Here we are again: April Fools Day. Only this time around it’s 2013 and no one is safe. We start, as is tradition, with Google’s masterful pranks. It’s all after the break…or is it. Continue reading April Fools! 2013 Edition
Tag Archives: April Fools
April Fools 2012: ABC gives gag-worthy makeovers to some of its shows
Revenge, GCB, Missing, The Chew, Suburgatory, and Shark Tank get the treatment. See the rest in the gallery below. Click here to view ABC’s fake promos from the past.
[Via ABC]
April Fools 2012: ThinkGeek markets Khaleesi-infused fragrance and more
It’s become a yearly tradition over at ThinkGeek where they come up with bizarre and sometimes authentic products on April Fools Day. In 2010 they invented the Dharma Initiative Alarm Clock and ever since then LOST fans around the world have been yearning for it to exist. But alas, these products are introduced into the online marketplace on a particular pranky day and cannot be added to the cart.
This time around ThinkGeek is “selling” the Technomancer Digital Wizard Hoodie which promises to transform you into a powerful mage; a Star Wars Admiral Ackbar Singing Bass that plays the Cantina Song and says, “It’s a trap!”; Minecraft Marshmallow Creeps for Easter; the Barbie Digital Fashion Styling Head for iPad accessory that takes advantage of the Barbie CloudCastle Network; and then there’s the Game of Thrones Fire and Blood Perfume, “a scent based on Daenerys Targaryn…[an] alluring fragrance will make any woman feel like a Khaleesi.” Another fun one is Electronic Hungry Hungry Hippos for iPad; the classic game returns by clipping on capacitive-padded hippo heads and your iPad is the board!
Head over to ThinkGeek to see all of these April Fools gags in impressively great detail.
April Fools 2012: Google kicks things off with “Google Maps 8-bit for NES” [Update: Gmail Tap, The YouTube Collection, Google Racing & Chrome Multitask Mode]
Google’s at it again, ready to trump all Internet April Fools gags with their latest creation: a new version of Google Maps made specifically for Nintendo’s original home console, the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System. The search giant claims to have developed an advanced cartridge that is compatible with Ninty’s Japanese Famicom video game console; it features a dial up modem that allows the cartridge to be connected to the Internet. Once connected, Google “runs more than a hundred thousand servers to overcome the NES’ technical limitations.” Yeah, they put some effort into this one. The result? 8-bit maps are generated on-screen by Google’s cloud services in real time. Google reminds potential buyers of this unfortunately fictitious product that if the cartridge fails to load, try blowing into it to fix bugs. Just like in regular Google Maps, you can search for specific places and route a course by typing or using your voice. The company says that the 8-bit version of Google Maps will “soon be available” in Google Store. For now, however, you can actually try it out by going to Google Maps in your trusty browser and clicking the new Quest icon. The entire map of the world will go 8-bit, as will Street View. Google has made sure to include detailed icons for major landmarks (Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, Alcatraz, Buckingham Palace, Egyptian Pyramids) as well as plant bizarre Easter eggs like an alien at Area 51 and a dragon at the center of Earth.
Watch the official announcement in the video embedded above, then test out the “trial version” at Google Maps today.
Update: Google has a few more tricks up its sleeves. Skip after the break to see ’em! Continue reading April Fools 2012: Google kicks things off with “Google Maps 8-bit for NES” [Update: Gmail Tap, The YouTube Collection, Google Racing & Chrome Multitask Mode]
Local news anchor tricks co-host into licking an iPad
One more April Fools prank for ya!
[Via Gizmodo]
April Fools, 2011 edition: Rebecca Black takes over Funny or Die
Following the tradition of selecting an annoying teen sensation to take over their website, Funny or Die has chosen Rebecca Black (of “Friday” fame) for this year’s April Foolery. The site is designed all around young Rebecca; there’s even a calendar explaining that Friday is the day to be “so excited”, that Thursday comes before it, Saturday is tomorrow, and Sunday comes afterwards. Speaking of the day that starts the week, there’s a new featured trailer starring Rebecca called “Sunday Comes Afterwards” that’ll surely bust your gut with pain. And then there’s the excruciating “Which Seat Should I Take” PSA. There are more than a handful videos featuring Rebecca and you’ll find them all starring you in the face when you load up the redesigned site. But first, make sure you check out the video embedded above. In it Rebecca Black analyzes the lyrics to the genius song that made her popular in the first place. “Gotta have my bowl, gotta have cereal. That line is about consumerism. I gotta have my bowl, I gotta have my cereal.” And who knew they were so politically-bent? “The choice between the front seat and the back seat is actually a metaphor for American foreign policy.”
