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Whether you love or hate them, there’s something satisfying about seeing a good prank executed well, and April Fools’ Day is a day for celebrating the cleverness of a great prank.

The MIT hacks are among the best in the Boston area and are a favorite of one reader, Amanda from Stoneham.

“Just about anything MIT does. They are the best,” she told Boston.com. “Nerd crossing is still my personal favorite.”

But the pranks that stick with us the most are the ones we experience more directly, so ahead of the holiday, we asked Boston.com readers to share the best and worst April Fools’ Day pranks

they’ve either pulled off or fallen victim to. Below you’ll find stories from eight readers about their most memorable pranks. 

“I don’t know when it all started but here are a few of my finest pranks. All were believed until I said April Fools.

The trick is getting the joke in early before the victim realizes the date. Unfortunately, no one will take my calls on this day anymore.” — JoAnne D., Lowell

“I came home from work one April 1 evening and greeted my son. He promptly congratulated me on becoming a grandfather! I stood there for (a very painful) 15 seconds trying to figure out if

my 17-year-old son standing in front of me and his girlfriend had gotten pregnant, or my 23-year-old daughter and her obnoxious fiance had done so. Before my brain could sort the options and

seek clarification, he announced that I had fallen victim to the day. He got far too much enjoyment from the look of shock, fear, dread, elation, and confusion that flashed across my face.”

— Michael, Quincy

“Teacher, here. At the start of each school day, I put the date up on the board. On April 1, if it’s a school day, I write March 32. Invariably, there will be at least one student in every

class that wants to mock me for having the wrong date. They are often recklessly disrespectful, so much so, that as much as I don’t like pranking people, I approve of this one, as it works

as a clever lesson in their learning to think twice before shooting their mouths off. I don’t laugh or correct them, I just stare at them as they up their protests. I don’t even have to say,

‘April Fools!’ (Plural, as there is generally more than one). It works really well.” — John, Beacon Hill

“I’ve been civically involved in Waltham for a long time. A few years back I made an image and a slogan and announced a run for mayor of the city. Before then I had mostly said I’d never run

for office, so it caught my friends off-guard. But what I remember most is the dozens of people who posted messages of enthusiastic support! These included political and organizing friends

from around Massachusetts and beyond. I think I got over 50 of my friends with that one. So I guess if I ever do run, I’ll have to announce on a different day. And it is nice to know I’d

have a bunch of people behind me if I did decide to run!” — Scott, Waltham

“Every year I would switch the sugar bowl with salt…I loved watching my husband’s face every year on 4/1 taking his first big sip of the salty coffee.” — Deb, Easton

“I put salt in the sugar and my brother put it in his coffee. I then proceeded to put black electrical tape on the fountain thing by the sink so when he spit out the salt in his coffee and

turned on the sink, he got sprayed.” — Elizabeth W.

“My daughter once put a beef bouillon cube in my shower head as an April Fool’s Day prank and I found myself bathing in beef broth early in the morning — we still laugh about it.” — Kellie

V., Wells, Maine

“After working at a Vermont bank for over 24 hours on an ATM project in the late 70s, I was waiting for a return call from a company in Mass. I returned after a couple hours nap and was told

by my coworkers that I had missed a call from Mr. Lyon at a Mass. number. When I called, still half asleep, I asked for Mr. Lyon but was asked twice who I was looking for? I explained my

situation only to be told that I had called the Stone Zoo! My coworkers got me.” — GP

Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.