10 Greatest Internet April Fools’ Day Jokes of All Time
For as long as most of us can recall, April 1 has been the unofficial annual holiday of the Internet. But its roots reach back centuries.
April Fools Day began in 4th century Scotland during the reign of Angus the Irritable. On the Furst Daye of Neuwe Springe — roughly equivalent to April 1 — members of Angus’s court would compete to lift his spirits by engaging in a series of gentle pranks. Those who succeeded were rewarded with garlands of thistleberries and baskets of sweetmeats; those who did not were ritually disemboweled.
Read: Awesome Pranks From Google, Virgin, Samsung, and Other April Fools
Nonetheless, the tradition has continued to the present day, where most of the merriment happens over the Web. Over the years we’ve seen a fair number of extremely funny, nerdy pranks. Here are the best.
The Kremlin joins the Internet (1984)
(Pavel Kazachkov/Flickr)
On the pre-Web Internet, the easiest way to get into a public discussion (or an argument) was via a Usenet newsgroup. On April 1, 1984, newsgroup denizens learned the Soviet Union had petitioned to join Usenet under the domain name Kremvax. Given that the cold war was still raging, this generated vigorous online debate. Two weeks later it was revealed as a hoax. While perhaps not the funniest joke, it is generally considered the first April Fools prank to take place on the Internet. Six years later, when the former Soviets joined Usenet for real, they adopted Kremvax as their domain name.
Google’s MentalPlex (2000)
(Hoaxes.org)
Along with search, driverless cars, the balloon-powered Internet, and being evil, Google pretty much owns April Fools’ Day on the Web. Over the years Google has generated so many April Fools pranks – more than 100 — we are convinced this is how the company’s engineers spent all of their 20 percent personal time. The first one appeared in 2000: The MentalPlex encouraged users to stare at an animated pinwheel and visualize what results they wanted to see, then generated a series of joke responses (like “Error 006: Query is unclear. Try again after removing hat, glasses and shoes.”) The jokes got better over time. Google’s ultimate prank: On April 1, 2004, it unveiled Gmail. We’re still waiting for the punchline.
Klingon Eye for the Human Guy (2004)
A take-off on the then-popular Bravo reality show, “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” StarTrek.com’s new series featured an elite team of Klingon consultants in the fields of fashion, grooming, cuisine, and honor. Each week they would transform a puny Earthling into a ferocious warrior who could rip his opponent’s beating heart from his chest and consume it with a fine vat of bloodwine. Heghlu’meH QaQ jajvam! (That’s Klingon for “Today is a good day to moisturize.”)
YouTube: The Ultimate Rick Roll (2008)
(YouTube)
Rick Rolling is one of the oldest Internet pranks on the books. (Readers unfamiliar with that phrase can click here for an explanation.) In 2008 YouTube pulled the ultimate Rick Roll; clicking on any video on the viral video site’s home page lead to the Rick Astley’s 1987 classic, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” You will now have that insipid song stuck in your head for the next 12 hours. You’re welcome.
Qualcomm’s Wolfpigeon network (2009)
(Hoaxes.org)
In April 2009 Qualcomm revealed its foolproof plan for seamless wireless coverage: by breeding wolves with pigeons, then attaching wireless transmitters to their paws/claws. Being lone wolves, they would naturally gravitate to less populated areas, thus ensuring reliable 3G connections in remote places. To keep the wolfpigeon population under control, Qualcomm also developed sharkfalcons. And to prevent the sharkfalcons from dominating the planet, the company’s engineers spec’d out the croceagle, a crocodile-eagle hybrid four times larger than its prey.
Thinkgeek’s Canned Unicorn Meat (2010)
(Thinkgeek.com)
This purveyor of novelties for nerds has an April Fools history almost as rich as Google’s. But the Geeks hit their peak with Canned Unicorn Meat, marketed as “the new white meat.” Customers who ordered the $10 product received a dismembered unicorn doll in a can — unless they lived in Germany, where the cans were seized by customs officials who believed they violated prohibitions against importing meat from “rare animals.” TG also received a real cease-and-desist letter from the National Pork Board, which objected to the similarity of TG’s slogan to its trademarked phrase, “the other white meat.” Which is, of course, ridiculous. Everyone knows unicorn meat is pink and full of sparkles.
Virgin goes Volcanic (2012)
(Virgin.com)
Having already vowed to hurl ordinary citizens into space, Virgin CEO Richard Branson announced plans to plunge them into the heart of an active volcano via an experimental corkscrew-shaped craft, the VVS1. Joining Branson on the initial voyage to the center of the earth: Tom Hanks (star of Joe vs the Volcano); actor Seth Green (whose Austin Powers character Scott Evil lived inside a secret volcanic lair); and Black Eyed Peas singer/accidental hyperlink will.i.am (who performed the song “Volcano” in Madagascar 2). If nothing else, give them props for doing their research.
Twitter purges its vowels (2013)
(Twitter.com)
To celebrate April 1, 2013, Twitter announced a two-tiered pricing plan. Tweeps could continue to use the service for free, but they would have to do so sans vowels – yr twts wld lk lk ths. For $5 a month, Twitter fans could continue to communicate using a, e, i, o, and u. In a generous gesture, Twitter announced that y would continue to be free for everyone.
The President is kidding (2013)
(YouTube)
Even the White House can’t resist getting into the act. Last year, a “special video message from the president” scheduled for April 1 featured a much more diminutive version of POTUS – 9-year-old Robby Novak, who plays Kid President in a series of popular YouTube videos. Finally, the Obama administration has someone younger and shorter to blame.
Netflix’s Rotisserie Chicken (2014)
(Netflix.com)
This 73-minute Netflix Original takes the Benjamin Button approach to filmmaking; starting with the golden brown roasted capon and working backwards as it slowly rotates back into a nubbly pink carcass. Also accompanied by the Momento-inspired 20 minute short, Sizzling Bacon. As mesmerizing as any Yule Log video and twice as mouth watering.
Send your favorite April Fools pranks to Dan Tynan: ModFamily1@yahoo.com.
