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Best April Fools Day Pranks & Ideas You Can Actually Pull Off
History of April Fools Day
On April 1st, you can expect practical jokes, skepticism, and a lot of laughter, but how did April Fools Day really begin? Unfortunately, there isn’t a confirmed answer to this question, considering it isn’t a legal holiday and nothing is set in stone about it. however, there are an array of theories on the mysterious holiday we celebrate each year.
There is a long history of April Fools Day. Apparently it has been celebrated for centuries and is assumed to have dated back to the 1580s. In 1582 to be exact, France changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Many people were confused about this at first and forgot that the beginning of the year was Jan. 1. This confusion caused amassed jokes throughout cultures. In fact, paper fish were placed on these confused people’s backs as a way to symbolize a gullible person as a young easily caught fish.
Another possible precedent as to why this holiday started has to do with the times of the Greco-Romans because of a festival called “Hilaria,” which celebrated the mother of gods. During the festival, there were jokes played, masquerades, and grand parades as ways of celebrating the first day after the vernal equinox.
In more recent years, the practical jokes have taken off, especially in the restaurant industry and news media.
In 1996, Taco Bell claimed that they purchased the Liberty Bell and was going to rename it.
In 1997, game show hosts Alex Trebek of Jeopardy! and Pat Sajak of the Wheel of Fortune switched roles for the day and gave watchers a good laugh; Sajak and Vanna White played as contestants on the Wheel of Fortune and allegedly won $25,000.
In 1998, physicist Mark Boslough declared that the Alabama Legislature had changed the numerical value of pi. Imagine the confusion of all mathematicians! Also in 1998, Burger King announced their Left-Handed Whopper.
Google claimed in 2011, that their Gmail Motion would be able to compose a message with simple hand gestures. People completely trusted these initiatives until organizers confessed these were all just jokes.
Did you know that there’s a Museum of Hoaxes that lists the top 100 April Fools’ Day pranks of all time, ranked by “notoriety, creativity, and the number of people duped”? Here are some of the renowned best pranks according to the website:
1. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest in 1957– BBC news show Panorama announced that due to good weather, Swiss farmers were blessed with a good spaghetti crop, and footage of farmers pulling strands of spaghetti off trees were shown. Viewers were perplexed, but many wanted to know how they could grow their own spaghetti trees.
84. Viagra for Hamsters in 2000– Florida researchers claimed to have developed a pill to treat sexually-frustrated pets, including hamsters. The pill was supposed to assist those pets suffering from feelings of sexual inadequacy.
99. Virgin Cola’s Blue Cans in 1996– Virgin Cola announced that they integrated a new technology in which Cola cans that have passed their sell-by dates would automatically turn a bright blue color, and consumers were advised not to purchase them. Coincidentally (or not), Pepsi had just unveiled their new bright blue soda cans.
If you’re interested in pulling a practical joke, you’re friends might end up despising you for, we’ve got a couple ideas for you.
Practical Joke Ideas You Can Do at Home (or Work)
*sdentertainer.com is not responsible for any disciplinary actions taken as a result of any of these pranks. Liability falls on the prankster in question and said prankster should consider the prankee before attempting any of the below listed.
Pranks for Home
Create these critters out of paper because you know it will bug your friends and loved ones
Tell your roommate, family, or boyfriend, “I’ve got dessert tonight!”
Use your toothpaste to make an extra-clean tasting filling for these Colgate Oreos.
Tell your family you’ve decided to move to Canada. For the full effect, put up a for sale sign in your yard.
Tell your best friend you got her or him an I-pad.
Unroll the toilet paper a little bit and reroll it with a few fake spiders inside.
Pranks for Work (if you have to work on Saturday)
Download the the extension nCage, if your co-worker uses google chrome, and all of the pictures displays in their web browser will be of actor Nicolas Cage
Install the blue screen of death as a coworkers’ screen saver.
Take a screenshot of a coworkers’ desktop and set it as their wallpaper, then hide all of the icons and move the toolbar. Watch as they click and double click over and over. Just make sure you can put it back the way it was.
Have a hunter-and-pecker in the office? pop a few of their keyboard keys off and relocate them.
On a PC? Go to the Windows Control Panel and switch the pointer icon to an hourglass.
Try one of these practical joke ideas, but remember to get creative this April Fools Day. Also, try your best not to make a fool of yourself by falling for one of these jokes yourself. Good luck!
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