
the string is the sauce
Prank Gear
The Ketchup Bottle That Squirts a String Instead
A squeeze bottle loaded with a red cord. Aim it at someone, squeeze, and something red comes out very fast.
Buy this nonsense$5.77$2.89(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)- prank
- ketchup
- gag gift
- dinner table
- classic gag
- practical joke
What Is This Thing?
A red squeeze bottle of the kind found in every diner, loaded not with sauce but with a long red cord attached inside. Aim it at someone, squeeze, and the cord shoots out of the nozzle in a fast red arc.
For about half a second it is indistinguishable from a bottle of ketchup being emptied onto a person.
Why You Don't Need It
It is a bottle that cannot hold ketchup. Whatever condiment situation you had before, this does not address it.
The cord also has to be fed back in by hand after every use, which is the least funny part of the object and takes longer than the joke.
Why You'll Buy It Anyway
Because the reaction is involuntary and immediate. Nobody stops to evaluate the situation. They flinch, they look at their shirt, and then they work out what happened — and that half-second gap is the entire product.
It is a genuinely old gag and it still works, which is worth something on a site full of things that work once.

Who It's Actually For
Dinner tables, cafés, and families who eat together often enough for a second bottle to go unnoticed. It is a standard April Fools' item and a reliable one.
It is also the rare prank that is completely clean. Nothing spills, nothing stains, nothing needs wiping up afterwards.
before you click buy
The illusion depends on context. On a table with other condiments it is convincing; held out in the open by someone grinning, it is not.
The cord is attached at one end and pulls back in, which is the design working as intended rather than a fault. Check whether the listing is for one bottle or a pair, since both are sold at similar prices.
more things nobody needs

still funny. that's the scandal.
Prank Gear
The Whoopee Cushion, Still In Production After a Century
A rubber bladder that makes a rude noise when sat on. Invented in the 1920s, unimproved since, and still selling.
Buy this nonsense$4.21$2.11(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
they will press it. everyone does.
Prank Gear
The Keycap Keychain That Shocks Whoever Presses It
A keycap on a keyring with a static shock circuit inside. It looks like a keyboard part and behaves like a trap.
Buy this nonsense$4.71$2.35(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
it does not break. that is the joke.
Prank Gear
The Rubber Eggs That Bounce Instead of Breaking
Solid rubber eggs made to pass for real ones in the fridge, right up until somebody drops one.
Buy this nonsense$7.38$2.43(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
one joke. one use.
Prank Gear
The Wooden Box That Fires a Spider at Your Friend
An innocent handmade wooden box. Slide the lid and a rubber spider launches out on a spring.
Buy this nonsense$5.44$2.39(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
nobody ever finds it
Prank Gear
The Bare Circuit Board That Chirps From Inside Your Ceiling
A remote-controlled noise generator small enough to hide anywhere, built to emit sounds nobody can locate.
Buy this nonsense$13.41$6.70(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
the timer is the cruelty
Prank Gear
The Cricket That Chirps On Its Own Schedule
A matchbox-sized chirping device with a remote and a timer. Hide it and walk away — it keeps going without you.
Buy this nonsense$31.48(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)