Pranksters assemble!
This isn’t a drill – April Fool’s Day is just around the corner, so get ready to make some mischief.
History’s greatest April Fool’s pranks
In honor of this glorious day of tomfoolery, we’ve compiled a list of the best April Fool’s pranks in history. While most pranks are designed to fool one person, or a small group at best, some of these japes ended up tricking entire towns, countries, and, in one case, the whole world!
1. The Spaghetti Harvest
This was probably the first prank delivered via TV. In 1957, the BBC aired a segment about the annual spaghetti harvest in Switzerland. The segment showed footage of Swiss farmers harvesting strands of spaghetti from trees, and even included an interview with a farmer who claimed that the mild winter had led to an especially bountiful harvest. The segment was a huge hit, and many viewers fell for the hoax. One person even wrote to the BBC asking how they could grow their own spaghetti tree!
2. The Left-Handed Whopper
In 1998, Burger King announced that they would be releasing a new menu item called the Left-Handed Whopper. The burger, they claimed, was designed specifically for left-handed people and included all of the same ingredients as the original Whopper, but with the condiments rotated 180 degrees. The announcement sparked a flurry of media attention, and many left-handed people flocked to their local Burger King to try the new burger. Of course, they quickly realised that it was all just a joke.
3. The Eruption of Mount Edgecumbe
In 1974, residents of Sitka, Alaska woke up to a plume of smoke rising from the dormant volcano, Mount Edgecumbe. Concerned citizens called the authorities, who quickly dispatched a helicopter to investigate. When they arrived, they found that the smoke was actually coming from a large pile of burning tires that had been lit inside the volcano’s crater. The prankster responsible for the stunt was a local businessman who had flown in hundreds of tires and set them ablaze as an April Fool’s joke.
Given that people are much more conscious of climate change these days, this prank probably wouldn’t go down very well at all if someone tried it today. On the other hand, even the most hardcore environmentalist has to admit it was pretty funny.
4. The Annual Sydney Harbor Swim
In 2000, a group of Australian radio DJs announced that the city of Sydney would be hosting an annual swimming event in the harbor, and that the first race would take place on April Fool’s Day. The race, they claimed, would include a grueling 2.4-mile swim across the harbor, and would be open to anyone who wanted to participate. Despite the fact that the event was clearly a joke, hundreds of people showed up at the harbor that day ready to take the plunge.
5. The Great Taco Liberty Bell
In 1996, Taco Bell announced that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and planned to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell. The announcement sparked outrage among many Americans, who saw it as a disrespectful stunt. However, others saw the humor in the prank, and the media coverage helped to raise awareness about the real Liberty Bell and its historical significance.
6. Google Maps: Pokemon Challenge
Tech giants Google are known for their creative April Fool’s pranks, and 2014’s was arguably one of their best, and most ambitious. They announced that they were introducing a new feature called “Google Maps: Pokemon Challenge,” which would allow users to find and capture virtual Pokemon hidden throughout the world using the Google Maps app. The prank was so popular that Google actually ended up turning it into a real game.
Prank someone with our help
We hope these amazing pranks inspire you to come up with your own hilarious practical jokes. Here at Firebox, we have loads of products to help you have a laugh at your mates’ expense. Take a look!
