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The media ecosystem may have changed since the BBC’s spaghetti harvest report in 1957 or the Guardian’s 1977 travel supplement about the island of San Serriffe, but April fool stories are still with us.
Indeed, if you picked up Wednesday’s edition of the Guardian, you may have been taken in by our report that evidence had been found of coffee being consumed in England a couple of centuries before the first known examples, thanks in part to an expert called Macky Arto.
Other April fool highlights from the media include the Byline Times story that White House officials had confirmed Liz Truss, the former British prime minister, was to join Nasa at the behest of Donald Trump, in order, she said, to fight “the dark forces of the deep space blob”. The tell in that story? It stretched credulity by claiming the US president was “a big fan” of Truss’s YouTube channel, when clearly, judging by the numbers, nobody is.
In an apparent jibe at the crisis-hit CalMac ferries, the Scotsman reports that a medieval Scottish ferry, found in Mull, appears to have been abandoned during the ninth century as a result of “technical difficulties”. Next to the remains, which it says had roll-on, roll-off capacity for carts, was a vellum manuscript wrapped in deerskin, which appeared to be a timetable – with “DeoVolente (God willing)” written after each departure time.
Also on a transport tip, the Oxford Mail, reporting on a location whose 15-minute city plan has become a culture war touchstone, says a £3bn scheme to build a monorail through some of the most historic parts of Oxford is in train. It rounds out the article with a set of recognisable quotes from the Simpsons episode where a monorail comes to Springfield, and an AI-generated image of the monorail cutting through the skyline of the “city of dreaming spires”.
A major theme in recent years of April fool jokes by brands has been the announcement of unlikely collaborations – especially in the food space. This year Heinz and PerfectTed are claiming they are getting together to produce matcha-flavoured mayonnaise. A prank that hits a sweeter spot is the promise from the dessert manufacturer Gü that it is partnering with Dr Will’s sriracha hot sauce to produce a sriracha chocolate melting-middle pudding, which it says “takes the spicy sweetness trend to the next level”.
Pizza is a good topic for a joke. The pineapple producer Dole has announced the absolutely disgusting-sounding concept of the Hawaiian pizza in a can, and restaurant chain Zizzi says it is offering pizza with a candyfloss topping.
Domino’s has suggested a new pizza will be available – the Pot Noodle stuffed crust – with a commenter on its Facebook page noting: “The joke is on them because that would actually be a best seller.” And what better to complement your pizza meal than Iceland’s new Doctor Who-themed Darlic bread?
Asda has announced a way to make supermarket shopping an altogether more pleasant experience – with additional seats for adults being added to trolleys. The design features a comfy armchair, a cup holder for drinks and a built-in phone holder for hands-free scrolling. The company said it was introducing the design after research showed 73% of people admitted their shopping companion mysteriously vanished mid-aisle.
Another trend that brands have leapt on for a bit of mischief is the idea that everything has to be infused with something nowadays. Divine Chocolate says it is launching the world’s first chocolate bar infused with positive affirmations – the Good Vibes bar – which is relying, it says, on scientific research that has “proved” that “water praised verbally freezes into more appealing structures than water which was scolded”.
Protein infusions are a current craze, and Carmoola has announced an air freshener for cars that claims to diffuse protein during your drive to work, telling prospective users: “[It] disperses ‘micro-dosed, bio-optimised protein molecules’ into your car during the commute, enabling drivers to easily boost their protein intake while navigating traffic.”
The key to a good corporate April fool is to pretend to launch something that along the way extols the value of your main product. Last year the nappy brand Rascals announced it was producing nappies that would sing your child to sleep. This year it is targeting parents with the “Twosie” – a onesie for adults made entirely of nappies, which it claims is so absorbent that it will “protect parents from milky dribble and other unwanted stains produced by babies … and whatever just landed on your shoulder”. It does look comfy in the pictures.
Alternatively, you can go against type, as the Royal Albert Hall has, with its desperate attempt to seem more trendy to a younger audience. It promises a looksmaxxing contest called the Frame Mogging Championships, Doomscrolling in Concert, which will recreate the experience of trawling Instagram at 3am but accompanied by the “UK Philharmonic Orchestra”, and an open-air aura farming event in Hyde Park.
Not every brand jumps on 1 April in quite the same way, of course. The earplug manufacturer Loop simply sent out an email offering a discount and saying: “Fake headlines, office pranks, your group chat losing it. Honestly? Just sleep through it.” Maybe it had the right idea.
