April Fools' Day

Geoff Walker, left, from San Francisco, weed man, middle, and Kelly Moore, right, from Marin meet at Justin Herman Plaza for the 35th annual Saint Stupid's Day ...

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April 1 is celebrated as April Fools Day worldwide, but many may wonder how it came to be or what happened to create a day filled with pranks and jokes.

This Saturday collaboration between Wyna Liu and Joel Fagliano looks hard, but it really just looks hard.

[never to be returned](https://www.idioms.online/why-dont-we-have-an-english-word-for-deja-vu/)). A MAILBOX is a stumpy metal receptacle that’s meant to receive correspondence on paper, or “letters,” usually from people of a certain age. The MythBuster is ADAM SAVAGE, and the daughter is EVIE (I chose “Edie” here, at first). This “Word that means the same thing even with letters added” is a pun clue for a MAILBOX. I didn’t know who this “One member of TV’s MythBusters” was, nor did I remember the name of the “Wilcox daughter in ‘Howards End’” — even though I had read the book and watched the [Merchant-Ivory movie](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104454/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0) when it came out. Since it’s the date of this puzzle’s publication, the entry here is “Wyna n Joel.” Oh, wait. [How to Make a Crossword Puzzle](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/14/crosswords/how-to-make-a-crossword-puzzle-the-series.html).” Perhaps you have rested your latte on one when sending a quick email or watching a TikTok while waiting for a traffic light to change. What is a MAILBOX? Fagliano constructed a grid full of peppy entries, and then a neutral party reconciled the two halves. Both are utterances that would answer this clue, “Cry heard on April Fools’ Day,” if they had fit. [SATURDAY PUZZLE](https://www.nytimes.com/column/wordplay) — If a puzzle like this one makes you wonder who makes the rules around here, well, Wyna Liu and Joel Fagliano make up at least 20 percent of The New York Times’s crossword nerve center.

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

Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory's annual live butterfly exhibit opens April 25. File photos.

April Fools' Day: Why do we collectively try to mess with others on 1 April, and how do countries celebrate this festival of foolishness?

Only the Netherlands had to be sacrificed on the alter of prank this year. Just to be clear – the rest of this article is based on facts. The Portuguese don’t celebrate April Fools’ Day on 1 April and prefer the Sunday and Monday prior to Lent. The prank first appeared in a British newspaper on 2 April 1698, where an article on the front page read: "Yesterday being the first of April, several persons were sent to the Tower Ditch to see the Lions washed." In 2008, they fooled their audience again with their viral Miracles of Evolution trailer, which appeared to show some special penguins that had regained the ability to fly. In England, it had become a popular prank to send gullible victims to the Tower of London to see the washing of the lions – a ceremony that didn’t exist. Much later on, the BBC infamously reported on 1 April 1957 in a spoof segment that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. It is called Gowkie Day, for the gowk - or cuckoo - a symbol of the fool. When the person receives the letter, they open it, read it and tell the messenger that they will have to take the letter to another person. April Fools’ Day is only celebrated for half a day in England. Others have pointed out that the Holi festival in India, which also takes place in March, could be the source of the day. Many trace the custom back to medieval France where 25 March used to be New Year's Day until the Julian calendar was reformed in 1564 and changed to the Gregorian calendar.

During this festival at the end of March, people would gather and commemorate the resurrection of the Roman god Attis. The festival celebrated renewal and ...

That's no joke. As explained Angus Gillespie, a professor of American Studies at Rutgers University and a leading New Jersey folklorist, April Fools' Day has ...

“It was just right,” Gillespie said. “It was very convincing, but it was not Nixon,” Gillespie said. “Only an actor.” 1,” Gillespie said. I would not advise a young man to make a marriage proposal on April 1.” “It works best in face-to-face encounters,” Gillespie said.

WELLSVILLE — The headline in the local paper on April 1, 1954, blared: “City Hall is Partially Destroyed,” but that didn't reveal the great irony of the ...

We've got the funniest jokes for April Fools' Day—between April 1st knock-knock jokes and punny April Fools' jokes, we have you covered.

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

Media and brands take chance to offer up some light relief, including Matt Hancock cheddar and an Oasis reunion.

