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Bored Panda

Entertainment

Eglė Bliabaitė

57 Troublemakers Who Were Guilty As Charged But Their Hilarity Got Them Off The Hook

Sam Wass

Not all troublemakers are created equal. Some should 100% be locked away behind bars. Others deserve their own comedy show.

Animals, kids and even grandparents are all capable of getting up to mischief. Often, they cause the biggest amount of chaos completely unintentionally. Like the granny who "got into a fight" with the mixer and was left covered in flour, or the person who thought it was a bright idea to fly a drone in the house - until it wasn't. And don't get us started on the cats and dogs who always plead "not guilty," despite their faces telling a different story...

Fortunately, many of these types of hilarious crimes have been documented and Bored Panda has compiled a list of the best of them. Without further ado, we now present to you a line-up of unsuspecting criminals and troublemakers who managed to escape punishment purely because they were too darn cute or funny.

#1 Both Of Them Orange Too

#2 Lil Ferret Dude

#3 She Ate The Tampons

This is Boba. Boba is 10 months old & a little troublemaker. I took it from the little monster's grasp before she could actually ingest it. No Bobas were harmed.

Many parents will tell you that when the house goes super quiet, the kids are probably up to mischief. A society/">crime is about to happen, or it already has. I was in the living room the other day, about to investigate the deafening silence, when my 6-year-old crept into the kitchen, fetched something and went back to his room without saying a word.

Somehow, I had a feeling something was up. A few moments later, he came to me with a sheepish look on his face. "Mom, I got green paint all over my white bedding," he said. "I tried to wipe it off but I can't." Ouch, I thought, imagining how a wet cloth would have worsened an already bad situation.

I told him it's fine and that I'd try to get out the stain. Then, I took a closer look. And I just had to laugh, silently of course.

#4 Unfortunately, We Don't Have Proof Of Who Did This Mess

#5 My Baby Boy - Duffin Lancaster

#6 Woke Up To Find Feathers In The Hallway. I'm On The Case! Possible Victim: Bird

When the wet cloth didn't work, this little kid had tried his best to conceal the evidence of the crime - clearly not realizing that this in itself is a crime. In a rather ingenious move, he grabbed a white acrylic paint art marker and attempted to color over the green, thinking that would do the trick.

Needless to say, it didn't. Neither did some bicarb, vinegar, lemon, detergent and my washing machine. The whole situation was too hilarious to get upset over. If anything, it lightened my mood. Funny troublemaker at their best...

#7 Our New Kitten Elvis Is A Total Menace And Just Laughs When Confronted

I never imagined a 2-3 lbs kitten could bring a pot weighing almost five times his own size! Definitely more careful now.

#8 “Double Trouble” - They Found The Only Mud In 66 Acres

#9 Hadn't Seen Milo In A While, Then The Little Criminal Waltzes Downstairs With A New Necklace AKA The Bathroom Trash Lid

Interestingly, experts say getting up to mischief can be a good thing.

“Often in children, naughtiness is about social experimentation, driven by curiosity as to how other people will react – and those are both markers of intelligence,” says child psychologist, Professor Sam Wass. “Whilst this isn’t true for everyone, it is fair to say that mischief-making can be a sign of intelligence.”

#10 Criminal Mastermind

#11 "If You Can't Hide The Crime, Pretend To Be The Victim"

#12 I Adopted A Cat To Try To Bring More Stability In My Life… Looks Like She’s Only Going To Bring More Chaos. This Is After 2 Hours Of Getting Her

Wass says there’s often an increase in mischief-making amongst three to five-year-olds. That’s because at this age, children are discovering that that the thoughts in their heads are not the same as the thoughts in ours.

“They are experimenting with the juggling act of pulling the wool over someone’s eyes,” says the expert, adding that mischief is “a sign of healthy curiosity.”

Not too surprisingly, exhausted parents are divided…

#13 My Dog Wanted To Plant Itself

#14 Mischievous Roomba This Morning

#15 Flying A Drone Inside The House

One survey found that 55% of parents believe that mischief encourages a sense of curiosity and adventure, while 52% admitted to trying to stop their children from being mischievous.

Wass warns against clamping down on mischief aka playfulness and curiosity, saying doing so can send the wrong message to kids. Instead, he says parents should try and see the humor in the situation.

#16 Since Adopting Lily Our Paper Towel Budget Has Increased Tremendously!

