Well this is one prank that gets props for effort, at the very least.
Kentucky comedian Tom Mabe - well-known in the US as a hidden camera prankster - decides to play a trick on a friend with a history of drink-driving.
Once Mabe gets the nod that the friend - whose name isn't given - has passed out after his latest session on the sauce, the plan swings into action.
With the help of Tom's buddy Jim Clark and some real hospital equipment set up in an empty office, the mark is told that he has been in a coma for 10 years, and is waking up in 2023.
Mabe said he did the video in part as a warning this holiday season to anyone who doesn't take the 'don't drink and drive' message seriously - and with almost 4 million YouTube views in just a couple of days, it's a message that's getting out there.
We particularly liked the 'fake news bulletin' touch, which said President Hillary Clinton was threatening war with Canada, Miley Cyrus was busted for cooking meth and Justin Bieber was celebrating 10 happy years with 'lifetime partner' Dale Earnhardt Jnr.
We suspect that the mark might have had his suspicions at that stage, but the message hits home by the end…