In a fake press release, the dating app Tinder said it would be banning all images of people holding fish, and the language learning app Duolingo said it had partnered with the streaming service Peacock on a fake dating show called Love Language. In a tweet, it called on listeners to “add more to your cooking than just a knob of butter – include a knob of cheese, too”. There were also reports that some of Britain’s tallest buildings, including the BT Tower, were to be converted into wind turbines to help Britain reach net zero under radical climate plans secretly approved by the government. [unveiled its new Big McNugget Boot](https://twitter.com/McDonaldsUK/status/1642059986980286466?s=20), “the most flavoursome shoe of SS23”, and the paint brand Dulux, which “decided” to ditch its iconic sheepdog logo in favour of a king charles spaniel in honour of the new monarch. On Saturday morning, though, readers enjoyed waking up to a wealth of stories offering some light relief. [opening of a hospitality suite](https://twitter.com/SaintsRugby/status/1642060634769563649?s=20) halfway up the Northampton Lift Tower.

For decades, the first of April has been a day in which the public is tricked into believing crazy hoaxes — and is surprised by lighthearted pranks.

Another infamous gag on April Fools' Day occurred in the U.K. Therefore, hundreds of people called the network asking how to grow their own spaghetti trees before the BBC clarified it was a prank. The network ran a report on April Fools' Day that featured a Swiss family harvesting a record number of spaghetti crops from a purported "spaghetti tree." [CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER](https://www.foxnews.com/newsletters?cmpid=fnfirstnl) Federal Treasury building in Washington, D.C. citizens during this period had limited knowledge of pasta.

Gravitas goes out the window on April 1, with newscasters giving jokey reports on everything from marshmallow harvest in Washington to a volcanic eruption ...

Or when a [Bachelor](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/the-bachelor/) couple [got in trouble with their fake pregnancy](https://www.tvinsider.com/678278/april-fools-day-2018-celebrity-pranks-bachelor-seth-rogen/)? and then thought the same woman legitimately got into a fiery car accident leaving the studio. Of course, it was an April Fools’ Day prank, but because it was a sports program, Lynam showed a slo-mo replay of the fight and provided blow-by-blow commentary. Spooner Farms is real; the bushes blooming with marshmallows, of course, were not. “Yeah, ding-dong, the witch is gone,” Grace said. And in a mind-boggling twist, some viewers reported that they actually smelled those scents at home, per (The app was actually a promotion for Shock Top beer.) After learning she’d been had, Zomorodi stormed off set… then returned to vow revenge on fellow anchor Raoul Martinez. Just check out the April Fools’ Day pranks below. That professor demonstrated the tech by slicing onions and brewing coffee in the studio. According to [Jimmy Kimmel](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jimmy-kimmel/) and [Jimmy Fallon](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jimmy-fallon/) [switched late-night shows](https://www.tvinsider.com/1039177/jimmy-fallon-jimmy-kimmel-live-swap-shows-tonight-show-april-fools/)?

Players will notice some unusual events this weekend and some off-the-wall products.

To get in the spirit of April Fools’ Day, the team even put out a tongue-in-cheek explanation about [why Rock is one of the best cards in the game. The team is selling a Rock avatar and a Rock title for 400 gold. For those who don’t play the game, the Rock is one of the most useless cards except in certain situations where Carnage or Patriot is involved. It’s a call back to a time early in the franchise when players complained that the only Pokemon available were pidgeys. “PUBG: Battlegrounds” — The popular shooter is tweaking the formula to last year’s Monster Chicken Royale mode by adding zombies to the mix as well as giving players special abilities. It’s definitely the most colorful celebration and it includes a new Bop the Teddy Game Mode.

April Fools' Day, which takes place every year on April 1, is a good opportunity to have some fun with your little ones by pulling a fun prank on them for ...

When your kids go to take a sip, they will be met with solid juice. You’ll have to extend your acting skills for this one and really pretend there's a mouse moving around underneath. Creepy crawlies everywhere are sure to make the kids jump a little. Hide some bubble wrap around the house under rugs for the kids will walk on. Watch them dance around the rug once they realize there is bubble wrap to pop and play with. If you want to get really into the silly faces, stick on string in place of a smile or hair. If you want to take it to the next level, there is "no rip" toilet paper sold on Amazon, which may be a funny prank to play on your older kids. Write "APRIL FOOLS" in big letters across the paper so when you kids roll it down, they see your message. Split up the batter for as many colors as you want to create. When your kids go to pour out some Lucky Charms, they’ll be met with Cheerios instead. Rent an Easter Bunny costume for a friend or family member to dress up to make an early visit. A little food coloring goes a long way for a fun April Fools' Day joke.

Be on high alert for April Fools' Day jokes and pranks today, including fake product announcements. The big picture: April 1 is a good day to have some ...