#17 My Son Just Made A Huge Mess. This Is His Just Let Me Explain Face

#18 "Just Lock Him In The RV, He'll Be Fine", They Said

Even in adults, mischief can be a good thing... Especially, say some, when it's used constructively. The team over at Connected Path, a specialist digital consultancy, describe constructive mischief as ‘positive misbehaviour.’ In other words, "a little bit of roguish conduct that is ultimately well-meaning and done to deliver something positive, be that a feeling or a relationship," notes that site.

#19 Trying To Work With Cats Around Can Be Challenging

#20 Feared The Worst When My Marine-Turned-Cop Neighbor Called Me Saying "Come Quick... My Kids... There's Bubbles Everywhere... Wife's Gone"

#21 My Idiot Went Into The Seed Jar And Couldn't Get Out

I wanted to give my birds some seed as a treat and forgot to close the jar. My little troublemaker, Smokey, decided to invade the jar and help himself to a hearty meal, not thinking about how he's gonna get out of it afterwards. He's not tame, so when I held my finger in, he just attacked it, so I ended up having to carefully tilt the jar so he could walk out.

They add that constructive mischief allows us to laugh at difficult situations, to bring humor to tough times, to distract ourselves from nerves or just to build rapport with somebody else. According to the consultants, constructive mischief is a great trait when it comes to leadership at work.

"The best leaders are able to use constructive mischief to create progressive organisations, to motivate, to relax and to drive transformational thinking," they explain.

#22 Cat Decided To Push My Dinner Off The Stove

#23 This Boy. All Mischief. No Brain Cells

#24 The First Shrimp Of Her Life

#25 Nothing Can Stop Me Now

#26 Sorry Class, My Dog Ate Everyone's Homework

#27 The Vet Recommended Veggie Treats For My Fat Old Man. He Sneezed Into His Bowl Of Goodies And Looked So Embarrassed By The Mess

#28 He Tipped Over The Laundry Basket To Claim It As A Bed

Shadow may be blind, but he's still a menace.

#29 One Of My Demons Got To A Stick Of Butter. Which One Seems More Guilty?

Can’t rule out the possibility of them working together as a criminal enterprise.

#30 This Baby Could Not Have Done It

#31 At Least The University Name And Your Name Remained Intact

#32 The Crime, The Criminal, The Evidence

He has only 2 brain cells and is a repeat offender!

#33 The Crime And The Criminal

#34 Trying To Get Work Done, But I Could Hear Her Making A Mess Behind Me… This Is What I Saw When I Turned Around

#35 Found This Old Picture Of My Dog And God Am I Happy She Doesn't Do Stuff Like This Anymore

Honestly, she was such a cute puppy that I couldn't even be mad at her. Just disappointed.

#36 I Asked My Sister How She's Getting On With Her New Puppy... This Was The Reply

#37 Can You Take A Guess Who’s The Criminal?

#38 She’s A Menace To Society

#39 My Girlfriend's New Yoga Pose

#40 My Daughter Had My Wife’s Phone On A Long Car Ride. She Ordered All The Barbie Dream Houses From Amazon

Unfortunately for her, they are all going back today. Not pictured are the Barbie camera and other smaller toys. My bank account didn’t like this.

#41 It Was My Graduation, But My Grandmas Were The Ones Who Got Wasted

They can maybe handle one glass of wine. This was a martini, sake, and champagne!

#42 This Brilliant Decision My Son Made. He Really Wanted A Minion, I Guess

#43 The Little Criminal Will Now Have Bad Luck For Half Of His Lifespan

The mirror was not hung on the wall, it’s resting on a storage box. He tried to pass between the mirror and the wall, but he’s getting too big to do that. That's why it fell.

#44 This Is What Happens When You Blink

#45 Made Me Chase Her Down The Hall For The Tissue She Knows She Isn’t Supposed To Have

#46 This Little Man Figured Out How To Get Into The Food Supply

#47 If My Daughter Keeps Doing Her Own Eye Makeup, Child Protective Services Are Gonna Come Knocking Pretty Soon

#48 Kids Are Great

#49 The Crime And The Criminal

#50 Not Sure If I Should Be Proud Or Concerned. My Daughter Said “He’s Got The Rona!!!” And Started Making Him A Coffin

#51 My Toddler Is Giving Our Toilet Paper A Bath

Big sister forgot to unplug the tub last night after her bath. He is potty trained, went before bed, and I caught this this morning. Things happen, but now we are low on paper!

#52 He Peed On The Floor

Anytime he gets in trouble, he “smiles” for lack of a better word. It’s like he’s grimacing, all over his face… and it melts my heart. My emotional support dog, who never applied for the position — love you, Remi.