Looking for a fun idea to pass time during this COVID-19 pandemic hiatus? Then you will be thrilled to know that Wednesday is April Fools' Day, which means that you can play a light-hearted prank, or two, without getting into trouble!
The origin of this fun holiday, which is celebrated annually on April 1, is unclear. Some believe it started in 1582 after the world transitioned from the Julian calendar, which ushered in the new year on March 25, to the current Gregorian calendar. At the end of March, tricks were played upon those who were unaware of, or refused to accept, the new January 1 start date. Others maintain that the holiday began as a joyful way to welcome spring.
Regardless of how it started, April Fools' Day has since become a popular custom that is celebrated worldwide by both individuals and corporations. Here are some hilarious tricks that have kept people fooled for hours, and sometimes even months, on end!
Virgin Australia's canine crew
Virgin Australia is well-known for its fun April Fools' pranks. One of the most heartwarming ones was in 2017 when the company introduced its new flight crew members — a team of adorable dogs. The believable video, released on March 31, showed the well-trained canines greeting, and, in some cases, shaking hands, with passengers as they entered the aircraft, keeping them company during the flight, and even saving their spot in long bathroom lines!
Cup Noodles headphones? Yum!
In 2019, Japan's Nissin Cup Noodles and high-performance product manufacturer HyperX unveiled the HyperX Cup MIX-IN. The unusual headphones allegedly provided music lovers the ultimate "sensorial experience" while they ate Cup Noodles. To create a seamless experience for gamers, the headphones came with a detachable noise-canceling Microphork,™ allowing players to enjoy their Cup Noodles without interrupting the game or irritating teammates with slurping sounds.
"Staying ahead of trends and infusing innovation into what we offer from Cup Noodles are at the core of what our company was founded on," said Jaclyn Park, Vice President of Marketing, Nissin Foods USA. "We are always looking for ways to elevate our fans' experience with Cup Noodles through unexpected and fun ideas, so when HyperX wanted to collaborate, we knew this was an opportunity to give everyone from music lovers to gamers a unique Cup Noodles experience they never imagined."
Eager fans hoping to purchase the limited edition devices online, found they were "sold-out," before realizing that the press release announcing the HyperX Cup MIX-IN was dated April 1!
Chegg Osmosis Learning Pillow
In 2018, American online textbook rental and tutorial company Chegg, unveiled a memory foam learning pillow that transferred knowledge into the brain while the person was asleep. All he/she had to do was place the required textbook(s) underneath the pillow while they were snoozing. Though that would have been every student's dream, it was, of course, just a clever April Fools' prank.
BBC's flying penguins
Penguins are known to be flightless birds. However, on April 1, 2008, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported that it had stumbled upon a colony of flying Adélie penguins on Antarctica's King George Island, and even released a video showing the airborne birds. The discovery had the world buzzing with excitement until the television station released a follow-up video explaining how they made the penguins "fly."
Be sure to let us know what fun prank you have planned this year — and whether or not it worked, by adding your comments below.
Happy April Fools' Day!
Resources: www.theverge.com, wikipedia.org, Nissinfoods
