April Fool! And Other Pranks

APRIL FOOL! and other pranksBY HANNAH REUTER

Hannah Reuter Hannah graduated from WMU in 2015 with a degree in Economics and currently resides in Portage. In her free time she enjoys strumming the guitar and painting. She is the author of two YA books under the pseudonym, H.B. Catherine. You can find information on her books and writing at hbcatherinewriting.com.

THE ELITE APRIL FOOLS’ DAY PRANKS

1698 The annual Washing of the Lions ceremony that was said to be held at the Tower of London was the first known hoax and it was such a good one that they continued it annually, even selling masses of fake tickets.

1957 A BBC TV show called Panorama reported that Swiss farmers were enjoying a great year for their “spaghetti crop” and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees.

1985 Sports Illustrated fooled their readers with a made-up article about a rookie pitcher who could throw a fastball over 168 mph.

1994 PC Magazine published an article about a fake bill going through Congress that would prohibit the use of the internet while intoxicated.

1996 Taco Bell announced it had agreed to purchase Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and were going to rename it the Taco Liberty Bell.

1998 Burger King advertised a “LeftHanded Whopper,” and even got a lot of people to order it.

2014 Google published a Pokémon game where users could locate Pokémon on Google Maps. The prize was a job at Google as Pokémon Master. This joke was so well-done that software engineers eventually took the prank to create Pokémon Go. How April Fools’ Day came to be is widely speculated and still remains a mystery to this day. What we do know is that over the course of several centuries spanning different cultures, this day has been celebrated with pranks.

Some historians believe its origin dates back to 1582, when Julius Caesar switched from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar. In the Julian Calendar, the year starts on April 1st or the spring equinox instead of January 1st. So, the people who continued to celebrate the New Year in late March–early April without knowing of the switch became the butt of higher society’s jokes.

Despite not knowing the exact origin of April Fools’ Day, it spread throughout Britain during the 1800s. In Scotland, it even became a twoday tradition.

APRIL FOOLS’ DAY ORIGIN

April Fools’ Day is a fun way to play pranks on friends and loved ones. Always remember to make sure you are aware of your surroundings and know enough about the people you are fooling to be safe!

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS’ DAY!

• Want to play a joke on a co-worker? Fill up their room with balloons! The moment they open that door, the balloons will come flooding out.

• Does the person you want to prank enjoy candied apples?

Try dipping an onion in caramel for them instead!

• Put cups of water in close proximity on the floor and watch them struggle to make it through without spilling one of them, or worse, the domino effect.

• Get a party popper and place it with a string across a door. The person who opens it will be bombarded with confetti!

• Nothing is easier than the fake bug trick.

Buy a plastic spider or other insect that they may not like and place it around the house. Another easy method is cutting out a bug shape from paper and placing it in a lampshade for the shadow of a bug they can’t find!

• Mix together Skittles,

M&M’s, and Reese’s

Pieces. May the odds be ever in your favor!

• You can always go classic and simply, jump out and scare someone!

• Put a “Please Honk and Wave” sign on the back of a friend or S.O.’s car! This will have people honking and waving at them the entire drive without them knowing why.

• Fake broken glass decals!

• Making your significant other or child their lunch? Throw some peanut butter on that turkey or mayo with the jelly.