[Via Funny or Die]
April Fools, 2011 edition: ThinkGeek is selling Apple Store Play Set, Angry Birds Pork Rinds
Not sure if this year’s ThinkGeek prank products top last year’s Dhrama Initiative Alarm Clock, but they certainly come close. Pictured above is the Apple Store Playset from PLAYMOBIL. For $179.99 you get everything you see here: entire store with figures and over 60 accessories; the Store comes fully staffed with Apple Store associates; Ground floor of Apple store features product demo tables, software shelves and kids corner; Top floor includes Genius Bar and Keynote Theater with mini Steve Jobs figure; and you can even use your own real iPhone 4 as the screen behind Steve Jobs in the Keynote Theater. For an additional $49.99 you can buy the Line Pack to stage your own Apple Device launch party, a tiny Woz on a tiny Segway included! The Apple Store Play Set aims to introduce children to the magic of Apple technology, check it out in more detail right here.
And that’s not all. ThinkGeek is offering a wide range of new products today only and they include Angry Birds Pork Rinds (delicious crispy pork rinds made from dead pigs), Star Wars Lightsaber Popsicles, and the insanely popular Minecraft USB Desktop Nether Portal. Shop at the source link.
[Via ThinkGeek]
April Fools, 2011 edition: Starbucks Mobile Pour
You might think that a Starbucks exists on every corner of every street in the universe, but you know what’s just not true. So the company has decided to formally introduce Starbucks Mobile Pour to combat the problem of not being able to find a Starbucks location when you really need your fix. The new service puts baristas on scooters so that they can hand deliver your coffee order to you no matter your location. You can download the Mobile Pour app on your smartphone and it will pinpoint your location, allow you to select your coffee order, and keep on your merry way until a barista politely informs you on the street that your coffee has arrived. The first phase of the initiative involves sending out two scooter baristas per every square mile to ensure speedy service in seven of the largest cities around the country. Eventually they plan on bringing the service to malls where baristas will don rollerblades to quickly make their way to shoppers. See how Mobile Pour works at the source link below.
[Via Starbucks]
April Fools, 2011 edition: Hulu’s gone all 1996 on us
In honor of April Fools Day the team at Hulu has redesigned the video streaming website to show what it would have looked like if it existed way back in the dial-up days of 1996. Notice the basic text, HTML frames, the page counter (stuck at 54), a “Sign our Guestbook” button (that brings you to the Simpsons episode “April Fools Origin”), shoutouts to Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer, and the currently under construction Geocities neighborhood notice. Shows like The X Files and Sliders take center stage at the top of the page. And I won’t tell you what happens when you go to play a video. Find out for yourself at Hulu.com.
April Fools, 2011 edition: ABC reveals new primetime lineup
ABC is adding shows like White Castle, Mr. Sunsheen, and Brick Swan to their (faux) primetime lineup. Check ’em all out after the break.
[Via ABC] Continue reading April Fools, 2011 edition: ABC reveals new primetime lineup
April Fools, 2011 edition: Google kicks things off with Gmail Motion [Update: And oh so much more]
Just signed out of Gmail and was prompted to check out a new feature in beta called Gmail Motion.
Gmail Motion uses your computer’s built-in webcam and Google’s patented spatial tracking technology to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful characters and commands. Movements are designed to be simple and intuitive for people of all skill levels.
Head over to the elaborately detailed website Google has dedicated to this fun prank. There you’ll find more information about the technology behind Gmail Motion and hear what a “paralanguage expert” and “movement specialist” have to say about it. In due time, the search company plans to expand Motion into Google Docs (creating a pie chart is a riot).
Update: Looks like Google’s pulling a handful of pranks this year. Hop after the break to see what they’re all about. Continue reading April Fools, 2011 edition: Google kicks things off with Gmail Motion [Update: And oh so much more]
