Barack Obama pranked by White House staff over snowman fears

Staff at the White House were not afraid to prank the boss

An unsuspecting Barack Obama and a snowman (Pete Souza/The White House)

Despite having been one of the most powerful leaders in the world over the past eight years, Barack Obama still has irrational fears.

Earlier this month, Mr Obama admitted he had a slight fear of snowmen, telling People: “There’s a whole kind of Chucky element to them. They’re a little creepy,” prompting his wife Michelle Obama to joke she might move one next to his bed to scare him.

“I would move. If I see one of those snowmen in my bedroom, I’m moving,” he said.

While it is not known whether the First Lady made good on he pledge and pranked her husband, staff members in the White House did.

Earlier this week, The White House’s official photographer Pete Souza shared a photo on Instagram of Mr Obama hard at work in the Oval Office while a sinister looking snowman can be seen lurking in the garden behind.

“For the past three weeks, there have been four snowmen on display in the Rose Garden," he explained in a caption. "We’ve been joking that we should move the snowmen a few feet closer to the Oval office every day to see if anyone noticed… Finally, this morning before the President came to the office, some helpful staff – I won’t say who – moved all the snowmen so each one was peeking through a different window into the Oval.

“This photo was taken this afternoon as the President signed end-of-the-year bills.”

While some may consider pranking the boss a risky move, a second post by Mr Souza showed Mr Obama had come to terms with the joke.