[Van Leeuwen limited-run](https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/03/21/hidden-valley-ranch-flavored-ice-cream?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiospm&stream=top) Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream, which Axios NW Arkansas co-author Worth Sparkman [recently taste-tested](https://www.axios.com/local/nw-arkansas/2023/03/21/hidden-valley-ranch-flavored-ice-cream). [Volkswagen](https://www.axios.com/2021/03/29/vw-voltswagen-electric-cars)announced a few days before April Fools' that it was changing its name to Voltswagen, only to admit that it was a prank. [April Fools’ Day](https://www.axios.com/2022/04/01/april-fools-day-jokes-business) jokes and pranks today, including fake product announcements.

Oh, for the days when April Fools' Day hoaxes and pranks could cause lines outside liquor stores or prompt people to smell their TVs or choke telephone lines ...

The news was a joke, of course, but that was little comfort to 700 panicky callers alarmed by the story. In 1994, PC Magazine ran a column about a bill making its way through Congress that would prohibit the use of the internet while intoxicated. The value of the joke, of course, was priceless. Skip to the 2:25 mark on the video: In other TV-related jokes, in 1962, the Swedish national network put on a technical expert who told the public that its black-and-white broadcasts could be made color by viewing them through nylon stockings. On April 1, 1957, the BBC TV show "Panorama" ran a segment about the Swiss spaghetti harvest enjoying a "bumper year" thanks to mild weather and the elimination of the spaghetti weevil. 1 April Fools' hoax of all time by the Museum of Hoaxes website -- a fine source for all things foolish. That hasn't stopped it from popping up again in the digital era, however. In this now-classic 1996 prank, Taco Bell took out newspaper ads saying it had bought the Liberty Bell "in an effort to help the national debt." Though the news was a hoax from a man named Mark Boslough, it became widely disseminated and believed. No wonder: In 1897, the Indiana legislature attempted to pass a bill establishing pi as 3.2 (among other numbers). Well, to prepare you for this day of trickery, here are 10 of the best April Fools' pranks in history.

It's April Fools' Day. Enjoy a day of pranking, Cincinnati, and take a look at local brands' best jokes over the years.

[Also that year](https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2019/04/01/april-fools-day-2019-best-pranks-cincinnati/3330288002/), Taft's Brewing Co. And, as if [the Cincinnati food scene](https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/dining/2023/03/29/greater-cincinnati-restaurant-week-returning-these-restaurants/70051457007/) couldn't get any better, MadTree Brewing Co. [Gold Star's](https://www.cincinnati.com/search/?q=gold+star) April Fools' Day announcement in 2019. Even more surprising than the April Fools' Day prank was "Introducing Who Dey Exotic. Brands, sports teams and news outlets

The Columbus Metropolitan Library is getting a new floating library and the Delaware County Sheriff's Office is hiring an AI robot … or are they?

We've called the movers to return and help set it back on its foundation at McNamara Park. [#FossilFoolsDay](https://twitter.com/hashtag/FossilFoolsDay?src=hashtag_click)" We are pleased to be on the forefront of AI." "During last night's storm, a strong gust of wind picked up old township hall and moved it back to the corner of Tussic and Big Walnut Road where it started like a scene out of Wizard of Oz! "We are pleased to announce our newest technological advancement at the Sheriff's Office. Don't worry -- we're using the waterproof books from the pool …"

The Pasadena procession announced that a surprising natural material would now be featured on its famous floats. (Just fooling, of course.)

"As with the standard rule of all other natural materials, the hair cannot be dyed, however it may be styled and shaped. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend. 1, 2024. Whatever you know about the Rose Parade — it usually rolls on New Year's Day (unless Jan. The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. "The use of hair in parade floats presents a unique opportunity to showcase the versatility and beauty of this often-overlooked natural material," the parade's social media team continued.

From Chris Pratt voicing video game Mario to The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog and many more, here are our favorite video game pranks for April Fools' Day ...

