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In an era when legitimate news stories range from US officials adding a journalist to a group chat planning a war to a miniature dachshund going feral on an Australian island for 16 months, it is increasingly hard for media outlets to invent ridiculous but plausible hoax stories for April Fools’ Day. Nevertheless, the tradition persists, and brands have been more active than ever in leveraging the one day of the year when outlandish boasts about their products might raise a smile rather than ire.
The nappy brand Rascals claimed to be launching a new range that would play a jingle every time it sensed a tinkle of a different kind. Experienced parents will be well aware that most humans already come equipped with a highly attuned detection system, in the shape of olfactory organs.
Birds Eye, meanwhile, were offering to solve one of life’s great mysteries – namely, what happens to the bits of potato dispensed with when making the holes in their potato waffles? The answer: from 1 April, they became their own spin-off product, Potato Waffholes.
Hyundai announced the launch of the Mobilet, a sort of Uber for toilets – a self-driving cubicle that is summoned by app to come and meet you in your moment of need. The futuristic-looking vehicle uses face recognition to grant access, and boasts ambient lighting and noise-cancelling technology to make for a relaxing bathroom experience for all.
The digital world has, of course, opened up a whole new dimension for pranking, and on Tuesday morning, aircraft aficionados were surprised to see something unusual taking flight, according to Flightradar24, at least. It claimed its most tracked flight was #AF9999, a resurrected Air France Concorde flying from Paris to New York. The supersonic craft was retired in 2003.
If you are in the market for nostalgia, then the Royal Albert Hall might be a better destination than New York. The venerable institution announced plans for an Immersive Nokia 3310 Experience, paying respects to the famously reliable mobile phone with performances of classic ringtones and alarms by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the chance to watch expert YouTube gamers face off playing Snake II on a giant HD screen at the iconic venue.
Pets are a reliable source for prank announcements. In London, Santander announced some of its rental bikes would come with a sidecar, so you could bring your pooch along for the ride, while John Lewis said it was introducing a pun-laden “pawsonal shopping” service for dogs, who would be treated to a makeover and “pawdicure” by assistants trained at the London Canine College of Fashion.
It wasn’t just brands that joined in. The social media age means anybody with a high profile can launch their own prank. Dick and Dom of “da Bungalow” fame – remember them? – announced on Tuesday they were parting ways after almost three decades together, due to Dom’s desire to study further maths and Dick’s need to look after a gift shop in Shrewsbury. Meanwhile, Labour’s Dawn Butler took the opportunity to announce she had joined the government as the new minister for “hope, good vibes and positivity”.
The MP for Brent East sneaked a serious message into her tongue-in-cheek announcement, though, suggesting she would introduce legislation that required people to say something nice before complaining on social media. Butler, who has been an MP since 2005, regularly uses her platform to highlight the racist abuse directed at her.
If all this pranking is making too much of a stink for you, why not calm your spirits with two new fragrances launched today by City Cruises UK? Reflecting London and York, where their boats operate, the perfumes distill the odour of the cities’ respective rivers. The Ouse-inspired scent is described as having “woody notes”, while the Thames version, perhaps appropriately given the state of Thames Water’s pollution management, is said to have a more “earthy” tone.
