How was your April Fool’s Day?
Where did April Fools’ Day come from? A 1561 Flemish poem by Eduard De Dene, which describes a servant realizing a nobleman sent him on “fool’s errands” because it was April 1. One popular theory is that the tradition started when France changed their calendar from Julian to Gregorian, thus changing the celebration of a new year from late March to January 1 – a transition that swept the country throughout the 1500s and was officially signed into law by King Charles IX in 1564. According to legend, those who failed to recognize the change of the new year continued to celebrate in late March and early April, leading others to call them “April fools” and pull pranks. In this theory, early versions of April Fools’ pranks included sending foolish gifts and invitations to non-existent parties.
Here are some commercial April Fools ideas:
This new Helium Coke variety includes a small shot of helium that creates a “squeaky high-pitched effect on the drinker’s voice,” the company said. Great for parties and traffic stops.
Canned Jelly Beans
Bush’s Best Sweeter than ever
The classic baked bean brand launched its newest bean variety: Jelly Beans! This is actually kind of a great idea.
Coffee-Flavored Coffee-Mate
Nestle: “The new creamer is the perfect way to transform your everyday cup with a creamy, roast coffee taste,” the company said in a silly press release.
Gen Z Emoji License Plates
Honda UK introduced emoji license plates, allowing drivers to personalize their vehicles with expressive symbols, tapping into the ubiquity of digital communication.
Dating for Cows
Here’s a funny one from Turkey Hill: a dating website just for cows. It’s called CowsOnly.com, and it’s ”the world’s first bovine-exclusive dating website, designed to help cows find that special someone.” The company even mocked up an entire prank site, complete with dating profiles for individual cows named Emma, Nelly-Sue and Daisy Mae, to name a few. Hey, cows deserve love too!
Big Ben goes Woke
The BBC World Service announced that London’s most famous landmark was getting a facelift. The broadcaster told listeners that, to help tourists tell the time, the Big Ben clocktower would be going digital, and would henceforth be known as ‘Digital Dave’. The new and improved monument wouldn’t just tell the time – it would also issue a five-minute news bulletin every night. On top of that, the iconic bongs would be replaced with beeps.
April Fool’s Mirth
April Fool’s Day: The day Atlantic Magazine tries to fool readers by sneaking in at least one properly researched, factually correct story.
Did you know bees become indecisive after April?
They become maybees.
You can’t fool all the people all the time, the congressmen once said. But a simple majority every two years gets me elected.
Two counterfeiters with the talented but stupid engraver found themselves with a large quantity of almost perfect bills on their hands. The trouble was they were all $18 bills. The crooks decided to go far back into the hill country to dispose of the bills because “nobody out there sees much money.” Deep in the mountains they flashed one of the phony bills at the crossroads storekeeper and talked him into changing it. “How do you want that?” the storekeeper asked, “How about two 7’s and a $4 would that be all right?”
April 2nd Birthdays
1990 – Christina Masterson, 1982 – Bethany Joy Lenz, 2000 – Sophie Reynolds, 1947 – Emmie Lou Harris
1725 – Giacomo Casanova, 1939 – Marvin Gaye, 1962 – Christopher Meloni, 1978 – Michael Fassbender