It may be hard to keep track of what day it is while staying home amid the coronavirus pandemic, but today is Wednesday, April 1, 2020: April Fools’ Day.
The best April Fools Day pranks over the years have included Burger King’s left-handed Whopper, Taco Bell claiming it bought the Liberty Bell and renamed it the Taco Liberty Bell, a playable Pac-Man game on Google Maps, and Colgate University launching a school of dentistry.
But most brands are reading the room this year, recognizing that global concerns about COVID-19 mean it’s not the best time for pranks and practical jokes. Business Insider reports Google informed staff it will not be doing any gags this year.
“Under normal circumstances, April Fool’s is a Google tradition and a time to celebrate what makes us an unconventional company,” Google’s marketing chief, Lorraine Twohill, said in an email. “This year, we’re going to take the year off from that tradition out of respect for all those fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Our highest goal right now is to be helpful to people, so let’s save the jokes for next April, which will undoubtedly be a whole lot brighter than this one."
The Hill reports several countries, including Thailand, Germany and India, warned citizens not to spread fake coronavirus stories on April 1, even threatening jail time. Mumbai police already registered a case against a resident claiming on WhatsApp that the military had been deployed in the city.
In the U.S., reports of coronavirus-related arrests include a Wegmans customer charged with terroristic threats and harassment after coughing on a worker at a New Jersey store and claiming he had COVID-19 last week.
A few, however, still think April Fool’s Day pranks must go on. Are they funny? You be the judge:
Public Enemy admits firing Flavor Flav was a hoax: Rapper Chuck D and his clock-wearing hype man, Flavo Flav, publicly feuded last month after the latter allegedly refused to perform at a Bernie Sanders campaign rally for free. Public Enemy claimed it fired Flavor Flav after more than three decades in the hip-hop group, but Pitchfork reports Chuck D admitted Wednesday that it was all a stunt to promote a new album from his side project, Enemy Radio, featuring a new song with both Chuck and Flav called “Food as a Machine Gun.” Chuck D said they originally planned to reveal the truth at Coachella, but plans changed when the festival was postponed due to coronavirus concerns.
K-pop star claims to have coronavirus: Forbes reports Korean pop star Kim Jaejoong claimed he was hospitalized with COVID-19 in a since-deleted post to his 1.9 million followers. The 34-year-old singer later admitted it was a joke -- and not a very funny one -- but claimed he wanted to raise awareness as he has family and friends who "are getting sick...and dying.”
Go to school: An Ireland radio station shared a video of a parent who fooled their kids into thinking they had to return to school early, getting them dressed and ready to go out the door. But once they turned down the hallway, they saw a sign: “April Fools!” (Schools in the UK and other countries are following stay-at-home and social distancing orders by doing virtual learning at home.)
SU mascot headed to Georgetown? Otto the Orange, Syracuse University’s mascot, announced on Instagram that he’s going to Georgetown University in the fall. “I will forever love my orange family for all the love they have given me, but it’s time to take this orange energy to Washington D.C. I will miss you all,” Mr. Otto T. Orange wrote.
‘The New Boys’: Amazon Prime Video in the UK announced a spinoff of “The Boys” featuring a bunch of dogs, or “The Good Boys.”
Googly Eyes: Some gamers have reported seeing cartoon-like googly eyes on the popular Overwatch video game.
Snoop Frogg: Animal rights advocacy group In Defense of Animals announced that Snoop Dogg had changed his name to Snoop Frogg to promote its real campaign, Too Cruel for School, which encourages schools to use synthetic frogs in science classes instead of dissecting real amphibians.
Tweetdeck changes GIF to JIF: Popular social media platform Tweetdeck changed its GIF button to say “JIF" for an April 1 gag, referencing users who can’t decide whether to pronounce .gif with a hard G or J sound.
Fun.com fun: Pop culture retailer Fun.com announced a bunch of fake nerdy products for April Fools Day, including an Alf cat bed, a Hulk hand can crusher, and a Millenium Falcon Roomba cover.
KnowYourPickle: Know Your Meme, an extensive guide to internet memes, temporarily changed its name to “Know Your Pickle,” even changing your mouse cursor into a pickle.
Woof woof: A prank that appears to be from a previous April Fool’s Day has begun circulating again, showing a pet owner fooling their dog with a special treat. The pup’s reaction is priceless.
Jimmy Kimmel: The late-night TV host, who’s known for pranks like his annual I-ate-all-my-kids’-Halloween-candy gag, suggested it may be best to keep the fun at home this year. “This one is very ripe because everyone is so on edge and we have nothing but time,” he said, offering “simple ways to torment your loved ones.” (Skip to the 9:45 mark to see his last-minute April Fools Day suggestions.)
Punk’d: In related news, a new streaming service called Quibi will launch on April 6 with a 90-day free trial for a limited time. (After that, it goes up to $4.99 a month with ads or $7.99 ad-free.) The video platform features “quick bites” -- short videos best for watching on mobile devices -- including a reboot of Ashton Kutcher’s “Punk’d” TV show, now hosted by Chance the Rapper.
Seen any other April Fools Day pranks this year? Send us an email at gherbert@syracuse.com.
Best April Fools Day jokes of 2019 (how many fooled you?)
April Fools Day: Best pranks, jokes of 2018 (how many fooled you?)
April Fools Day: Best pranks, jokes of 2017 (how many fooled you?)
April Fools Day: 2016′s best pranks (and worst jokes) around the web
April Fools’ Day: 5 outrageous pranks that made headlines in Central New York