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April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on
1 April
Events Pre-1600
* 33 – According to one historian's account, Jesus Christ's Last Supper is held.
* 527 – Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne.
* 1081 – Alexios I Ko ...
consisting of
practical jokes and
hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may be revealed as such the following day. The custom of setting aside a day for playing harmless pranks upon one's neighbour has been relatively common in the world historically.
Origins
![Washing of the Lions](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Washing_of_the_Lions.jpg)
Although the origins of April Fools’ is unknown, there are many theories surrounding it.
A disputed association between 1 April and foolishness is in
Geoffrey Chaucer's ''
The Canterbury Tales'' (1392).
In the "
Nun's Priest's Tale", a vain cock Chauntecleer is tricked by a fox on "Since March began thirty days and two," i.e. 32 days since March began, which is 1 April.
However, it is not clear that Chaucer was referencing 1 April since the text of the "Nun's Priest's Tale" also states that the story takes place on the day when the sun is "in the sign of Taurus had y-rune Twenty degrees and one," which would not be 1 April. Modern scholars believe that there is a copying error in the extant manuscripts and that Chaucer actually wrote, "''Syn March was gon''". If so, the passage would have originally meant 32 days after March, i.e. 2 May,
the anniversary of the engagement of King
Richard II of England to
Anne of Bohemia, which took place in 1381.
In 1508, French poet
Eloy d'Amerval referred to a ''
poisson d'avril'' (April fool, literally "April's fish"), possibly the first reference to the celebration in France.
Some historians suggest that April Fools' originated because, in the Middle Ages,
New Year's Day was celebrated on 25 March in most European towns, with a holiday that in some areas of France, specifically, ended on 1 April,
and those who celebrated New Year's Eve on 1 January made fun of those who celebrated on other dates by the invention of April Fools' Day. The use of 1 January as New Year's Day became common in France only in the mid-16th century,
and that date was not adopted officially until 1564, by the
Edict of Roussillon, as called for during the
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...
in 1563. However, there are issues with this theory because there is an unambiguous reference to April Fools' Day in a 1561 poem by Flemish poet Eduard de Dene of a nobleman who sends his servants on foolish errands on 1 April, predating the change.
April Fools' Day was also an established tradition in Great Britain before 1 January was established as the start of the calendar year.
In the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, the origin of April Fools' Day is often attributed to the Dutch victory in 1572 in the
Capture of Brielle
The Capture of Brielle by the ''Geuzen, Watergeuzen'', on 1 April 1572 marked a turning point in the uprising of the Seventeen Provinces, Low Countries against Spain in the Eighty Years' War. Militarily the success was minor as the port of Briell ...
, where the Spanish Duke
Álvarez de Toledo Álvarez or Álvares may refer to:
People
*Álvarez (surname), Spanish surname
Places
* Alvares (river), a river in northern Spain
* Alvares (ski resort), in Iran
*Alvares, Iran
* Alvares, Portugal
*Álvarez, Santa Fe, a town in the province of S ...
was defeated. "''Op 1 april verloor Alva zijn bril''" is a Dutch proverb, which can be translated as: "On the first of April, Alva lost his glasses". In this case, "bril" ("glasses" in Dutch) serves as a homonym for
Brielle
Brielle (), also called Den Briel in Dutch and Brill in English, is a town, municipality and historic seaport in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, on the north side of the island of Voorne-Putten, at the mouth of the New ...
(the town where it happened). This theory, however, provides no explanation for the international celebration of April Fools' Day.
In 1686,
John Aubrey
John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the '' Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist ...
referred to the celebration as "Fooles holy day", the first British reference.
On 1 April 1698, several people were tricked into going to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...
to "see the Lions washed".
Although no biblical scholar or historian is known to have mentioned a relationship, some have expressed the belief that the origins of April Fools' Day may go back to the
Genesis flood narrative. In a 1908 edition of the ''
Harper's Weekly
''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...
'' cartoonist Bertha R. McDonald wrote:
Long-standing customs
United Kingdom
![Big ben closeup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Big_ben_closeup.jpg)
In the UK, an April Fool prank is sometimes later revealed by shouting "April fool!" at the recipient, who becomes the "April fool". A study in the 1950s, by folklorists
Iona and Peter Opie
Iona Margaret Balfour Opie, (13 October 1923 – 23 October 2017) and Peter Mason Opie (25 November 1918 – 5 February 1982) were an English married team of folklorists who applied modern techniques to understanding children's literature and ...
