THE BEST OF THE APRIL FOOLS’ GAGS
I T was the day when there was rather a lot of fake news everywhere – April Fools’ Day.
From WalesOnline’s stories about a Hollywood-style sign coming to Ystradgynlais and a 1,500year-old sword being found in Snowdonia to the Daily Mirror’s new rules for the Grand National and Paddy Power’s Seahorse Racing, there were rather a few pranks that got people wondering what’s going on.
We managed to fool quite a few people with our two stories on WalesOnline – and there was certainly a lot of love for the supposed Ystradgynlais sign that was going to be put up with the help of EU funding.
But many weren’t fooled. One Facebook user observed that it had to be an April Fool because the sky was far too blue to have been real.
Here are some other great pranks that were pulled yesterday:
St David’s Cardiff partnered with I Loves The ’Diff to create an April Fools’ stunt, themed around one of the most talked about artworks displayed in Wales’ largest shopping centre.
The Cardiff Underground map created by the I Loves The ’Diff has set tongues wagging in St David’s since it arrived, with customers unsure as to whether the transport system was the real deal.
The answer – sadly not, but on the one day a year that anything is possible, St David’s dream a reality.
Teams of official station staff took to the centre with prototypes for an exclusive contactless payment system, the “Cockle Card”, and shoppers were told that the new station would open at noon. made the The Daily Mirror reported that horses would be allowed to wear hi-tech headphones at the Grand National next Saturday and said that Global music streaming service Deezer has been working with leading trainers for months with a view to using the technology next season to give horses extra zip as they gallop along.
They also reported that Geordie Shore was about to have its first ever wedding.
The betting chain claimed it was sponsoring a new “equineaquatic sport” of seahorse racing.
Bosses said they were “taking sports betting and entertainment to new depths with all the excitement of horse racing – but underwater”.
The company even added in a few cheeky extras to its YouTube clip of the “race” claiming that US president Donald Trump has revealed he doesn’t wear fake tan, that the royal family will be appearing in an episode of Gogglebox and that a newly discovered Article 52 will reverse Brexit.
Apparently, according to The Guardian, the former chancellor was planning to launch a new clothing line called Georgio.
It was (actually) announced in March that Osborne was taking over the helm of the Evening Standard, which led many to claim it would clash with his role as MP for Tatton so people quickly realised it was a joke.
The giant pizza firm Domino’s tried to fool its customers by announcing a world first in “door-livery” innovation – a new supersized “Heatwave Letterbox” that keeps orders fresh and piping hot for up to 12 hours.
The “Door-mino’s” invention was supposedly a must for anyone who wants pizza waiting for them when they get home from a long day or night out – or for those who just don’t like answering the door – all you have to do is get a new Domino-size letterbox fitted.
Maybe kids would be happier to clean their teeth if they knew it was flavoured like a Whopper.
And that’s exactly what burger giant Burger King tried to convince its customers with their April Fool, which promised a flame grilled “Whopper Toothpaste” that will give users “advanced whopper breath”.