April Fool's pranks

Revellers dressed in mock military garb take part in "Els Enfarinats" food-battle in the southeastern Spanish town of Ibi on December 28, 2022, a celebration ...

Sizdah Bedar, which is [said](https://surfiran.com/sizdah-bedar-festival-iran/) to have been [ celebrated as far back as the 5th century BC](https://www.learnpersianonline.com/blog/persian-traditions-sizdah-bedar-13th-day-nowrouz/), is translated as “getting rid of 13,” so it has an appropriately superstitious air. In Brazil, however, April 1 is still the prank day of choice, and they cut straight to the chase by calling it “ [Dia das Mentiras](https://www.brownandhudson.com/news/article/april-fools-day),” or “Day of Lies.” [Day of the Innocents](https://panoramas.secure.pitt.edu/%E2%80%9C%C2%A1inocente-inocente%E2%80%9D-day-innocents-latin-america%E2%80%99s-april-fools%E2%80%99-day),” a late December Catholic feast with extremely un-silly origins that somehow became a day of jokes and pranks. If you don’t get gowked, there’s always an opportunity for humiliation the next day, which is “Tailie Day.” Tailie Day is for largely harmless derrière-related pranks, like pinning a tail on someone or sticking a sign on their back. However, research did turn up a [fantastic parting phrase](https://www.tbnpolska.tv/newsy/prima-aprilis-uwazaj-bo-sie-pomylisz) for prankers: Prima Aprilis, uważaj, bo się pomylisz! The “Els Enfarinats” tradition is reportedly more than 200 years old and involves a mock military-style “takeover” of the town, where the new rulers get to make up strange laws that others have to abide by. [one apocryphal origin theory](http://hoaxes.org/af_database/permalink/origin_of_april_fools_day) suggests that when France switched from the Julian calendar to the current Gregorian calendar in the 1500s, people thought it would be funny to jokingly celebrate the old “New Year’s” and make fun of people who forgot the change. Iran could boast the oldest April Fools’ traditions with its observance of Sizdah Bedar, which also has a prank-playing element. [stick paper fish on other people’s backs](https://frenchmoments.eu/april-fools-day-traditions-in-france-le-1er-avril/), kind of like an elevated “kick me” sign. A little flour throwing, a little dancing, and the day of Risk-inspired LARPing is complete. For some cultures, it’s not even relegated to one day in April, cracking the calendar wide open for multi-seasonal chaos. In France, a longstanding tradition is to

Donald Clarke: Once enthusiastically embraced by newspapers, the tradition has ebbed in recent years.

That record of pretentious journalism – a cousin of Private Eye’s Pseuds Corner – did not seem to detect the self-deprecation in “The proto-earthly intensity of the sub-Monostrovian narrative remains visibly, uncomfortably stratified”. The film pages in this newspaper were on board for a good portion of the current century. In 1999 the Guardian returned to San Serriffe to discover a “vibrant nation transformed by a visionary leader”. The title is an anagram of “April Fools”. Nobody needs to pull journalists away from the British Leyland dispute to compose a many-paged supplement on an imaginary island nation. General MJ Pica, the country’s dictator, is “named after a unit of measurement in type”. It says something about British dietary habits in the Macmillan era that millions believed pasta might grow on trees and that it might be susceptible to the “spaghetti weevil”. For decades, newspapers and broadcasters have joined in what I am required to call “the fun” (or, still worse, “the cra*c”). On April 1st, 2005, Michael Dwyer, my predecessor as film correspondent, published a “six-star” review of a non-existent film called Sail-Proof Lady. But the modern mode really seems to have kicked in with the BBC’s notorious “spaghetti tree hoax” in 1957. You can “win two weeks in San Serriffe as the guest of James Hunt” (the cavalier racing driver had just beaten Nikki Lauda to the world championship). This column has learned the internet is suffering from dry rot and will cease to function by the end of the current decade.

April Fools day has rolled around once again so make sure you don't get caught out and stick with the Mirror to see all of the best jokes and pranks as they ...

It was the perfect fit." Dulux says it has a royal announcement which is 'hound' to cause a stir... [Bizarre news on April 1](https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/april-fools-day-live-best-26607458) told of the Prime Minister's apparent then-resignation, crocodiles on the beach, the renaming of the Prince of Wales Bridge and a giant white horse statue dubbed "Angel of the South" in Kent. While we're on the lookout for the biggest pranks of 2023 we can look back to last year's April Fool's Day. Numbers in the musical are said to include "The Cold Never Bothered My Todger Anyway", "The Dogbowl Song", "(Not) The Best Man", "I'll Make A Man Out Of You (Behind A Very Busy Pub)" and "Camilla's Lament". The new game is imaginatively titled Harry & Meghan: Call of Dukey, and will apparently launch a week before the coronation. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'will launch a video game ahead of the Coronation' A mock-up of the dairy label, named Matt Hancock's Cheddar, features the politician's face and the strapline “Cheese for the people”. The paint brand writes: "Fans must now wave goodbye to the beloved icon, and all rise to welcome the new face of the paint brand – a King Charles Spaniel." Matt Hancock to launch a new cheese brand - a 'cheese for the people' When asked about the branding strategy and creative execution, an agency spokesperson said that one of Hancock’s primary aims for launching the brand was to "normalise politicians" and make them more "relatable". In more recent years, the day has also become a prime opportunity for companies and brands to play pranks and jokes on the unsuspecting public online as well.