, found that in the UK, and in countries whose traditions derived from the UK, this continues to be the practice, with the custom ceasing at noon, after which time it is no longer acceptable to play pranks. Thus a person playing a prank after midday is considered the "April fool" themselves.
In Scotland, April Fools' Day was originally called "''Huntigowk Day''".
The name is a corruption of "hunt the ''gowk''", ''gowk'' being
Scots for a cuckoo or a foolish person; alternative terms in
Gaelic
Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...
would be ''Là na Gocaireachd'', "gowking day", or ''Là Ruith na Cuthaige'', "the day of running the cuckoo". The traditional prank is to ask someone to deliver a sealed message that supposedly requests help of some sort. In fact, the message reads "''Dinna laugh, dinna smile. Hunt the gowk another mile.''" The recipient, upon reading it, will explain they can only help if they first contact another person, and they send the victim to this next person with an identical message, with the same result.
In England a "fool" is known by a few different names around the country, including "noodle", "gob", "gobby", or "noddy".
Ireland
In Ireland, it was traditional to entrust the victim with an "important letter" to be given to a named person. That person would read the letter, then ask the victim to take it to someone else, and so on. The letter when opened contained the words "send the fool further".
Italy, France, Belgium, French-speaking areas
In Italy, France, Belgium and French-speaking areas of Switzerland and Canada, the 1 April tradition is often known as "April fish" (''poisson d'avril'' in French, ''april vis'' in Dutch or ''pesce d'aprile'' in Italian). Possible pranks include attempting to attach a paper fish to the victim's back without being noticed. This fish feature is prominently present on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools' Day
postcard
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
s. Many newspapers also spread a false story on April Fish Day, and a subtle reference to a fish is sometimes given as a clue to the fact that it is an April Fools' prank.
Germany
In Germany, an April Fool prank is sometimes later revealed by shouting "April, April!" at the recipient, who becomes the "April fool".
Nordic countries
Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians and Swedes celebrate April Fools' Day (''aprilsnar'' in Danish; ''aprillipäivä'' in Finnish; ''aprilsnarr'' in Norwegian; ''aprilskämt'' in Swedish). Most news media outlets will publish exactly one false story on 1 April; for newspapers this will typically be a first-page article but not the top headline.
Poland (''Prima aprilis'')
In Poland, ''prima aprilis'' ("First April" in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
) as a day of pranks is a centuries-long tradition. It is a day when many pranks are played: hoaxes – sometimes very sophisticated – are prepared by people, media (which often cooperate to make the "information" more credible) and even public institutions. Serious activities are usually avoided, and generally every word said on 1 April could be untrue. The conviction for this is so strong that the Polish anti-Turkish alliance with
Leopold I signed on 1 April 1683, was backdated to 31 March. However, for some in Poland ''prima aprilis'' ends at noon of 1 April and ''prima aprilis'' jokes after that hour are considered inappropriate and not classy.
Ukraine
April Fools' Day is widely celebrated in
Odessa and has the special local name
Humorina
Humorina (russian: Юморина, translit=Yumorina, uk, Гуморина) is an annual festival of humor held in Odesa, Ukraine, on and around the April Fools' Day since 1973. The festival is marked by a large parade in the city center, perfor ...
- in Ukrainian Гуморина (''Humorina''). This holiday arose in 1973. An April Fool prank is revealed by saying "Первое Апреля, никому не верю" ("''Pervoye Aprelya, nikomu ne veryu''") - which means "First of April, I trust nobody" - to the recipient. The festival includes a large parade in the city centre, free concerts, street fairs and performances. Festival participants dress up in a variety of costumes and walk around the city fooling around and pranking passersby. One of the traditions on April Fools' Day is to dress up the main city monument in funny clothes. Humorina even has its own logo a cheerful sailor in a
lifebelt
A lifebuoy is a life-saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in water, to provide buoyancy and prevent drowning. Some modern lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater-activated lights, to aid rescue at night.
Other names
Other na ...
— whose author was the artist Arkady Tsykun. During the festival, special souvenirs bearing the logo are printed and sold everywhere. Since 2010, April Fools' Day celebrations include an International Clown Festival and both celebrated as one. In 2019, the festival was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the
Odessa Film Studio
Odesa Film Studio ( uk, Одеська кіностудія художніх фільмів) is the Ukrainian, formerly Soviet film studio in Odesa, one of the first in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. It is partially owned by a governmen ...
and all events were held with an emphasis on cinema.
