Is This the Most Annoying Office Prank Ever?

Author Byline: By David Miller / Last updated on August 19, 2025

Hey everyone, David Miller here.

There’s an unspoken code in my office. It’s a place of deep focus, collaboration, and… a long-running, low-key prank war with Mark from Accounting. It’s nothing destructive. A strategically placed stapler in Jell-O. His mouse sensitivity turned down to an imperceptible crawl. My coffee mug "mysteriously" relocated to the kitchen freezer. It’s the stuff of legends, the little things that break up the monotony.

But I needed to escalate. I needed my magnum opus. A prank that wasn’t over in five minutes. A prank that was subtle, maddening, and would have him questioning his own sanity. My search for the perfect, harmlessly diabolical tool led me to a little Amazon listing for something called the NewNoiseWar-Cricket Noise Maker. The claim: months of intermittent, cricket-like chirping from a device smaller than a quarter.

The mission was on.

Is This the Most Annoying Office Prank Ever?

My in-depth review of the NewNoiseWar Cricket. This tiny device chirps for months. See how I drove my coworker crazy and if it's worth it for you.

GO TO AMAZON

The Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

Yes, this thing is absolutely, brilliantly evil and worth every single penny. If your goal is a long-term, set-it-and-forget-it prank that will harmlessly drive someone bonkers, this is your new secret weapon.

Our Rating Breakdown

• Stealth & Concealment: 9.5/10 (Its tiny size and adhesive back make it almost impossible to find if placed correctly.)
• Annoyance Factor: 10/10 (The sound is infrequent enough to make you doubt you heard it, and just realistic enough to be infuriating.)
• Battery Life & Longevity: 9/10 (While I can't confirm "several months" yet, it's been going strong for weeks with no sign of stopping, which is more than enough for a successful op.)
• Value for Money: 8.5/10 (You get six in a pack, which brings the cost-per-prank down significantly. That's a lot of chaos for the price.)

Overall Score: 9.3/10✨✨✨✨✨✨

Key Specifications at a Glance

• Product: NewNoiseWar-Cricket Noise Maker Prank
• Units Per Pack: 6
• Sound Type: Intermittent Cricket Chirp
• Advertised Battery Life: "Several Months"
• Activation: Pull-tab (one-time activation)
• Adhesive: Yes, small sticky pad on the back

Unboxing and First Impressions

The crickets arrived in a small, unassuming plastic bag. Honestly, if you didn't know what you ordered, you might mistake them for some kind of electronic component. Each "cricket" is a tiny black disc, smaller than a dime, with a simple pull-tab. There's no branding, no "off" switch, no instructions beyond the Amazon listing. It feels a bit like you’re holding a tiny, top-secret espionage device.

Holding one, the feeling is less about build quality and more about potential. Pulling that tab feels… definitive. It's a satisfyingly evil little moment, knowing you’re about to unleash a tiny agent of chaos that cannot be stopped until its mission is complete.

Putting It to the Test: Real-World Performance

This is where the fun begins. The target: Mark’s pristine, minimalist cubicle.

The Strategy: Diversify the portfolio. With six crickets, I wasn’t going to put all my eggs in one basket.

1. Cricket Alpha: Taped to the underside of his desk drawer. A classic, but effective.
2. Cricket Bravo: Slid deep into the metal channel of his rolling chair's base.
3. Cricket Charlie: Adhered to the back of his secondary monitor, facing the wall.

The Execution: I went in early. The placement took less than 60 seconds. I pulled the tabs, stuck them in place, and was back at my desk with a fresh coffee before anyone else arrived.

Day 1: Nothing. Mark was oblivious. I almost worried they were duds. Then, around 3 PM, a single, lonely chirp. Mark paused, tilted his head, and kept typing. Success. The seed of doubt was planted.

Day 3: I overheard Mark on the phone with facilities. "No, I'm sure of it. There's a cricket in here... somewhere. It's driving me insane." He’d occasionally get up, peer behind his computer, and look under his desk, but the chirps were so random—sometimes five minutes apart, sometimes an hour—that he could never pinpoint the source.

