My fav is Richard Nixon announcing he would run for the Republican nomination for president on 1992.
The announcement included commentary from well-known talking heads.
Technically, Nixon was eligible.
It aired during afternoon rush hour. In DC all the phone circuits jammed for s while after the announcement. It was so dead-on that people thought it was real. The copy mangled sentences in the Nixonian way. People believed it was real.
From The Meseum of Hoaxes:
Nixon For President (April Fool’s Day - 1992)
National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” program reported that former-President Richard Nixon had declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. Accompanying the announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech and declaring “I never did anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.”
Harvard professor Laurence Tribe and Newsweek reporter Howard Fineman then came on the air to offer their analysis of Nixon’s decision and its possible impact on the 1992 presidential race. A clip from Torrie Clarke, press secretary of the Bush-Quayle campaign, was also played in which she said, “We are stunned and think it’s an obvious attempt by Nixon to upstage our foreign policy announcement today.”
Listeners reacted emotionally to the announcement, flooding NPR with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the program did host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement had been an April Fool’s Day joke. Comedian Rich Little had impersonated Nixon’s voice.
The April 1 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated revealed that the New York Mets had recruited a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a baseball at 168 mph — 65 mph faster than the previous record. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never played baseball before, but he had mastered the “art of the pitch” in a Tibetan monastery. Mets fans couldn’t believe their good luck and, accepting at face value the peculiarities of Sidd Finch’s past, flooded Sports Illustrated with requests for more information. But in reality this amazing player only existed in the imagination of author George Plimpton, who had left a clue in the sub-heading of the article: “He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd’s deciding about yoga —and his future in baseball.” The first letter of each of these words, taken together, spelled “H-a-p-p-y A-p-r-i-l F-o-o-l-s D-a-y — A-h F-i-b”.
(The Mets cooperated with Plimpton to pull this off, including player photos)
You can still get the SI issue on EBay. Or, the article was expanded into a Plimpton book.
I enjoy watching the threads which pop up with people complaining how Meh (not to be confused with @meh) is unfair, and that they will stop coming to the site.
I honestly think that on Fuko days there should be an additional official thread from the bot specifically for complaints.
Which reminds me… @ChadP - I was told to tell you to make sure you get the upcoming craziness on video like you promised.
Pretty much, I try to ignore it on the day, but sometimes shit lingers because of people who were fooled and didn’t check their calendars, so it gets annoying. If only innocent pranks are pulled, it’s charming, but too often it turns into a lie with heinous implications.
Already sent a letter on behalf of @PlacidPenguin complaining about tomorrow’s listing and how since it’s a Saturday he wouldn’t even be able to have a shot at it.
It’s going to be hard to tell what political news is real and what is a joke.
@OldCatLady
Isn’t it all a joke?
@someRiverNoise It’s all great fun until someone unleashes thermonuclear annihilation.
@moondrake
Remember when that one website had a really cool deal on April 1 but it hid the buy button behind a ****load of captchas? Well, I remember.
@Omehgawd
It’s a lot of crap.
It’s a good day to just not use any web sites.
One of my favorites was when NASA found evidence of water on the moon.
@KDemo When they find bacon, I’m there!
My fav is Richard Nixon announcing he would run for the Republican nomination for president on 1992.
The announcement included commentary from well-known talking heads.
Technically, Nixon was eligible.
It aired during afternoon rush hour. In DC all the phone circuits jammed for s while after the announcement. It was so dead-on that people thought it was real. The copy mangled sentences in the Nixonian way. People believed it was real.
From The Meseum of Hoaxes:
Nixon For President (April Fool’s Day - 1992)
National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation” program reported that former-President Richard Nixon had declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. Accompanying the announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech and declaring “I never did anything wrong, and I won’t do it again.”
Harvard professor Laurence Tribe and Newsweek reporter Howard Fineman then came on the air to offer their analysis of Nixon’s decision and its possible impact on the 1992 presidential race. A clip from Torrie Clarke, press secretary of the Bush-Quayle campaign, was also played in which she said, “We are stunned and think it’s an obvious attempt by Nixon to upstage our foreign policy announcement today.”
Listeners reacted emotionally to the announcement, flooding NPR with calls expressing shock and outrage. Only during the second half of the program did host John Hockenberry reveal that the announcement had been an April Fool’s Day joke. Comedian Rich Little had impersonated Nixon’s voice.
@f00l
Another fav:
Sidd Finch
(Also from the Meseum of Hoaxes)
The April 1 1985 issue of Sports Illustrated revealed that the New York Mets had recruited a rookie pitcher named Sidd Finch who could throw a baseball at 168 mph — 65 mph faster than the previous record. Surprisingly, Sidd Finch had never played baseball before, but he had mastered the “art of the pitch” in a Tibetan monastery. Mets fans couldn’t believe their good luck and, accepting at face value the peculiarities of Sidd Finch’s past, flooded Sports Illustrated with requests for more information. But in reality this amazing player only existed in the imagination of author George Plimpton, who had left a clue in the sub-heading of the article: “He’s a pitcher, part yogi and part recluse. Impressively liberated from our opulent life-style, Sidd’s deciding about yoga —and his future in baseball.” The first letter of each of these words, taken together, spelled “H-a-p-p-y A-p-r-i-l F-o-o-l-s D-a-y — A-h F-i-b”.
(The Mets cooperated with Plimpton to pull this off, including player photos)
You can still get the SI issue on EBay. Or, the article was expanded into a Plimpton book.
https://www.amazon.com/Curious-Case-Sidd-Finch-Novel/dp/156858296X
Okay but when Netflix put the New Episodes banner on the thumbnail for Firefly on their front page, that was hilarious. Painful, but hilarious.
My soon-to-be 22-year-old son was born on April Fools Day, and that wasn’t funny at all.
Not even a little bit.
Damned kids.
@DocBJ I have a similar soon to be 18. Yup!
@DocBJ
I have a friend … People always thought her birthday was some sort of joke.
Options A and B.
Its just another day when people will complain that they didn’t get a Fuku Bag…
@somf69
I enjoy watching the threads which pop up with people complaining how Meh (not to be confused with @meh) is unfair, and that they will stop coming to the site.
I honestly think that on Fuko days there should be an additional official thread from the bot specifically for complaints.
Which reminds me…
@ChadP - I was told to tell you to make sure you get the upcoming craziness on video like you promised.
@ChadP
The only downside would be that there would be a reduction in the amount of people meeting @Dave.
@someRiverNoise ur unfair
Pretty much, I try to ignore it on the day, but sometimes shit lingers because of people who were fooled and didn’t check their calendars, so it gets annoying. If only innocent pranks are pulled, it’s charming, but too often it turns into a lie with heinous implications.
Foolish fuko??
@CaptAmehrican
That would have to be a F00lish Fuko for me, wouldn’t it?
@CaptAmehrican @f00l
Already sent a letter on behalf of @PlacidPenguin complaining about tomorrow’s listing and how since it’s a Saturday he wouldn’t even be able to have a shot at it.
@f00l
@f00lish.
@someRiverNoise
If there some reason he can’t send that email himself?
He knew that at midnight it would be April Fools’s day well in advance, right?
@f00l
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m not asking questions.
I’m kinda bummed that if falls on a Sat, because the Nielsen Norman group usually puts out a great report on April 1st One of my Favorites
In fact, Trump makes me feel that everyday is the April Fool’s Day.