Spanish-speaking countries
In many Spanish-speaking countries (and the Philippines), "''Día de los Santos Inocentes''" (
Holy Innocents Day) is a festivity which is very similar to April Fools' Day, but it is celebrated in late December (27, 28 or 29 depending on the location).
Turkey
Turkey also has a custom of April Fools' pranks. Pranks and jokes are usually verbal and are revealed by shouting "Bir Nisan!" (April 1st!).
Iran
In Iran, it is called "''Dorugh-e Sizdah''" (lie of Thirteen) and people and media prank on 13 Farvardin (
Sizdah bedar) that is equivalent of 1 April. It is a tradition that takes place 13 days after the Persian new year
Nowruz
Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...
. On this day, people go out and leave their houses and have fun outside mostly in natural parks.
Pranks have reportedly been played on this holiday since 536 BC in the
Achaemenid Empire.
Israel
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
has adopted the custom of pranking on April Fools' Day.
Lebanon
In
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
, an April Fool prank is revealed by saying (which means "First of April Lie") to the recipient.
Pranks
![Make Way For Ducklings Prank](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Make_Way_For_Ducklings_Prank.jpg)
A common prank is to carefully remove the cream from an
Oreo
Oreo () (stylized as OREO) is a brand of sandwich cookie consisting of two biscuits or cookie pieces with a sweet creme filling. It was introduced by Nabisco on March 6, 1912, and through a series of corporate acquisitions, mergers and split ...
and replace it with
toothpaste
Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it is an abrasive that aids in removing dental plaque and food from the teeth, ...
, and there are many similar pranks that replace an object (usually food) with another object that looks like the object but tastes different such as replacing sugar with salt and vanilla frosting with sour cream. As well as people playing pranks on one another on April Fools' Day, elaborate pranks have appeared on radio and television stations, newspapers, and websites, and have been performed by large corporations. In one famous prank in 1957, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
broadcast a film in their ''
Panorama'' current affairs series purporting to show Swiss farmers picking freshly-grown spaghetti, in what they called the
Swiss spaghetti harvest. The BBC was soon flooded with requests to purchase a spaghetti plant, forcing them to declare the film a hoax on the news the next day.
With the advent of the Internet and readily available global news services, April Fools' pranks can catch and embarrass a wider audience than ever before.
Comparable prank days
28 December
28 December, the equivalent day in Spain and
Hispanic America
The region known as Hispanic America (in Spanish called ''Hispanoamérica'' or ''América Hispana'') and historically as Spanish America (''América Española'') is the portion of the Americas comprising the Spanish-speaking countries of North, ...
, is also the Christian day of celebration of the
Day of the Holy Innocents. The Christian celebration is a religious holiday in its own right, but the tradition of pranks is not, though the latter is observed yearly. In some regions of Hispanic America after a prank is played, the cry is made, "''Inocente palomita que te dejaste engañar''" ("You innocent little dove that let yourself be fooled!"; not to be confused with another meaning of ''palomita'', which means "
popcorn" in some dialects).
In Argentina, the prankster says, "''¡Que la inocencia te valga!''" which roughly translates as advice to not be as gullible as the victim of the prank. In Spain, it is common to say just "''¡Inocente!''" (which in Spanish can mean "innocent" or "gullible").
In Colombia, the term is used as "''Pásala por Inocentes''", which roughly means: "Let it go; today it's Innocent's Day."
In Belgium, this day is also known as the "Day of the Innocent Children" or "Day of the Stupid Children". It used to be a day where parents, grandparents, and teachers would fool the children in some way. But the celebration of this day has died out in favour of April Fools' Day.
Nevertheless, on the Spanish island of
Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...
, ''Dia d'enganyar'' ("Fooling day") is celebrated on 1 April because Menorca was a British possession during part of the 18th century. In Brazil, the "''Dia da mentira''" ("Day of the lie") is also celebrated on 1 April
due to the Portuguese influence.
First day of a new month
In many English-speaking countries, mainly Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, it is a custom to say "pinch and a punch for the first of the month" or an alternative, typically by children. The victim might respond with "a flick and a kick for being so quick", and the attacker might reply with "a punch in the eye for being so sly".
Another custom in Britain and North America is to say "
rabbit rabbit" upon waking on the first day of a month, for good luck.
Reception
The practice of April Fool pranks and hoaxes is controversial.
