Johnny Knoxville and the guys at Jackass have a lot to answer for.
After the smash-hit MTV show made juvenile and stupidly dangerous pranks popular, copycats around the country have been itching to try out similar pranks on their buddies.
The basic rule these days is, if you have a group of friends who like endangering your life for a cheap laugh, never... NEVER fall asleep in their presence.
Golden slumber: The unidentified victim of the prank makes the classic schoolboy error of trying to catch some sleep during the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas
This doesn't look good: One of the sleeper's friends approaches with a saucepan and a cigarette lighter
Here we go: Having lit a firework in the saucepan and placed it near the victim, the prankster gives one last thumbs up before retreating
Take this clip as a cautionary tale, which has just landed on YouTube but is already attracting thousands of hits.
It opens with our defenceless target, apparently enjoying an afternoon nap - with the merest suggestion that he is perhaps sleeping off a night of debauchery.
Enter our jolly japester, saucepan in hand - his tongue out in excitement and his thumb pointing skyward to show that at least he approves of what is about to happen.
Perhaps he is about to bang on the saucepan with a wooden spoon to wake his victim up... but, of course, we all know that would be lame. There must be some extra devilry afoot.
Write caption here
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Suddenly a cigarette lighter appears and something inside the saucepan is set alight.
The saucepan is carefully laid down next to the blissfully unaware slumberer and - with one final thumbs up for good measure - the prankster retires to a safe distance.
Predictably, all hell soon breaks loose when the angry firework inside the saucepan explodes and the sleeper is awakened in the rudest possible way.
As his buddies laugh like hyenas off camera, their dazed and confused soon-to-be ex-friend flails about in panic and runs out of the apartment - slinging a few expletives as he goes.
Fear and loathing: The victim, now totally awake and out the front door of the apartment, looks in at his buddies with mixed feelings
Marked men: Clearly impressed with their prank, there may be trouble ahead for these two grinning fellows if their pal fancies revenge
As a final insult, the apartment's smoke alarm screams into action as smoke from the firework sets it off.
There is no accompanying information on who or where the guys are - other than the fact they are at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.
And it's probably a good thing that they don't reveal their identity, as reaction to the clip has not all been complimentary.
Alcolumb writes: 'There are dumb people in the world... but your "friends" don't even qualify for that group.'
Another warns: 'Dude, I would have injured that guy, seriously, who woke me up like that!'
