The Office: Ranking Jim’s 32 best pranks against Dwight

From Jim dressing up like Dwight to moving his desk all over, here are our favorite pranks.

“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”

Well said, Michael Scott. That’s the perfect way to introduce For The Win’s tribute to The Office, the NBC comedy that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its premiere this week (March 24). For the show that’s still so embedded in American and internet culture, we’ll break down everything from the best sports moments to the best couples. Because, as Wayne Gretzky Michael Scott says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

It’s the recurring joke that never got stale in nine seasons: Jim Halpert pulling off some all-time great pranks on his desk-mate, Dwight Schrute. And though sometimes they backfired — see: the snowball war — or were borderline mean, we eventually saw how their mutual respect for each other grew.

So here are 32 of those pranks, ranked.

[lawrence-related id=903996]

32. Posting Dwight’s resume online

We’ll start with one from Halloween: Jim and Pam uploaded Dwight’s faux resume to Monster.com and other sites, but the punchline is Dwight actually gets a call from a place called Cumberland Mills. It’s not Jim’s best work, and the result isn’t all that funny. Whatever! There are so many better ones below. — Charles Curtis

31. Jim tricks Dwight into thinking he murdered someone

This is a highlight of an otherwise forgettable plot line when the office goes to Tallahassee. Jim is used to getting up at 4:15 a.m. with his kids, so in Florida, he uses that extra time to turn his hotel room into a crime scene, including “It was Dwight” written on a door. Props to Jim for making the most of his early morning time. — Michelle Martinelli

30. Jim gets Dwight a gigantic new ID and labels him a security threat

I don’t know what’s better — the use of a humongous piece of lamination, the fact that Dwight’s labeled a “security threat” or turning his middle name into “Fart.” A triple crown of pranks in one shot. — CC

29. Jim and Pam make Dwight believe Jim has telekinetic powers

Jim obviously needed a partner to help him fool Dwight into believing Jim has telekinetic powers, and Pam helps pull this prank off perfectly. Dwight is not only mind blown, but he also attempts to develop his own powers. A prank with lasting effects. — MM

28. Jim convinces Dwight he’s turning into a vampire

This is really the only natural reaction a prankster would have after seeing a bat terrorize the office. Good for Jim for taking advantage of the obvious opportunity. — MM

27. The meatballs

“Are you ready for some meatballs?!”

And the fact that this prank turns out to be Dwight and Stanley scheming against Jim for more meatballs is actually a hilarious twist. Solid pranks from both sides, really. — MM

26. Dwight’s tear-away suit

Maybe this should be higher because of the effort it required. Jim figures out Dwight’s dry cleaner, gets a suit made with Velcro and replaces it. Then, you get a tear-away moment in the parking lot. — CC

25. The holy grail quest

Nothing like setting up an elaborate prank to fool Dwight into thinking the holy grail is hidden in the warehouse and then forgetting about it. Jim says he stayed late every night for a month to pull this one off. Wow. — MM

24. William M. Buttlicker

While putting this list together, I giggled so much at this one because of the fake name Jim puts on to teach Dwight how to be better with customers. But it’s the way Jim escalates the faux phone call that’s amazing. — CC

23. Jim moves Dwight’s desk an inch at a time

We don’t see this prank play out; we only hear about it while Michael is reading off Dwight’s list of complaints against Jim. But it’s still excellent hearing that Dwight’s desk, incrementally, ended up two feet closer to the copier.

“I just moved it an inch every time he went to the bathroom. And that’s how I spent my entire day that day.” — MM

22. Jim dupes Dwight into thinking it’s Friday, not Thursday

Another long con by Jim: he figures out that Dwight has the day wrong, so he uses a bunch of mini-pranks to convince Dwight it’s Friday. When Dwight doesn’t come in the next day, the reaction to when he figures it out is an all-timer. — CC

21. Jim forwards Dwight’s phones to his

Jim routes Dwight’s cell phone to his through bluetooth AND forwards his office phone, keeping one step ahead. “Oh hello, Mother. Good news, I have married. Tell Father.” HA! — CC

20. Jim convinces Dwight he was smoking a joint in the parking lot

We love this prank because, much like William M. Buttlicker, the whole thing happens right in front of Dwight. It took Jim only a couple sentences to flip the situation and trick Dwight into believing he was actually the one smoking and being interrogated. — MM

19. The self-aware computer

When Dunder Mifflin launches a website to make sales, Dwight challenges the idea that technology could outsell him. So Jim and Pam send Dwight messages pretending to be the computer that is not only smarter than Dwight, but has also become self-aware and tells Dwight that it’s its job to destroy him in sales. Really, the prank just gets him to do his job faster. But Dwight easily believes it’s real, and Jim and Pam tapping into that is what makes this so good. — MM

18. Jim and Pam learn morse code to silently talk about Dwight

Dwight absolutely deserves to be tortured by them talking about him to his face (and then convincing him Jim is clicking a detonator). Pam just wanted Dwight to stop tapping his foot on the desk, and when she asked him to stop, he responded: “I will when you lose the baby weight.” RUDE. — MM

17. How to throw a garden party

While Dwight attempts to push Schrute Farms toward more high-end events, Jim lends a hand by writing The Ultimate Guide to Throwing a Garden Party book under the pseudonym James Trickington. (Duh, Dwight.) Strictly following every word, Dwight ends up doing some ridiculous party rituals, culminating with a fire baton dance for the closing ceremonies. Jim always said he likes an audience for his pranks, and the garden party might be his largest. — MM