The mixed opinions of critics are epitomized in the reception to the 1957 BBC "
spaghetti-tree hoax
The spaghetti-tree hoax was a three-minute hoax report broadcast on April Fools' Day 1957 by the BBC current-affairs programme ''Panorama'', purportedly showing a family in southern Switzerland harvesting spaghetti from the family "spaghetti ...
", in reference to which, newspapers were split over whether it was "a great joke or a terrible hoax on the public".
The positive view is that April Fools' can be good for one's health because it encourages "jokes, hoaxes ... pranks,
ndbelly laughs", and brings all the benefits of laughter including stress relief and reducing strain on the heart. There are many "best of" April Fools' Day lists that are compiled in order to showcase the best examples of how the day is celebrated.
Various April Fools' campaigns have been praised for their innovation, creativity, writing, and general effort.
The negative view describes April Fools' hoaxes as "creepy and manipulative", "rude" and "a little bit nasty", as well as based on ''
Schadenfreude'' and deceit.
When genuine news or a genuine important order or warning is issued on April Fools' Day, there is risk that it will be misinterpreted as a joke and ignored – for example, when
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
, known to play elaborate April Fools' Day hoaxes, announced the launch of
Gmail
Gmail is a free email service provided by Google. As of 2019, it had 1.5 billion active users worldwide. A user typically accesses Gmail in a web browser or the official mobile app. Google also supports the use of email clients via the POP and ...
with 1-
gigabyte inboxes in 2004, an era when competing
webmail services offered 4-
megabytes or less, many dismissed it as a joke outright. On the other hand, sometimes stories intended as jokes are taken seriously. Either way, there can be adverse effects, such as confusion, misinformation, waste of resources (especially when the hoax concerns people in danger) and even legal or commercial consequences.
In March 2020, during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, various organizations and people cancelled their April Fools' Day celebrations, or advocated against observing April Fools' Day, as a mark of respect due to the large amount of tragic deaths that
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...
had caused up to that point, the wish to provide truthful information to counter the
misinformation
Misinformation is incorrect or misleading information. It differs from disinformation, which is ''deliberately'' deceptive. Rumors are information not attributed to any particular source, and so are unreliable and often unverified, but can turn ...
about the virus, and to pre-empt any attempts to incorporate the virus into any potential pranks.
For example, Google decided not to continue "its infamous April Fools’ jokes" tradition for that year. Because the pandemic was still ongoing a year later in 2021, they also decided not to do pranks that year.
In
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
, the police warned ahead of April Fools' in 2021 that posting or sharing fake news online could lead to maximum of five years imprisonment.
Other examples of genuine news on 1 April mistaken as a hoax include:
*1 April 1946: Warnings about the
Aleutian Island earthquake's
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
that killed 165 people in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...
and
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
.
*1 April 1984: News that the singer
Marvin Gaye was shot and killed the day before his 45th birthday by his father
Marvin Gay Sr. (
sic
The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...
) on 1 April 1984. Several people close to Gaye such as fellow singers
Smokey Robinson and
Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackso ...
, brother of
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
didn't believe the news initially and had to phone call other people who knew Gaye to confirm the news,
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democrati ...
during his interview for the
VH1 documentary ''VH1's Most Shocking Moments in Rock & Roll'' referenced the coincidence of the date when he said that Gaye's death came "like a sick, sad joke to all of us."
[''American Masters: What's Going On – The Life and Death of Marvin Gaye'', ]PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
, 2008['']Behind the Music
''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...
'', VH1, 1998
*1 April 1995: News that the singer
Selena
Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...
was shot and killed by the former president of her fan club
Yolanda Saldívar
Yolanda Saldívar (; born September 19, 1960) is an American former nurse who was convicted of the murder of singer Selena in 1995. Saldívar had been the president of Selena's fan club and the manager of her boutiques, but she lost both positio ...
on 31 March 1995. When radio station
KEDA broke the news on 31 March 1995, many people accused the staff of lying because the next day was April Fools' Day.
*1 April 2004:
Gmail
Gmail is a free email service provided by Google. As of 2019, it had 1.5 billion active users worldwide. A user typically accesses Gmail in a web browser or the official mobile app. Google also supports the use of email clients via the POP and ...
is announced to the public by
Google
Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...
. Some of the announced features for the service were not considered technologically possible with the technology available in 2004.