Week 2: This is the genius of the device. Mark had accepted his fate. He named the cricket "Chip." He'd talk to it. "Quiet down, Chip, I'm on a call." He had fully embraced the madness. He never found a single one. My mission was more successful than I could have ever imagined.

What Real Users Love (The Pros)

• Incredibly Long Battery Life: They claim months, and based on performance so far, I believe it.
  • Why this matters to you: This isn't a one-day gag. It’s a psychological long-game that becomes part of your target's daily life.
• Random, Infrequent Chirps: The sound doesn't happen on a predictable schedule.
  • Why this matters to you: It makes the source nearly impossible to locate. The victim will constantly second-guess if they even heard it at all.
• Tiny and Discreet: The small black disc with its adhesive back is easy to hide anywhere.
  • Why this matters to you: You can stick it to almost any surface—behind a picture frame, under a shelf, inside a PC tower—for maximum stealth.

Common Complaints & Potential Deal-Breakers (The Cons)

• There Is No "Off" Switch: Once you pull that tab, it's on for good until the battery dies.
  • Why this matters to you: Plan your prank carefully. If you activate it and change your mind, you're stuck with a chirping bug for the next few months. I had to store the remaining three in a soundproof box in my garage.
• Single, Identifiable Sound: While effective, it's always the same cricket chirp.
  • Why this matters to you: If you're pranking someone who's already fallen victim to this exact device, they might recognize it. It's a one-trick pony, but it's a very, very good trick.

Is It Built to Last? Durability and Long-Term Value

Let's be clear: "durability" for a prank device is different. You aren't going to be dropping it or exposing it to the elements. Its value is in its electronic endurance. The device is essentially a tiny circuit board, a speaker, and a battery sealed in a simple plastic housing. There are no moving parts to break. Its entire design is optimized for one thing: outlasting your victim's sanity. The real "build quality" is in the battery chemistry. For a disposable item, its long-term value is phenomenal, especially in a multi-pack.

Best Alternatives (The Competition)

The prank landscape is vast. The closest competitor in spirit is the classic ThinkGeek Annoy-a-Tron.

• ThinkGeek Annoy-a-Tron: This legendary device focuses on a variety of electronic beeps and sounds at random intervals. It's more overtly electronic-sounding, which can be just as maddening.

Comparison Table:

The Cricket is for a more subtle, "is this real?" type of confusion. The Annoy-a-Tron is for pure electronic irritation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How loud is it really?
   It's not loud. It's about the volume of a real cricket in the room. It's designed to be heard in a quiet environment and to blend into the background, which is what makes it so effective.
2. How do you turn it off?
   You don't. That's the point. The only way to stop it is to find it and physically destroy it (good luck) or wait for the battery to die in a few months.
3. Is it legal to use in an office?
   While likely not "illegal," always consider your workplace HR policies and your relationship with your coworkers. This prank is intended for lighthearted fun between friends, not for creating a genuinely hostile work environment. Know your audience!
4. Can the battery be replaced?
   No, the unit is sealed. It's designed to be a single-use, disposable device.
5. Does the adhesive leave a residue?
   In my testing on a metal drawer and plastic monitor, it peeled off cleanly with no residue. I'd be cautious on painted walls or finished wood, just in case.
6. How far apart are the chirps?
   It's completely random. I've timed it anywhere from 3 minutes to over an hour between chirps.

Final Thoughts & Recommendation

So, did Mark ever find the crickets? Nope. After two weeks, my conscience got the better of me. During lunch, I confessed. The look on his face—a mixture of relief, disbelief, and pure, unadulterated respect—was worth more than the ten bucks I spent on these things. We spent the next hour retrieving the three "agents" from his cubicle, laughing the entire time.

If you have a "Mark" in your life—a friend, a sibling, a coworker with whom you share a love of shenanigans—I cannot recommend the NewNoiseWar Cricket enough. It's not just a product; it's a story-generator. It's a tool for creating a memory that you'll both laugh about for years.

Just be prepared for the inevitable retaliation. I have a feeling my stapler is going to end up in Jell-O again very soon.

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"We hope this in-depth review helps you make a confident choice! To continue your research, check out some of our other popular guides:"

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