Winding up trusting offspring
I enjoy spinning inordinately detailed lies to my children, and their friends, in the hopes I'll create some kind of oft-repeated urban legend.

The essence is to start with a degree of seriousness, and it really helps if you can throw in a degree of scientific-sounding statements to back it up. The kids quickly adjust from a "haha, Mr Muppet's having a laugh again" to "hang on, I should probably pay attention, this sounds important".

We were on a camping trip one time with a cluster of families. The kids all got glow-sticks at night time which helped amuse them and for us to find them if they wandered off. Of course, some of the younger ones started to chew on them: not good. The older ones noticed they could break them and spread shiny glowing liquid anywhere they wanted - lots of lols.

To stop them poisoning themselves and the landscape, I explained that the tubes contained two chemicals that started a chain reaction when they were mixed. The light was given off by a lightly radioactive substance that started when the chemicals created a cold fusion reaction. I explained that the tubes were strong enough to hold this highly dangerous stuff, but if it got out it could attack their DNA - I also explained the purpose of DNA as the building blocks that govern how your body grows.

Which is why the next evening, one of the other parents was slightly startled when, after telling his 4 year old not to chew on the glow stick, his 6 year old sister solemnly chimed in with "yeah, otherwise you'll grow another arm out of your stomach and your ears will turn into carrots"
(Mr Muppet, Tue 24 May 2011, 23:49, 5 replies)

You were right about them damaging DNA, the dyes used to produce the glow are usually polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons - which are known carcinogens.

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Wed 25 May 2011, 0:25, closed)

They gave me cancer of the ear-carrot.

( Dr. Shambolic je suis charlie, Wed 25 May 2011, 8:35, closed)

You insensitive cunt
My grandad choked on a carrot. In his ear!
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Wed 25 May 2011, 9:21, closed)

you utter utter bastard
my rabbit died after being force fed a carrot by my cancer ridden grandad as his last wish

some people
( fluffybunnykiller Is feasting on the clitoris of life, Wed 25 May 2011, 10:42, closed)

coincedently last night on the way home with the kids
i my daughter said she saw her nana in the garden and that was it from her
from me came the train wreck of lies of her being out on her pogo stick she is 76 then after explaining what a pogo stick was to my daughter she said that couldnt be the case as she wasnt bouncing but just moving along
thus next came the ah she must have been on her go-ped and is practicing for some jumps
etc etc
etc etc
( fluffybunnykiller Is feasting on the clitoris of life, Wed 25 May 2011, 8:28, closed)