*1 April 2005: News that the comedian
Mitch Hedberg
Mitchell Lee Hedberg (February 24, 1968 – March 30, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and deadpan delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes mixed with absurd elements and non se ...
had died on 29 March 2005.
*1 April 2005: Announcement about ''
Powerpuff Girls Z
is a 2006 Japanese magical girl anime series directed by Megumu Ishiguro, based on the American animated television series ''The Powerpuff Girls''. The anime was co-produced by Cartoon Network Japan and Aniplex and was animated by Toei Anima ...
'', by
Aniplex
is a Japanese anime, music production and anime licensee company owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Established in September 1995, Aniplex has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime series, such as both '' Fullm ...
,
Cartoon Network and
Toei Animation
() is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' '' GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
. The TV show was an
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
adaption of the cartoon ''
The Powerpuff Girls
''The Powerpuff Girls'' is an American superhero animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network Studios) for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Telev ...
'' and the idea that a cartoon would get turned into an anime was considered very outlandish in 2005 as this was the first time it happened.
*1 April 2008: Announcement that the
NationStates
''NationStates'' (formerly ''Jennifer Government: NationStates'') is a multiplayer government simulation browser game created and developed by Max Barry. Based loosely on the novel '' Jennifer Government'', the game was publicly released on ...
government simulation browser game
A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer.
Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on ...
had received a
cease and desist letter from the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
(UN) for unauthorized usage of its name and
emblem
An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint.
Emblems vs. symbols
Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often us ...
for the fictional intergovernmental organization where players (as nations) can create and vote on international law within the game world and that due to this, ''NationStates'' has now changed its version of the UN into the "World Assembly" (WA) with a different emblem. On 2 April 2008, ''NationStates'' developer
Max Barry
Max Barry (born 18 March 1973) is an Australian author. He also maintains a blog on various topics, including politics. When he published his first novel, ''Syrup'', he spelled his name "Maxx", but subsequently has used "Max".
Barry is also th ...
revealed that the letter from the UN was in fact ''real'' and he had actually received it on 21 January 2008 but chose only to start complying with it on 1 April to deliberately fool people into thinking the announcement was the annual ''NationStates'' April Fools prank and that because the legal action was real, the changes are permanent.
*1 April 2009: Announcement that the long running soap opera ''
Guiding Light'' was being cancelled. The date was so heavily associated with jokes and pranks that even some of the cast and crew didn't believe the news when it was announced by
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
, the TV network that aired the show.
*1 April 2011:
Isaiah Thomas declared for the
NBA draft. Thomas is short and
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
players in the
NBA are usually taller than average as height gives advantage to playing basketball.
In popular culture
Books, films, telemovies and television episodes have used April Fools' Day as their title or inspiration. Examples include
Bryce Courtenay's novel ''
April Fool's Day
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which ma ...
'' (1993), whose title refers to the day Courtenay's son died. The 1990s
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
''
Roseanne'' featured an episode titled "April Fools' Day". This turned out to be intentionally misleading, as the episode was about
Tax Day
In the United States, Tax Day is the day on which individual income tax returns are due to be submitted to the federal government. Since 1955, Tax Day has typically fallen on or just after April 15. Tax Day was first introduced in 1913, when t ...
in the United States on 15 April – the last day to submit the previous year's tax information. Although Tax Day is usually 15 April as depicted in the episode, it can be moved back a few days if that day is on a weekend or a holiday in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
or some states, or due to natural disasters when it can occur as late as 15 July.
Further reading
*
*
* Similar events documented by other Wiki languages also exist such as Poisson d'avril (France) and in the USA the ''International day of the joke'' event which is assigned the first Sunday in May.
BBC News: International joke day
/ref>
See also
*Feast of Fools
Feast of Fools
The Feast of Fools or Festival of Fools (Latin: ''festum fatuorum, festum stultorum'') was a feast day on January 1 celebrated by the clergy in Europe during the Middle Ages, initially in Southern France, but later more widely. Du ...
, a similar medieval festival
*List of April Fools' Day jokes
By tradition, in some countries, April 1 or April Fools' Day is marked by practical jokes. Notable practical jokes have appeared on radio and TV stations, newspapers, web sites, and have even been done in large crowds.
History
* In February 170 ...
*List of practical joke topics
This is a list of practical joke topics (also known as a prank, gag, jape or shenanigan) which are mischievous tricks or jokes played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion, or discomfort.
Pr ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
*
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{{Authority control
April observances
Unofficial observances
Practical jokes