I only (very briefly) fell for one April Fools’ prank this year.  Yesterday the University of Wisconsin tweeted what appeared to be a press release announcing that fans could no longer perform their “Jump Around” tradition at home football games due to concerns regarding seismic impacts.  After realizing my mistake and the fact that it was April 1, I wondered what company pranks I missed throughout the day.  It turns out there was no shortage.  Like every year, multiple brands took the opportunity yesterday to announce hilarious new product features and company changes, all in the spirit of light-hearted marketing and (presumably) increased consumer and media attention.  Hasbro announced that Mr. Potato Head would become Mr. Avo Head, which surely sparked the interest of avocado-loving millennials.  Red Lobster announced that it would be converting its straws to red licorice, which many tweeters hoped was true.

For additional examples of brands pulling April Fools’ pranks and a history of such pranks, read this online Vox article titled “Can a brand pull a prank?.”  For a list of bests from this year, read this online Time article titled “Here Are the Best April Fools’ Day Pranks of 2019.”

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