April Fool's Day is a global phenomenon, like farting in the bed and shoving your partner's head under the covers. From the UK to the USA, from Italy to Ireland, the customs may differ, but everyone agrees on one thing: it's all about pranking.
In some countries, such as the UK and Australia, the pranks have to be played before noon, otherwise the prankster becomes the fool. In Spain and Latin America, it is traditional to play pranks on the Day of the Innocents, which is December 28. This is a day which remembers the Massacre of the Innocent Children by Herod in the New Testament. Fortunately, it is not traditional to slaughter children in the hope that one of them might be Jesus anymore.
So which country pranks best? Some of the finest examples have been documented here. See if you can spot the fake international April Fool that didn't really happen.
Denmark Mass Transit Has Serious Delays
Denmark is a country that loves pranksters so much they have two April Fools' Days! They celebrate pranking on April 1 and also May 1. One example of a great prank was a Danish report showing their famous Metro service crashing through the sidewalk.
The kid asked for a refund
Hungry British Clamor to Grow Spaghetti Trees
UK pranksters were a bit more subtle and esoteric about one of the most famous April Fool's pranks. The TV show Panorama managed to convince British viewers that spaghetti grew on trees, and that Italian farmers had managed to eradicate the dreaded spaghetti weevil. Good thing they didn't mention the Bolognese sauce river that ran through the spaghetti forests.
Giovanni loved looking up Maria's skirt as she picked spaghetti
Reports in Holland Shock Residents of Pisa
The Dutch went for pure shock once: a TV station simply reported that the Tower of Pisa had fallen down. A very unsubtle prank but with the slack drug regulations in the Netherlands and the abundance of hash cafes it was the best they could do before popping out to buy nachos.
The USA Deals With Obesity Issues
Burger King advertised they were developing left-handed Whoppers, for discerning Southpaw customers who were tired of watching the contents of their burger drip annoyingly out of the left side. Some customers fell for this, and specifically asked for this new burger at their local restaurants. Good thing BK weren't offering chocolate fries and beer-flavored shakes as well.
"Side order of pig's valve please"
Canadian Money Gets Confusing
A Canadian radio station revealed that the $5 bill was to be replaced by a $3 coin. Not exactly hilarious, but neither is Canada.
Swedish Boffins Improve Viewing Pleasure
The Swedish were inventive in their prank in which a television station kindly informed viewers they could turn their black and white televisions into full color televisions simply by putting a nylon stocking in front of the screen.
The UK Enters the 21st Century
The British strike again. This time the BBC shocked loyal viewers with the news that the clock face of Big Ben would be made digital.
Incredible News from Iraq
Iraqi news services reported that members of the International Atomic Energy Agency found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Russians Flock to Buy SCUBA Diving Equipment
Members of the Russian public were informed that Atlantis had been discovered, and that Russia was creating diplomatic ties with the fabled nation. 20% of those surveyed agreed that diplomatic ties should be stronger between the two great fictional nations. Oh wait, Russia is real.
Rare Animals Not Always Eaten in Japan
In Japan, a daily newspaper's website reported on a formerly extinct bird that had recently been discovered living in a Japanese prefecture, after being extinct for 800 years. It was all a hoax, except the extinct part.
China Joins the Internet Revolution
Google advertised for people who could work as a human flesh search engine in China. Imagine six billion people trying to work out who Lady Gaga is, and then find naked pictures of her for one bored teenager in a Washington state bedroom.
The new head of Google China really liked seed
Argentina Holds a Dark Secret
Finally, on a rather sinister note, there was an April Fools' Day prank that Adolf Hitler had escaped from Berlin in 1945 and had been living in Argentina until his death in 1957. Even more disturbing is that this prank was posted on a Web site solely dedicated to the events of the Second World War! It's just not nice to give a veteran a cardiac arrest.
There was something about the way he dressed that finally gave him away
Did you spot the fake April Fool's Day prank? That's right, bored teenagers in Washington state bedrooms are actually looking for naked photos of Katy Perry, not Lady Gaga!
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