Jell-O Prank From ‘The Office’ Re-created In Giveaway Kit

CHICAGO — A classic sitcom prank can soon be re-created, but only 100 fans of “The Office” will get the tools to pull it off.

Kraft-Heinz, the Chicago-based company that owns Jell-O, has introduced a “stapler mold prank kit” that is no doubt a nod to the award-winning American version of the sitcom and its pilot episode that included the prank.

Comedy lore introduced the shenanigans between Dwight Schrute, played by New Trier High School grad Rainn Wilson, and Jim Halpert, played by John Krasinski, when “The Office” premiered 16 years ago this month. The rivalry between the two characters, one that would last throughout the show’s nine-season run on NBC, begins when Dwight finds that Jim has encased his stapler in a Jello-O mold.

Fans can mark the 16th anniversary of “The Office” by entering a drawing to win a kit that includes a stapler-shaped Jell-O mold, four boxes of lemon and one box of black cherry gelatin and a step-by-step guide on how to re-create the prank, a statement from Kraft-Heinz said.

Only 100 winners will be selected, and all entries need to be submitted by March 21. Kraft-Heinz said the fact that many actual American offices have been closed for a full year now due to the coronavirus pandemic led to the idea, which doubles as an April Fool’s Day gimmick.

“Since offices closed, many miss the camaraderie between colleagues, including those infamous workplace pranks, some of which have notably included Jello-O gelatin,” the company statement said.

Winners will also get $60, and the company implied it should be used on a premium subscription to "The Office" on Peacock.

Michael Scott, the Steve Carell character who is Dwight and Jim’s boss on “The Office,” said Dwight should eat the stapler out of the Jell-O so as to not make worse the world hunger problem, chuckling at the practical joke himself.

The Kraft-Heinz kit makes that doable, since the finished product will be “fully edible” with the black cherry flavor replacing the stapler Dwight had to deal with.

So if your boss is one like Michael Scott, getting pranked with this will be about the least of your worries.

Plus, there won’t be any concern about “damage to company property,” as Dwight put it.