Top Five Online April Fools Pranks

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April 1st is a day where nothing you read, see, or hear can be trusted. Pranks are being pulled left and right, even by the world’s most famous companies. For years, the Internet has served as a channel for companies to prank thousands of people on April Fools Day. Whether clever, funny, or just plain realistic, here is a list of my top five favorite April Fools Day online pranks of 2016.

1. Tumblr

The presidential election of 2016 has undoubtedly caused a lot of talk across the country. Tumblr decided to make light of it and created their own election featuring four lizards. Users had the opportunity to vote between Rick, Deborah, Wretched Tooth, and Mop. Throughout the day, an official Tumblr account posted fact checks on the candidates and fake news clips following the election, bringing the joke to life.

2. Mark Zuckerburg Fashion Line

Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerburg collaborated with H&M to launch a website detailing a new fashion collection inspired by Zuckerburg.  The collection includes seven identical gray T-shirts and one ordinary pair of jeans, a combination that Zuckerburg often wears. The site states that the outfit would make buyers “more focused”.

3. Duolingo

Duolingo created a site showcasing their Duolingo Pillow, which they claim can teach you a new language overnight for the mere price of $99. The site contained fake testimonials, such as one by Sean Chin, who said, “I went to bed only speaking English, but woke up bilingual. ¡Buenos días a todos!”

4. Yahoo

Yahoo published an article that Trader Joe’s will be closing all stores by 2017, and shoppers freaked out, especially since the article was published on March 31. This prank was one that was incredibly realistic, taking quite some time for a handful of people to realize that it was just a joke.  

5. Spotify

Rickrolling is a classic prank, and Internet users don’t fail to trick others with the famous video on April Fools Day. While not exactly a prank, Spotify snuck “Never Gonna Give You Up” into their New Music Friday playlist, making for a subtle yet effective joke.