This seat's taken! Prankster turns himself into a chair for hilarious practical joke on unsuspecting coffee shop patrons

A hidden-camera video of a man disguising himself as a chair to give unwitting people the fright of their lives has become an internet sensation.


The elaborate trick is the work of magician and prankster Rich Ferguson of San Luis Obispo, California, who has nearly 200 clips on YouTube that show off his tricks and antics.

Ferguson, outfitted in chair cushions and pillows that cover his arms, performs the covert strike on customers at a cafe, who have no idea that the chair they're sitting in is alive.



Surprise: Customers at the coffee shop shriek in terror that the realize their chair is alive





Trick: The prank is the work of California-based magician Rich Ferguson, who specializes in hidden camera hijinks





Fright: This boy appears to be in a state of shock after his chair 'came to life'

Some of the customers scream in terror as Ferguson says 'who's sitting on me?' or 'who's sitting here?'


Other times, he just growls.




On April Fool's Day, Ferguson appeared on the Today show to talk about the prank, and used it on some members of the morning show's staff, including co-anchor Natalie Morales.



Scare: On April Fool's Day, Ferguson appeared on the Today show to talk about the prank, and used it on some members of the morning show's staff, including co-anchor Natalie Morales



Sensation: Uploaded on Friday, the video already has nearly 200,000 views on YouTube

The video has been viewed nearly 200,000 times since it was uploaded on Friday.

Ferguson also has videos of a similar gag that he calls the 'Box Attack Prank,' where he surprises people while disguised as a stack of storage containers.

In a holiday-themed video uploaded in December, he appeared as a store display snowman that comes to life, much to the shock of passing shoppers.




Scream: Some of the customers shriek in terror as Ferguson suddenly asks, 'who's sitting on me?' or 'who's sitting here?'







Shock: This unsuspecting customer thought he found a comfortable spot to check his phone, but Ferguson had other ideas






Variety: The chair prank is just one of many that Ferguson shows on his YouTube channel