Dad Pranks Kids by 'Cooking' Their Beloved Thanksgiving Turkey Toy

— -- One dad decided to have a little fun with his boys ahead of Thanksgiving, pranking them by putting their beloved stuffed turkey in the oven.

Stephen Bryce knew how fond his young sons, Christian, 5, and Dean, 3, were of their “Terry the Thankful Turkey.”

“It comes with a book and a notepad and you are supposed to write things you are thankful for and put them in Terry's zippered pouch,” Bryce of Shelton, Connecticut, wrote to ABC News.

When the kids got home with the new prized possession, he had them pose with the book and the turkey “just for memories.”

But then, he added, “That diabolical voice in the back (front) of my head said, ‘You know what would be hilarious? If you put Terry in the oven,’ so I did haha.”

He at least gave the boys fair warning, though.

“I told them that they could play with him for a little while, but we were having him for dinner,” Bryce explained in an email. “I told them I wouldn't go too heavy on the spices, they could use ketchup, and I would be careful not to overcook him because I'd hate to be mean hahahaha.”

Needless to say, the “cooking” of their “Terry the Thankful Turkey” didn’t go over so well. The entire prank was caught on camera as the boys have a meltdown in the kitchen.

“I'm a prankster at heart, and just because they're my kids doesn't mean they have immunity,” he said. “This was a pretty extreme one, but I have confidence they'll appreciate it when they're older.”

The jokester dad recorded the entire prank on camera and made sure to give the boys reassuring hugs afterward to let them know their turkey was indeed unscathed.

Bryce said his kids were “fine” after the initial shock wore off.

“I'm raising well-rounded kids with good senses of humor,” he said. “I have faith they will proudly show that picture to their friends when they're older.”

“Christian admitted to me later, ‘Dad, remember when you put the turkey in the oven? That was a good joke,’” the proud father added.

And no, he said his boys are not too traumatized to keep them from eating turkey on Thanksgiving.

“Like any other holiday, they'll probably eat nothing but junk food and candy and then tell me they're starving when it's bedtime,” said Bryce. “That's when the plate of turkey comes out.”