Adrenalin of childish pranks

The purpose of the article is the theoretical substantiation of the childish prank as a natural attribute of a child's life. Based on the social and pedagogical concept of A. Mudrik, the ideas of the carnival culture of M. Bakhtin, E. Bern's theory of transactional analysis, the author defines the specific features of the childish prank as a special social and pedagogical phenomenon. The author highlights various traits of childish pranks such as an action aimed at deceiving the expectations of an adult; obtaining material benefits; the existence of a code of honor, publicity - as a challenge and provocation, fear of punishment. The author used methods of analyzing fiction texts, interpreting narrative interviews, ethnographic reconstruction of cultural practices of Soviet teenagers in pioneer camps. The problem formulated in the article is a stimulus to further social and pedagogical study of the phenomenon of childish prank, including modern forms of its manifestation. The study was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project No. 16-06-00648.