Jim’s 7 Most Iconic Pranks From ‘The Office’

When viewers logged in The OfficeThey could expect a myriad of recurring jokes and predictable, enjoyable sequences. Just as viewers could rest easy knowing they would see Michael utter some sort of strange, often inappropriate, comment at his workplace, viewers could safely expect to see Jim pranking his rival, Dwight, almost every week.

From The Office Since 2005, Jim’s increasingly elaborate pranks on Dwight have provided the show with many of its most beloved jokes, providing plenty of anarchic hilarity throughout the show’s nine seasons. From fan-favorite pranks involving identity theft to practical jokes that ended with a heartfelt emotional payoff, here are some of Jim’s best pranks in The Officelisted in order from worst to best.

The red thread farce

Sure, most of Jim’s best pranks took a convoluted, cartoonish form, but in some cases, his most satisfying pranks turned out to be his simplest. Such is the case with Season 5’s “Prince Family Paper,” in which Jim unrolls 500 feet of red yarn across the office, leaving a comical trail for Dwight to follow. While it’s certainly funny to see Dwight climb a telephone pole in pursuit of the yarn, it’s even funnier to stop and realize that Jim did the exact same thing in the middle of the night, all for a simple joke. (And people say Jim is the normal one…)

The Hotel Room Farce

Raising a baby isn’t without its challenges, but it’s also not without its perks. Consider, for example, the fact that most parents are used to waking up at odd hours of the night, an advantage Jim takes advantage of in Season 8’s “Tallahassee.” As Dwight rushes to wake his coworkers at 5 a.m., Jim uses his parental insomnia to stage a fake murder in his hotel room, leaving Erin terrified and Dwight confused as to what happened. From the makeshift rope ladder thrown off the balcony to the “That was Dwight” scrawled on the closet door in fake blood, everything about this improvised farce is pure comedic gold.

Pavlovian farce

Not all of Jim’s pranks have been as simple as messing up a hotel room or unrolling an electrical wire in an office. In the case of Season 3’s “Ben Franklin,” Jim used psychological conditioning to literally reprogram Dwight’s brain, adopting a technique similar to that practiced by influential neurologist Ivan Pavlov. Spending days, weeks, or even months training Dwight without him noticing, Jim’s Pavlovian antics in “Ben Franklin” show just how far he’ll go to get a laugh at poor old Dwight’s expense.

Professor Copperfield’s Miracle Legumes

Only Jim has managed to sell Dwight a bag of magic beans—er, I mean, a packet of Professor Copperfield’s miracle vegetables. While Dunder Mifflin is holding a public garage sale in Season 7’s “Garage Sale,” Dwight manages to upgrade his paperclip to a valuable telescope. Of course, Dwight’s ruthless business acumen proves less than fruitful when he crosses paths with Jim. Trading in his $150 telescope for a bag of beans is one thing, but it’s actually a good thing. believer they are magic (as Dwight does) makes this joke much more endearing, leading to one of Jim’s most simple yet effective pranks The OfficeThe last seasons of.

The wedding farce

A rare joke that led to a cathartic conclusion, it’s fitting that Jim’s final prank in The Office also happens to be one of his most heartfelt. As Dwight prepares for his official wedding ceremony with Angela at The OfficeIn the series finale, Jim surprises the groom with the return of Michael Scott, who takes over Jim’s duties as Dwight’s “best man.” Watch Steve Carell’s long-awaited return in his breakthrough role in The Officewe have no choice but to agree with Jim’s tearful assessment of his latest joke: “The best prank ever.”

The Identity Theft Prank

It’s hard to believe that one of Jim’s best pranks on Dwight only cost him $11. It’s money well spent. Donning an outfit eerily similar to his longtime Dunder Mifflin nemesis, Jim humorously recreates Dwight’s entire appearance, down to the bobblehead on his desk. As funny as it is to see Jim perfectly disguise himself as Dwight, it’s worth noting Dwight’s manic concern when he realizes what Jim is doing, leading him to shrillly shout, “Identity theft is no joke, Jim! Millions of families suffer from it every year.”

Asian Jim

Randall Park may have a hard time remembering that he was on The Officebut we don’t. Considered by many fans to be the best prank Jim ever pulled on his hapless co-worker, Season 9’s “Andy’s Ancestry” sees Park wandering around the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin pretending to be Jim. What follows is a hilarious interaction between Dwight and Park’s Jim impersonator, with some masterful gaslighting from both Park’s character and Pam (who is, of course, fully aware of the prank).