Individuals, companies and organisations are all taking to social media to embrace the fun by playing hilarious jokes on unsuspecting people.

A spokesperson for the Mexican restaurant, famed for its iconic Chiquito sombreros, music and fiesta fun said: “The new range is the start of an ambitious project to use plant based foods to enhance the skin’s natural appearance. This was developed and became the first of the new range called Exfoli-guacamole, which is an Avocado cleanser made from fresh avocado, Mexican lime and a B-vitamin complex to boost brightness and dark eyes. The new service ‘Drone ‘n’ Deliver’ will allow people to order food wherever they are and then it will be delivered speedily to them via drone. A spokesperson for Chopstix said: “We’ve consistently had customers ask for their favourite dishes to be tinned to be taken away so they can be enjoyed later in the week, at weddings, birthdays and even enjoyed over Christmas in years to come. To mark its 75th anniversary as the UK's most loved crisp brand, Walkers are sharing the love with a brand new look. The chain has released Sweet and Sour Chicken, Sweet Chilli Prawns, and Caramel Drizzle Chicken in cans, which have all been designed to stay fresh for more than 50 years. Store manager, Clair Jordans, said: "This is a fantastic initiative from Thorpe Park to utilise the lost and not-found unclaimed shoes. In its place will be a King Charles Spaniel as the paint company pays homage to King Charles III’s Coronation on May 6. Katie Georgeson, Marketing Manager at 4lite, said: “Poor sleep quality is a huge problem for millions of people in the UK, with many suffering from interrupted sleep patterns due to natural light seeping through curtains and blinds. Sasha Storey, Frankie & Benny’s Head of Brand, said: "At Frankie & Benny’s we believe that innovative tech will allow us to be the market leader with this new food delivery system. Based on KAYAK’s unique algorithm of flight data and user reviews, the new feature 'Silent Flights' will help travellers easily search for flights that have a higher likelihood to offer a calm and interruption-free atmosphere. The Chatty Cathys of the world can also seek solace knowing they’ll be able to talk away to their hearts desire during their flight without the fear of judgement and eyerolls from fellow passengers.

Saturday is April Fools' Day. For some, April 1 is the best day for jokes and pranks. But companies and brands walk a fine line to avoid backlash.

[blog post from 2021](https://www.virgin.com/branson-family/richard-branson-blog/april-fools-day). When it landed – the day before April Fools' Day because of weather, [The Christian Science Monitor reported](https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0401/April-Fool-s-Day-history-five-best-ever-pranks/Virgin-Galactic-invasion) – a door opened and someone wearing an E.T. [April Fools' Day](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/31/april-fools-day-history/11576843002/) seems like the perfect time for pranks. The feature made "it easier to have the last word on any email," Google said, by adding a GIF of a yellow animated minion (from the animated "Despicable Me" and "Minion" movies) dropping a microphone. [The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/messaging-says-vw-usa-to-rebrand-itself-voltswagenheadquarters-says-not-so-fast-11617120111?mod=hp_lead_pos10) the announcement was an early April Fools' Day joke, other officials maintained the plan's veracity. "Thankfully, they soon joined in the fun and left with smiles on their faces." [Big name brands and companies](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/04/01/april-fools-day-2022-pranks-products/7236609001/) often feel compelled to make their own mark on the foolish holiday. "(It) was a mistake," she said. But a bug added the Mic Drop to many emails unintentionally and it had to be turned off. After Taco Bell admitted the whole thing was a hoax, the company offered to donate $50,000 towards preservation of the bell. "And although he tried to inject humor in the way he phrased it, his 'Easter Eggs' pun wildly misfired." And if done well, it can create a very memorable moment for the brand," Rebecca Rosborough, global chief marketing officer for online brand management platform

Those who take the annual tradition very seriously may have been planning their prank for months. But sometimes the simplest jokes are the best and have maximum ...

To do this, fill a glass with water and then put a card over the top. When the light gets turned on, it will look like there's a huge spider waiting to pounce. They'll be waiting for a text that will never arrive... If you have a family member or housemate working from home at the moment, download a picture of a cracked screen and set it as the screensaver on their laptop. Those who take the annual tradition very seriously may have been planning their prank for months. The water will be trapped inside the glass - and there'll be no way to pick it up without spilling it everywhere. Edit a picture of yourself so it looks like you've got a large tattoo of their name somewhere conspicuous - like your face, neck or forearm - but make sure there's a spelling error or mistake in the 'tattoo'. This will dye the water as it flows out of the tap, giving your unsuspecting victim a big shock! Start up a friendly text conversation with one of your friends, then halfway through send them a gif of the typing dots. If you’ve got time before your victim eats breakfast, fill a bowl with cereal and milk, half-submerge a spoon - and then put it in the freezer. Serve it up to your victim when it’s frozen and watch as they struggle to work out why they can't budge the spoon or eat their breakfast... This one is quick and easy: simply swap over two (or more) bags of cereal before your family gets up in the morning.

As April Fool's pranks go, the NZ Police did not disappoint, this 1st day of April. But the same can't be said for KFC, who got (some) whānau hearts...

Oohhahahaha who would've thought?" "Then [I] remembered it's April 1st..." "WT actual F? Then there goes the rest of the snapper population," said one person. Hook Line & Sinker!" #aprilfools".