The Best April Fools Pranks ever

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In summary, the conversation discusses some of the best April Fool's Day pranks and hoaxes, including the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest, setting clocks back one hour, convincing people to put things in their eyes, and convincing others of being accidentally sodomized. There are also mentions of a school newspaper joke, a prank involving supergluing coins to the pavement, and a nightmare about supergluing handrails on escalators. The conversation also touches on a radio show announcing a new law requiring dogs to wear seat belts while traveling.
  • #1
Math Is Hard
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There are some real classics here:

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/aprilfool2.html

The spaghetti harvest was my favorite:

#1: The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
In 1957 the respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in, and many called up wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti trees.

This morning here in L.A., one of the stations was "reminding" people to "be sure to set your clocks back 1 hour tonight".

Anyone else play any good practical jokes? I would think physicists would come up with the best pranks!
 
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  • #2
I don't get it, but my mom said the worst prank ever happened exactly 9 months before I was born. I asked her to tell me about it since I wasn't around to see it, but just as she was getting ready to the bell rang and I didn't have $20 for another 15 minutes, so she left without telling me.
 
  • #3
The sneaky eye doctor convincing me to put that thing in my eye so that I'd have to gouge it out 5 hours later. I hadn't thought somebody could convince me to gouge out my own eye.

cookiemonster
 
  • #4
In our school newspaper last year, the publications club made a really funny joke.
Background info first: Our principal always wears VESTS! He dresses up pretty professionally, but vests are always his characteristic.

Anyway, they said that our principal was getting so obsessed with his vests that he went to the point of buying a bulk supply of RARE vests through the black market!
This year, they said that the teachers were going on secret shopping sprees and vacations. With money raised for a Leukemia and Lypmhoma organization.
 
  • #5
I found this funny this year:

http://politechbot.com/pipermail/politech/2004-April/000573.html
 
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  • #6
I tried setting one of my roommate’s clocks ahead to make him think he was late for his meeting, but in a rather a anticlimactic end he slept right through the alarm. I’m sure it would have been funny if he had woken up.
 
  • #7
I read somewhere online that a way to fool people is to superglue a penny (or quarter, etc.) to the pavement and watch the people struggle to grab it.
 
  • #8
I remember the Sports Illustrated baseball hoax very well.

The 26-day marathon hoax reminds me of true news stories when I was a kid, about Japanese soldiers found hiding in Pacific island jungles and thinking that the Second World war was still going on decades after it had actually ended.
 
  • #10
wasteofo2's prank in the above thread. One of the better ones I've fallen for. The weird thing is, I've been down with the flu the past couple of days so I've been reading this funky murder mystery about these cops... well, never mind. :eek: But the connection was very odd. :biggrin:
 
  • #11
wasteofo2 said:
I convinced some people in the bio forum I'd been accidentally sodomized with a pole and had a swollen prostate. However it really didn't do much besides make me look weird...

I didn't even think about it being April Fools day. You had my interest as well...I was thinking that it was odd that you were just talking about your track activities. That was good. :biggrin:

Just to mess with me, for something like ten years Tsunami insisted that she saw orange as red. No kidding! For the first ten years that we knew each other she kept it up. I don't know why...I guess it was some form of pay back for so many things...

My dad claims the best April fools joke that ever got me. I was visiting down in California, and because of my trip down I didn't even think about it being April Fools day. While I was in the shower he poked his hand in through the curtain and handed me a small, professionally packaged envelope marked "RATTLESNAKE EGGS". It also had a very menacing picture of a rattlesnake with explicit instruction to "Keep in a cool place to prevent hatching". With a very excited tone of voice he was saying "look at this...you have got to see this" Of course this was an immediate non-compute...rattlesnake eggs? Still, due to his obvious excitement, without even thinking I started to open the envelope. Inside was a rubber band powered vibrator that at the time felt like the rear end of a rattlesnake that would have to be about the same size as a Buick! I was probably standing on the edge of the tub before the envelope hit the shower floor. Of course my dad was having a great time with all of this.

