The World's Most Effective April Fool's Pranks

Although not an official holiday, April Fool's Day is an important day on the calendar for prank enthusiasts throughout the world. What other day of the year do you get a free pass to prank your friends and family?

April Fool’s Day is an opportunity to play jokes on one’s friends and family; usually after the joke has run its course, you’ll shout “April fools!” to let the person know they’ve been fooled. In the United Kingdom, it’s tradition for the jokes to finish by noon, whereas in other countries you have a complete 24 hours to do your work.

Pranks on the 1st of April have become so popular that even newspapers and big companies like to join in the fun. Check our list of some of the world's biggest and best April Fool’s pranks.

The Taco Liberty Bell - Philadelphia

In 1996, the international Mexican food brand Taco Bell publicly announced that it would be purchasing the famous Philadelphia Liberty Bell, and iconic symbol of American independence. The famous bell would be renamed 'The Taco Liberty Bell' and the sale, Taco Bell proposed, would help to aid the recovery of national debt.

People across the US were outraged at the news, and Taco Bell received thousands of angry messages and calls from patriotic citizens. After the company revealed the hoax at midday, the White House press secretary joined in on the joke by commenting that they were opening the Lincoln Memorial to corporate sponsorship.

The Liberty Bell that people believed was renamed thanks to Taco Bell!
The Liberty Bell looks a bit better without corporate logos, don't you think?

The Dead Fairy Hoax - London

In 2007 Dan Jones, an illusion designer living in London, surprised the world when he posted pictures on his website of the deceased body of a fairy that he found whilst walking in the woods.

The post went viral, and he received hundreds of messages from readers all over the world claiming to have found similar things. One writer became very upset that he had exposed the fairy's hidden habitat. When he finally announced to readers that the body was actually a hoax, some accused him of trying to 'cover up the truth' about the fairy…

Welcome to Chicago - Los Angeles

If you ever fly into Los Angeles airport, there's a good chance that you'll pass over the now defunct Hollywood Park racetrack. In 1992, many fliers experienced a small moment of panic when, passing over the track, they looked down to see an 85-foot yellow banner cordially welcoming them to Chicago. Had they taken the wrong flight? Had the plane been diverted?

The sign had been actually been laid out by the track staff in Los Angeles, who told local news sources that it was something "they had always wanted to do."

What the passengers expected to see after they landed!
Luckily, once out of the plane, the passengers weren't greeted by this sign!

The Antarctic Iceberg - Sydney

At around 6am on April 1st 1978, Dick Smith, entrepreneur and engineer, pulled into Sydney Harbour in 1978 with a 60 foot iceberg. Using a small tugboat, Smith allegedly dragged the iceberg from Antarctica all the way to Sydney in order to sell chunks of real Antarctic ice to tourists. The iceberg made national news and captivated readers all over the country.

...that is, until later in the afternoon when spring rains started to wash the iceberg away! It turned out that the whole incident was an elaborate prank; Smith had made a fake iceberg using white sheets and massive amounts of shaving foam. The prank itself was inspired by Smith's real-life project of bringing water to drought areas of the country.

Iceberg
Not your usual scenery when visiting Sydney!

So that's it! Four great pranks in four amazing Kaplan destinations. What pranks are you going to pull on the 1st of April? Let us know in the comments below (we won't give the game away, honest!).

And, if you're still in the mood for a laugh, consider checking out the following:

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