16. Jim puts all of Dwight’s stuff in the vending machine

Oh this is a GOOD one. No only does he put all of Dwight’s desk accessories in there INCLUDING HIS WALLET, but he gives him a bag of nickels — not quarters, not dimes! — to get them out, one by one. — CC

15. Jim gets Dwight to deliver a speech like Mussolini

Why on earth Dwight would trust Jim to give him public speaking tips is beyond us, but he did and ended up imitating mannerisms of Benito Mussolini. It’s actually fairly on-brand for Dwight, but the prank backfires for Jim when the speech captivates the crowd. — MM

14. Jim tricks Dwight into becoming his own assistant to the assistant to to the regional manager

Maybe a little higher than you think, but it’s pretty hilarious that Jim found tests that end up with Dwight finding out that Dwight is the most qualified to become the A.A.R.M. — CC

13. Jim hides Dwight’s desk into the bathroom

How did Jim do it? Whatever. Simple and brilliant, with a “hot or cold” game that leads Dwight to the men’s room. A phone call from Jim gets him in his chair and suddenly, Dwight is working at his desk in the bathroom. — CC

12. Jim puts Dwight’s stapler in Jell-O

[protected-iframe id=”631bfd3121017b199719b0f5ce0a47e0-58289342-59856650″ info=”https://giphy.com/embed/I2mwW3cPptosg” width=”480″ height=”272″ frameborder=”0″ class=”giphy-embed” allowfullscreen=””]

The OG of Jim pranks on Dwight from the pilot, but I think it deserves a spot this high because it’s so simple and effective. Look at how angry it makes Dwight! Vastly underrated. — CC

11. Jim tricks Dwight into fighting himself

Dwight tries to get someone in the office to attack him so he can demonstrate his martial arts skills, Jim convinces him he’s the only opponent worthy of himself, and Dwight beats himself up. Do we need more of an explanation for why this is amazing? — MM

10. Jim tells Dwight he can’t be his bestisch mensch

Just before Dwight’s wedding in the series finale, Jim tells Dwight he can’t be the bestisch mensch, or best man, because that role has to be filled by someone older than the groom. And it turns out to be a truly genuine and thoughtful prank because when Dwight turns around to see Michael standing behind him. A touching final prank. — MM

9. Dwight get recruited by the CIA

A sweet gift from Pam to Jim that once again prove they’re the best: Pam informs him at Christmas that she’s been sending fake CIA letters to Dwight and that it’s up to Jim to finish the job. Dwight ends up on the roof of Dunder Mifflin, waiting for a helicopter. — CC

8. Jim convinces Dwight he has magic beans

We initially wondered if this should be outside the top 10, but c’mon. At the office’s garage sale, Jim did an extremely convincing job — again, another long con — telling Dwight that he has magic beans and that he doesn’t want to sell them. Jim ends up with a telescope thanks to his effort, and Dwight actually waters the beans. The kicker: Jim wheels in some plants to show that they’re real. — CC

7. The 500-foot red wire

Jim gets so much credit for the amount of time and effort this prank took — not to mention the danger level involved with connecting a 500-foot red wire from Dwight’s computer all the way up a telephone pole outside. — MM

6. Jim’s actor friend pretends to have been Jim the whole time

Randall Park plays Jim and Pam’s actor friend, Steve, and shows up to work in Jim’s place one day convincingly pretending to be Jim. Every time Dwight tries to challenge that, Steve has an answer. He even nails Jim’s quintessential glance at the camera. Steve/”Jim” also gives Dwight credit: “Hey, hats off to you for not seeing race.” Bravo. — MM

5. Jim puts nickels in Dwight’s phone to make it heavier

The whole sequence you see above is one of the best to-camera moments in a show full of them. We don’t get to see Jim’s pranks, but they’re funnier when you imagine them. And this one — Jim added nickels slowly to Dwight’s handset on his phone and then took them out so that Dwight whacked himself in the head with it — is the best of them all. — CC

4. Jim trains Dwight to salivate for an Altoid every time his computer dings

Jim trains Dwight like a Pavlovian, and it works perfectly. When we hear Jim’s computer chime for the final time, Dwight puts his hand out assuming there’s an Altoid on its way, and when Jim looks at him pretending to be confused, Dwight admits his mouth suddenly tastes terrible. It’s brilliant. — MM

3. Jim dresses up as Dwight

Identity theft is not a joke. But it is when it costs a total of (taps into watch calculator) $11. — CC

2. Jim sends Dwight faxes from himself in the future

Absolutely genius. When Jim took a box of Dwight’s stationary before left for Connecticut, maybe he knew how he’d use it. Maybe he didn’t. But having the foresight to take it allowed him to send Dwight faxes from himself in the future and mess with him from afar, and it’s just too good. It also makes you wonder what else Jim faxed Dwight… –MM

1. Jim wrapping Dwight’s desk in wrapping paper

We both concurred this was the greatest prank, and here’s why: It’s elaborate, and it’s a double payoff. Jim had to wrap EVERYTHING, from the tchotchkes on the desk to the chair and, on top of that, he had to balance the seat and the desk precariously to make it look like it was completely intact. We’re lured into thinking it’s a simple wrapping-paper prank, and then Dwight sits down. Brilliant and hilarious. — CC

[lawrence-related id=904821,903716,903504,903996]

[vertical-gallery id=904700]

[jwplayer MTn9KsBB-q2aasYxh]