book genre and delved into other humor topics such as, "How To Get Rid of a Telemarketer," "When I'm an Old Man, I'll Wear Mixed Plaids," "the WD-40 Book" and "The Habits of Seven Highly Annoyiing People." And with Joey Green, "The Bubble Wrap Book" and "The Warning Label Book."

The Duct Tape Book genre introduced what Tim calls "Intelligent Stupidity" - which he and his co-Duct Tape Guy, Jim Berg, have woven into a popular stand-up comedy act which has toured throughout North America, England and Germany (the Germans didn't get it). They have been seen frequently on a variety of television shows from TBS's "Man Made Movie" to "The History Channel" dispensing the history of duct tape. Now with seven books and ten Page-A-Day Calendars in their Duct Tape Trilogy, their "breathtakingly stupid" writing career documenting the myriad uses of duct tape continues without any signs of stopping.

Tim's solo humor writing career includes "The Practical Joker's Handbook," "The Beanie Basher's Handbook" and "99 bottles of Beer on the Wall - the complete lyrics" (AM Universal, fall 2006).

Weary of many people asking Tim how to get published, Tim launched http://www.monkeymarketing.com to dispense his usual advise. He has future plans of writing a book detailing his free and cheap (although bestsellingly effective) book marketing ideas.

Tim is 30-years into a happy marriage to his "best friend" and constant source of critique and encouragement. They have two grown kids - a daughter who's a wonderful music teacher and incredible jazz singer, and a son who's an amazingly prolific and thoughtful writer and also a skilled jazz drummer.

Keen on any creative endeavor, Tim has recently taken up fine art. His online gallery may be viewed at http://www.octanecreative.com/art.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant collection!, May 17, 2004

By 

Julie (Sister Bay, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Practical Joker's Handbook (Paperback)

From the tried and true classic practical jokes to many really creative new pranks that are sure to become classics, this collection is great! A must have for anyone with a gently devious mind and a wacky sense of humor. I've seen some of these gags floating around occasionally via email lists, but it's really nice to have them bound into one handy (and quite attractive) volume. I will definitely be giving this "handbook" as gifts during graduation time! My only regret is that I didn't have this book in high school or college.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Garbage... pure garbage., October 4, 2010

By 

Atlantaman - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Practical Joker's Handbook (Paperback)

Like the header says - pure garbage. Save your money because this is simply the most worthless publication I have ever read. At best, I suspect that a 5-year-old might (I stress the word "might") find more of these practical jokes funny. At worst, the practical jokes (I use the term loosely) are boring and unimaginative, put into a format that is pure drivel. Honestly, I only found three (THREE!) of the listed "pranks" as funny, but has to disqualify two of them as "practical" due to the fact that they would undoubtedly result in my getting fired from my job. So, that leaves me with one - ONE - tidbit which I would qualify as a joke that would be both funny and "practical".

Bottom line: Not worth the paper it's printed on....

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So funny i almost wet my pants, March 18, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Practical Joker's Handbook (Paperback)

This is the best practical joker handbook yet . The ones in here are a classic .

I pulled a joke on my cousin on christmas eve
[...]
Well i hope you enjoy this book beacause it a very funny book. Get it today at your loacl library or bookstore. Have fun