Pranks are just awesome, especially when it is a gift prank. The look on the recipient’s face while looking at the impeccably packaged gift with shiny wrapping paper and decorative frills, only to open it and find a silly gift or prank, and watching the disappointment on the face is a cherry on top. These practical jokes begin with intrigue and excitement and conclude with disappointments and looks of shame.
Two friends, Ryan Walther and Arik Nordby, who loved playing pranks on their friends and families, but didn’t very much enjoy disappointing them, decided to change the typical sequence of gift pranks. They wished gift pranks to begin with disappointment and displeasure and conclude with a laugh and a sigh of satisfaction.
To make their prank gifts wish come true, they decided to create fake gift boxes and created Prank-O.
Read on to find out what Prank-O really is.
What is Prank-O?
Prank-O and gift boxes provide the impression that the receiver is getting an odd present, like a pet sweeper or plant urinal. However, the only thing disappointing about Prank-O is the gift packaging.
Prank-O boxes can be used to box the actual present and successfully conceal what you actually want to gift. These boxes are empty and were initially tested by Ryan and Arik on their family and friends, and with their excellent response, they decided to turn this simple idea into a business. They began selling these reverse prank boxes online and were overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted to get their hands on these boxes. They have swept away after completing a record-breaking sales year with their innovative empty gift box.
Unfortunately, due to haste and improper planning, they launched a few new products that resulted in huge debt and losses. After this, they decided to seek an investor who could help them stay afloat and pursue their Prank-O reverse gift boxes profitably again, which is why they decided to turn to the sharks.
Prank-O on Shark Tank
Their Shark Tank pitch was distinct from what we typically witnessed and began with a prank. Ryan and Arik walked onto the stage with the fictitious name “Ryanarki” and demanded $75,000 in exchange for 15% stock. Sharks were informed that they provided a variety of time-saving items and then distributed the fake boxes amongst the sharks. However, the sharks found that the boxes were empty, and at this point, the pair revealed their true business.
The sharks came to know about their actual business through their prank and were delighted. Following that brief overview of a practical joke, the pair disclosed their true demand of $640,000 in return for 8% ownership. Daymond Johnson, Lori Greiner, and Barbara Corcoran left the business claiming a variety of factors, including an unresolved debt issue and the company’s erratic schedule.
Kevin O’Leary and Mark Cuban stood on the opposite side of the table. They both made reasonable offers due to their mutual interest in the company. Mark made a deal to meet the pair’s investment need for a 25% stock stake in the company. He highlighted the justification for his proposition, considering their debt situation.
Kevin also made them a $640,000 offer, but it came with a 38-cent lifelong royalty for each unit of sales and no equity stake. The duo debated for a time before deciding to accept Mark’s offer.
Our Review of Prank-O
Ryan and Arik deserve to be recognized for their inventiveness and creative mind. Their empty reverse gift boxes feature a variety of bizarre goods, and the meticulous attention to every detail makes these gift boxes really genuine. The two have ensured that the prank gifts lead consumers to think that certain unusual goods are real.
The duo has planned everything perfectly, from the entire layout of the boxes to the illustration of the set of directions, and the product image helps ensure that the recipients believe they have received the silliest things from those protracted, hilarious TV commercials.
Following are a few of their boxes to give you an overview of the strange products they offer:
Toilet Tunes – speakers and sanitizing combo that you place in the bathroom to keep the basin clean while still enjoying your favorite music.
Roto Wipe – A personal cleansing tool that replaces toilet paper with gentle bristles and a rotating frequency of 2700 rpm.
Earwax Candle Kit – A kit for ear wax extraction and candle creation.
Pros of Prank-O
- Features goods that are believable but incredibly strange
- Packages are large enough to fit any kind of gift inside.
- Offers a fantastic reverse present prank
Cons of Prank-O
- Costly for unfilled boxes
Who is Prank-O For?
Prank-O reverse gift prank boxes are perfect for all those practical joke gift ideas. Wrapping actual gifts in Prank-O might give people who are delivering them to friends and families an amusing touch. Prank-O packages can also be utilized to play practical jokes on individuals who exhibit spontaneous reactions. The expression of bewilderment and dissatisfaction, followed by a flood of jokes and laughter, will make the cost of that empty box worthwhile.
Are There Any Alternatives?
There are many different types of prank and hoax gift boxes available, many of which contain insignificant objects. We haven’t discovered any other business (aside from Hoax-O) that provides unfilled prank boxes with such accurate and thorough descriptions of weird non-existent things containing real gifts, either.
Our Final Thoughts
Although the deal with Mark never materialized, the Shark Tank effect was enough to help the duo settle their debts and achieve greater profits. Additionally, the pandemic gave Prank-O an unreal boost, and their company makes over 6 million dollars annually.
With their simple idea and excellent execution, Arik and Ryan were able to achieve great success with their business and they are reaching greater heights.
