When I was a kid, playing a prank on someone usually involved toilet paper, soap or shaving cream.  Although all three were relatively harmless, now as an adult I can appreciate the true nuisance they are.  Thankfully, I have yet to wake up one morning to find my trees decorated with swaths of toilet paper myself.  But, if I was going to be on the receiving end of a prank, a flock of plastic pink flamingo lawn ornaments in my yard would have to be my prank of choice.  Clearly, there are others who have thought so as well.

University of Wisconsin:

The prank 30 years ago that led to Madison, Wisconsin adopting the plastic garden flamingo as their official town bird is a pink flamingo classic!  On September 4th, 1979, UW-Madison students awoke to 1,008 pink flamingos flocked on Bascom Hill, outside of the dean's office.  The prank was perpetrated by Jim Mallon and Leon Verjian, two members of the Pail and Shovel Party - that won election to UW student government on campaign promises including flooding Camp Randall to conduct faux naval battles and having the deans stuffed and mounted.  This prank has also been immortalized in Neil Steinberg's book, If at all Possible involve Cows: The Book of College Pranks.

New Milford, Connecticut:

Just this September, Milford Connecticut residents were seeing pink garden flamingos everywhere as well.  No, it wasn't a case of mass hysteria.  Instead, it was a group of pranksters for a good cause from the New Milford Methodist church.  This fun fundraising prank had unsuspecting New Milford residents arriving home or waking up to flocks of adorable flamingos in their lawn, all in an effort to raise money for their youth group program.

California:

On October 3rd, 2009, it seems those rascally flamingos made their way all the way to the west coast!  An early morning dog walker, who blogs on Casual Cottage Chic, before she had had her morning coffee, got quite a startle as she was walking her cocker spaniel and saw a flock of pink flamingos in her neighbor's lawn.  Her first thoughts centered on why are there flamingos in California?  They live in Florida!  Of course, on closer inspection she realized they were plastic.  She grabbed her camera to memorialize the strange sight of pink flamingos intermixed with Halloween decorations.  Later, it was discovered that the neighbor happened to be the high school football coach, and this had been a fun little prank from his students.