The video also reveals a Nintendo Switch OLED Model The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom edition will be available on April 28, 2023, with a Nintendo Switch Pro controller - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom edition and Nintendo Switch carrying case - Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom edition available on May 12, 2023.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be available on Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.](/videos/the-legend-of-zelda-tears-of-the-kingdom-official-gameplay-demonstration) [April Fools' Day 2023: The Best Video Game Pranks on the Internet2h ago - From Chris Pratt voicing video game Mario to The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, here are our favorites.](/articles/april-fools-day-2023-the-best-video-game-pranks-on-the-internet) [ISSUE NO. Get out of the hairiest situations with an ultra-clean shave that brings out your A-game:— R Λ Z Ξ R (@Razer) Until midnight on April 2 in your local timezone, you will be able to "up your hat game in any blind pick match." Not only can you get a perfect shave, but you can do so without ever leaving your computer. Some online have said you can cheese your way through certain encounters in Baldur's Gate 3, and Larian Studios took that to heart. So, to help you upgrade your lockpicking skills, this video details the locations for all Demiguise Statues you can find across all the regions in Hogwarts Legacy.](/videos/hogwarts-legacy-all-demiguise-statues-locations) [The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Official Gameplay DemonstrationJoin series producer Eiji Aonuma for a look at gameplay from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, including Link’s new abilities. From March 31 - April 2, Innersloth has brought back Horse Mode to Among Us, which turns player into either a horse or a rancher to compete in two modes - Horse Wrangling Mode and Classic Horse Mode. Oh, and Not only are there googly eyes and new hilarious Ultimate Voice Lines, but each Hero has also been buffed in certain ways to make each match more chaotic and fun. April Fools' Day has once again arrived and has brought with it some hilarious video game pranks. [all the voices from The Super Mario Bros.

So does Urban South Brewery. Yes, white crawfish exist, but in such rare numbers -- 1 in 5 million mud bugs -- that we have confidently deemed the beverage ...

🇫🇷 Vous n'êtes pas prêts pour ma nouvelle attraction de l'été ! Releasing exclusively through the McDonald’s App this Monday. Among some of the more creative efforts included: [pic.twitter.com/UoEntHn67g] [April 1, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/dXg9Ye5x4Y] [April 1, 2023] Combining the hearty spice of a crawfish boil with the refreshing carbonation and lightness of a seltzer, this brew is unlike anything you've ever tasted before.— Urban South Brewery (@UrbanSouthBeer)

Happy April Fools' Day, aka the day on which all brands come out in full force to take us by storm with bad dad jokes. As a reminder, today's a day to not ...

Whether you’re still playing or if you’ve taken a break, this could be a reason to [get the group together again](/2020/10/20/21526164/aoc-among-us-twitch-debut-top-concurrent-viewers). Now things have gotten so bad that the OkCoin exchange has [suspended](https://blog.okcoin.com/weve-suspended-trading-for-nyccoin-and-miamicoin/)trading there altogether. On the company’s website, it says they’ve made a beer that’s due to be released in summer 2023 and ask people to [sign up for updates](https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1514734&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fus.nothing.tech%2Fpages%2Ftechnically-refreshing&referrer=theverge.com&sref). - Don’t do an April Fools’ joke. So we created Beer (5.1%). There’s also a new super serious arcade mode that tries out the most unbalanced version of each hero. - Do an April Fools’ joke but be extremely clear from the start that this is a dumb joke and you have no intention of doing the thing that you are “humorously” pretending to do. - Do an April Fools’ “joke” but actually follow through on your stunt. But on the plus side, at least we haven’t seen many of them trying out AI-generated jokes (yet). Does this defeat the purpose of doing an April Fools’ joke because you’re not “fooling” anyone anymore? The aphorism goes that there is no such thing as bad publicity; the seemingly endless line of companies willing to make fools out of themselves has proven this false time and time again. [killed Sonic the Hedgehog](/2023/3/31/23665215/sonic-the-hedgehog-murder-mystery-game-free-steam).

Protest, schmotest! We're going to build this thing,” the tweet stated.

“We do see that theme on social media,” Williams said. “There are a lot of April Fools’ jokes going around this morning,” Williams said gleefully. PATCO, which carries more than 34,000 daily riders, currently serves 13 stations from Lindenwold, N.J., through Center City to 16th and Locust Streets, according to the organization’s website. Among others was the one in The group even followed up with an alleged “statement” from DRPA CEO John Hanson about the route’s construction. We’re going to build this thing,” the tweet stated.

Many surprises have come with the second iteration of the St. Louis Battlehawks. The team has rallied for some impressive comebacks and drawn ...

It's April Fools' Day, and even though wintry weather this time of year isn't unusual for Wisconsin, many might feel snow in April is the greatest joke of ...

But many sounded genuinely interested in relaxing on a sofa inside the beer cooler and indulging in an endless pile of Hot Spot eats. Donut is a 4-year-old labradoodle that's trained to provide mental health support to officers, dispatchers, students and other community members. Several agencies referenced the day while urging residents to delay travel. The The new vehicle, announced as a partnership between the Wausau Fire Department and the Wausau Police department, will be "tactically deployed when extremely technical tactics are needed to tactically mitigate tactical incidents," the In honor of Donut, the department announced it would update its badges with a picture of the dog and his sweet-treat namesake.