Later, when he took a shower, I turned off the water at the main.
 
  • #12
Yeah, I said I was going to school. Haha, I sure fooled them.

cookiemonster
 
  • #13
i was on the bed...missed
 
  • #14
motai said:
I read somewhere online that a way to fool people is to superglue a penny (or quarter, etc.) to the pavement and watch the people struggle to grab it.

Oooo! this is almost scary. I had a nightmare once, and I'm going to turn it into a short story, in my nightmare someone was going around and placing drops of superglue on the hand rails of escalators. When you put your hand there you got stuck and either had to rip the skin from your hand or be dragged through the floor.
 
  • #15
OOOOh!

If you're going to turn it into a short story, be sure it post it here or something. :biggrin:
 
  • #16
I just saw that a morning radio team in LA - Mark and Brian - announced on Thursday that California, or maybe just LA, had passed a law that all dogs must wear seat belts while traveling in a car. Apparently so many people ran out and bought doggy seat belts that they had to issue a formal aplology.

Edited because I thought Mark and Brian were in Portland. So much for my knowledge of morning radio.
 
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  • #17
SquareItSalamander said:
If you're going to turn it into a short story, be sure it post it here or something. :biggrin:
I did, that post was it. Don't tell me you didn't like it. Too short? Too long? What? lol April fools
 
  • #18
Worthy of mention...
I once worked with a guy...Dave I think,...that caught his neighbor stealing his power. The neighbor had run an extension cord over and plugged into some remote outlet that usually went unnoticed. To get some payback Dave [or whatever] rigs the outlet for 220 instead of the standard 110 VAC. This of course would probably fry most appliances almost immediately. Not realizing that his neighbor had left town for the weekend, Dave waits and waits with no sign of his neighbor. After getting tired of standing gaurd he finally sat down at his computer and turned it on. He heard a loud electric snap as the computer shut off.
 
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  • #19
Ivan Seeking said:
Worthy of mention...
He heard a loud electric snap as the computer shut off.
Doh! That had to hurt!
Years ago, a chemist friend of mind at UCLA noticed that the soap dispensers in the engineering building's men's rooms were always filled with a neon-green-looking liquid soap. One day he replaced this with STP engine treatment (same color and consistency) and laughed hysterically as the victims tried, without much luck, to wash this off their hands!
 
  • #20
Not sure if this happened in April

The late Isaac Asimov told of how in his college days, his "friends" diverted his attention from his cafeteria food so that they could slip a pellet of some chemical into it. Hours later, he found that his urine was some color other than the usual cheerful amber. He says he didn't come up with a reason for the color change before they told him about it the next day, but he didn't panic and go to the hospital either.
 
  • #21
Math Is Hard said:
and laughed hysterically as the victims tried, without much luck, to wash this off their hands!

ROTFLMAO! I wish I had thought of doing that. :frown:
 

1. What makes a prank the best April Fools prank ever?

The best April Fools prank is subjective and can vary from person to person. Some may find a prank that is clever and well-executed to be the best, while others may prefer a prank that is simple and unexpected.

2. Do April Fools pranks have to be harmless?

No, April Fools pranks do not have to be harmless, but they should not cause harm or distress to others. It is important to consider the feelings and well-being of those involved in the prank.

3. How do you come up with creative April Fools pranks?

Creative April Fools pranks can come from a variety of sources, such as popular culture, personal experiences, or simply brainstorming with friends. The key is to think outside the box and surprise others with your ideas.

4. Are there any legal considerations when planning an April Fools prank?

Yes, it is important to consider the legal implications of an April Fools prank. Pranks that cause harm or damage to property can result in legal consequences. It is always best to err on the side of caution and ensure that the prank is safe and legal.

5. Is it okay to prank strangers on April Fools Day?

It is generally not recommended to prank strangers on April Fools Day. While some may find it harmless, others may not appreciate being the target of a prank. It is best to stick to pranking friends and family who are aware of the holiday and potential pranks.

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