Prank Patrol is a Reality TV show for kids originally made by Canadian channel YTV, with local remakes by Australia and the UK. It revolves around a host named Andy and his team of 'ninjas' helping kids concoct the perfect prank on their friends or family. In Australia the massively popular show is hosted by Scotty on ABC3, in the UK it is hosted by Barney on CBBC. It's basically a kid's version of Punk'd, with Andy as the Ashton Kutcher equivalent.
During the show, there is a cartoon sketch entitled 'Recipe for a Prank'. It consists of a little girl who is disturbed by her older brother, and vice versa. It will show how to make the prank and the ending will always show the boy/girl who is pranked.
Tropes
- Bits of Me Keep Passing Out: One prank involved a fake dentist who accidentally injected himself with Novocaine while working on the target.
- Catchphrase: In nearly every episode before the Ninjas' segment, when the host gets pranked unexpectedly, he'll say "Ninjas!" in grumpiness. Although in the Canadian episode "Genius Gorilla", once Andy got the receiving end, it gives a funny gem.
- Once the prank has been successful, the host (or the episode's prankster) will often say "You just got pranked by the Prank Patrol."
- Dating What Daddy Hates: One prank involved setting up a father to think his daughter was dating a tattooed punk rocker with a mohawk who drove a panel van.
- Depraved Dentist: One prank involved a visit to the dentist where the dentist turned out to be one of these.
- Excited Kids' Show Host: Scotty is often like this.
- Gratuitous Ninja: Each host's assistants are dressed as and known as ninjas, for no practical reason other than that ninjas rock.
- Off-the-Shelf FX: In the episode where a father pranks his kids by making them believe he's a superhero, Scotty's costume as the supervillain, while implied to have been tailor-made by the show staff, is blatantly a store-bought Thor costume with the cape and helmet removed and the addition of a purple mask.
- Reality TV: All the pranks are real, many involve a lot of improv.
- Recycled In Space: Punk'd... BUT KID-FRIENDLY!!
- Rockers Smash Guitars: One episode features a guest who pranks his dad into believing he has been discovered by a record label and will begin his career as a professional rockstar. At the end of his concert he smashes his guitar.
- Shout-Out: In the "Recipe for a Prank" segment "Tug o' Doors", the prank victims are animated versions of Moe and Curly, with "Moe" even heard uttering "wise guy, eh?" and "Curly" making his iconic barking noise when he gets especially frustrated.
