April Fools Day
Tomorrow we will once again welcome the one day of the year it is completely acceptable to play awful pranks and hoaxes on our loved ones because of a comical tradition dating back to the 19th century. April Fools Day has been celebrated on 1st April for many years, with pranks ranging from small jokes among friends and family, to large scales pranks by brands and celebrities.
One of the most popular April Fools Day jokes was held by the BBC in 1957. The well respected news show Panorama announced that Swiss farmers were enjoying a large spaghetti crop thanks to a very mild winter. The announcement was shown alongside video footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. This led to huge numbers of viewers calling in and asking how they could grow their own spaghetti tree, to which the BBC replied with “place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best”.
Many fast food chains have got involved with April Fools Day festivities over the years. In 1996 Taco Bell claimed it had purchased the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. The National Historic Park in Philadelphia, where the bell was housed, received hundreds of calls from outraged citizens. Burger King had a laugh on April Fools Day in 1998 when they published a full page advert in USA Today announcing the introduction of their new “Left-Handed Whopper”, specially designed for their left-handed customers. According to the advertisement, the new burger including the same ingredients as the original Whopper, however they were all rotated 180 degrees. Thousands of customers headed to their local Burger King stores to request this new sandwich.
In 1989, thousands of motorists outside London were terrified to see a flying saucer descending into the city. This saucer eventually landed in a field on the outskirts of London where local residents alerted the police of an alien invasion. The saucer turned out to be a hot-air balloon that had been built to look like a UFO by Richard Branson, the chairman of Virgin Records, as an elaborate April Fools joke.
Wherever you are going to be this April 1st, make sure you get in a giggle or two at the expense of your friends, family or colleagues. We’d love to hear about your best April Fools pranks so let us know on our Facebook or Twitter pages!
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