April Fools' Day

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Twitter: Get Ready to Lose Blue Checkmarks on April 1

Company says it's going to start removing them from 'legacy' verified accounts

(Newser) - Changes at Twitter—including the poop emoji auto-response for press inquiries—can be hard to distinguish from practical jokes, but the company is apparently serious about revoking blue checkmarks for some users on April Fool's Day. "On April 1st, we will begin winding down our legacy verified program...

Kimmel, Fallon Pull Off Ultimate April Fools' Joke

The 2 Jimmys swapped coasts, and shows, on Friday night, to the surprise of their audiences

(Newser) - For two years, Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel have been cooking up an April Fools' Day scheme, and on Friday night, the late-night hosts pulled it off, in an epic way. Per The Hollywood Reporter , the comedians swapped shows, with Fallon heading to Los Angeles, and Kimmel heading to New...

Up to 5K Turned Out for Hoax Concert. It Did Not End Well

Belgian police officer hospitalized after clashes in Brussels

(Newser) - An April Fools' joke in Belgium did not go over well Thursday as police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd that had gathered to attend a concert, which turned out to be a hoax. An announcement posted to Facebook in March promised a slate of famous...

Mom's April Fools' Joke Results in Her Arrest

Wichita woman arrested after telling daughter she'd been shot

(Newser) - Even if this were a normal year when April Fools' jokes were in style, this one surely would have missed the mark. A 58-year-old woman in Wichita ended up arrested after calling her daughter to say she'd been shot, reports KSN . Her understandably freaked-out daughter called police. "Multiple...

Google Says It Will 'Pause the Jokes' Again

This is the second April 1 of the pandemic, it notes

(Newser) - For the second year in a row, Google has decided that this is not the right time for jokes or stunts like " Google Tulip ." According to an internal email seen by Business Insider , the company told managers to "pause the jokes" for another year because the pandemic...

Well, a Celeb Pulled an April Fools' Coronavirus Prank

K-pop star Jaejoong ended up taking the post down

(Newser) - A K-pop star apparently didn't get the April 1 memo. As governments across the globe went so far as to issue warnings against pulling coronavirus-related April Fools' Day jokes, the singer Jaejoong from the K-pop group JYJ told his 1.9 million fans on Instagram he'd been diagnosed...

'Against the Law to Fake Having COVID-19' on April 1

Countries threaten jail time for virus-related pranks

(Newser) - This April Fools' Day, very few people are in the mood for being pranked—or for reading news stories more surreal than what is already happening. Companies like Google have called off their annual corporate jokes and in some countries, authorities have warned that anybody spreading misinformation about the outbreak...

Google, Tinder, McDonald's and More Get in On Fools' Day

McDonald's introduces 'McPickle Burger,' while Google will have you talk to your tulips

(Newser) - It's April 1 and Google has once again pulled out all the stops: The company's April Fool's Day offerings this year include "Google Tulip," which supposedly allows users in the Netherlands to communicate with their tulips and know more about their needs, VentureBeat reports. Google'...

Russian Foreign Ministry: 'For Election Interference, Press 3'
Russia Gets In on This Year's
April Fools' Day Jokes
april fools' day

Russia Gets In on This Year's April Fools' Day Jokes

'For election interference, press 3'

(Newser) - Need some election interference? The Russian Foreign Ministry is ready to help—or so it says on April Fools' Day. On Saturday, the ministry posted on its Facebook page an audio file of the purported new automated telephone switchboard message for Russian embassies. "To arrange a call from a...

Rise of 'Fake News' Takes Toll on April Fools' Day

Nordic newspapers are skipping it this year

(Newser) - It's not quite the same as canceling Christmas, but some Scandinavian newspapers are skipping April Fools' Day this year. The reason? They're worried about being attached to "fake news," reports AFP . It seems the editors of papers in Sweden and Norway have decided to refrain from...

Mattel Pays Alaska to Change Capital to 'UNO'

The city got a $15,000 donation out of the deal

(Newser) - On April Fool's Day, the capital of Alaska was going by the name of card game UNO, not Juneau. No joke. It was a play on words and part of a promotion with game and toy maker Mattel, which is drawing attention to new wild cards in its UNO...

Here's What Not to Fall For on April Fools' Day

Trust us

(Newser) - Don't believe everything you read on the Internet—but especially not on April 1. April Fools' Day is the perfect, albeit well-worn, opportunity to post on Facebook that you're pregnant or to inform your significant other that you just won the lottery. But if you'd rather read...

China: Don't Celebrate April Fools'

It's 'not consistent with our cultural tradition,' says Xinhua

(Newser) - China has effectively banned April Fools' Day. The favorite day of pranksters "is not consistent with our cultural tradition or socialist core values," state news agency Xinhua says on social media site Weibo, per the Washington Post . "Hope nobody believes in rumors, makes rumors, or spreads rumors....

Pity the Fools Who Didn't Show for April 1 Car Promo

Woman nabs $37K luxury BMW after seeing April Fools' trade-in ad

(Newser) - We've become an increasingly savvy society, not as prone to fall for the hoaxes and phony ads that proliferate on April 1. Not Tianna Marsh, whose apparent naivete won her a $37,000 BMW 1 Series ride after she saw an ad in the New Zealand Herald . The front-page...

Google's 'Pac-Man View' Is No Prank

Users really can play arcade game on the world's streets

(Newser) - Google has long enjoyed April Fools' Day fun, but unlike Google Nose and Gmail Motion , the new Pac-Man Street View feature is not a prank—unless the joke is on people who've lost hours munching dots around the world. Desktop users of Google Maps can click an icon to...

7 Celebrity Pranksters
 7 Celebrity Pranksters 

7 Celebrity Pranksters

Let's just say they probably enjoyed last Tuesday

(Newser) - Which stars do you think had the most fun during April Fools' Day last week? Probably the 13 celebrity pranksters rounded up by PopSugar . A sampling:
  • George Clooney: One of his most epic pranks: Throwing a fake wedding for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
  • Brad Pitt: He's gotten his
...

Woman's April Fool's 'Prank': Shooting at College

She told daughter she was hiding after hearing shots; police unamused

(Newser) - Police in Spartanburg, Va., aren't laughing off a woman's April Fool's "joke" about a shooting in the college where she worked. Police say 54-year-old Angela Timmons sent her daughter a text message to say she was hiding in a bathroom at Virginia College after hearing shots...

Google's April Fool: YouTube Closing Down

Also new on April 1: Google Nose, Treasure Maps

(Newser) - Google has gotten into the April Fool's Day spirit once again: After eight years of accepting entries, YouTube is going to shut down to "select a winner." A spoof announcement on the site claims that "YouTube has been nothing but a contest to find the best...

Mitt Romney the Butt of 2 April Fools' Pranks

And Forbes.com did not find one of them funny

(Newser) - One of yesterday's April Fools' Day pranks apparently fooled a few too many people: A Forbes contributor posted a blog on Forbes.com claiming that Mitt Romney had dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Rick Santorum. Despite the fact that editors took it down after just half...

Wisconsin: Disney Is 'Buying Our Bike Trail'??

Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail: Filled with video games and motorbikes?

(Newser) - Chalk one up for those who check the calendar: A Wisconsin newspaper reported this week that Disney would buy a beloved state biking trail and fill it with arcade games, piped-in music, motorbike paths, and kid-friendly miniature trains. Public outcry over the County Line article was so intense that editors...

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