April Fool's Day is a time to spread cheer and joy - if only through the medium of practical jokes and hoaxes. This holiday is celebrated on April 1 every year around the world. It is a day when people play jokes and pranks on unsuspecting friends and family members. This year, April Fool's Day 2019 will fall on Monday. If you are planning to celebrate it, here are some practical April Fools Day jokes and pranks you can pull off on your friends and family. However, this day is not just for friends and families. It's also a day when many companies manage to con their customers into believing the most outlandish things.
April Fool's Day hoaxes by companies and organisations around the world is a time-honoured tradition. Here are 6 times that companies (and even government departments) with a sense of humour had the best April Fool's Day jokes:
When Expedia offered flights to Mars
Back in 2009, American global travel technology company Expedia actually managed to convince some people that they were offering a flight to Mars! With convincing graphics and tickets starting at $99, it was a gag that went down in history as legendary.
So far,my favourite April fool is the flight to Mars from Expedia! They even put activities and hotels descriptions! http://is.gd/q5nB
— Gina Desjardins (@ginades) April 1, 2009
Amazon's Petlexa
In 2017, Amazon had people around the world scratching their heads when they announced 'Petlexa' - a speaker for dogs, cats and other pets. "The Petlexa feature allows dogs, cats, and other animals to communicate with Alexa just like you do. The Petlexa feature gives pets the freedom to place orders from Amazon, and to activate smart home enabled toys," wrote Amazon on their adorable spoof video for April Fool's Day.
Google Play for Pets
In a similar vein, also in 2017, Google announced the launch of 'Google Play for Pets', which they described as "a new category of games, apps and training tools to keep your pet stimulated."
cant stop laughing after I saw all of the Google's 2017 April Fool's day. My favorite is Google Play For Pets ????????????
— Christian A. Samosir (@TianSamosir) April 11, 2017
Zombie apocalypse in Canada
To celebrate April Fools', the National Research Council of Canada shared a picture of the 'ongoing zombie apocalypse.' Definitely the kind of April Fool's prank that would send shivers down anyone's spine.
The view from our windows.....It looks like the #zombie #vaccine we have been working on isn't as effective as we would have liked during initial testing. Be careful out there today!#zombieapocalypse pic.twitter.com/ZqATCuD77m
— NRC Canada (@NRC_CNRC) April 1, 2018
Lay's India's "no share pack"
Love chips but hate sharing them? Lay's India came up with a solution... or at least made some people think that they did. Two years ago, on April Fool's Day, Lay's India announced the release of a "no share pack - installed with fingerprint sensors." Their prank made many laugh out loud, and many others wish that it was actually real. An April Fool's Day success if there ever was one.
And when Netflix 'acquired' Seth Rogen
On April 1, 2018, Netflix announced that it had "acquired" actor Seth Rogen. "Rogen has entered into a lifetime deal to transfer full ownership of his personal autonomy to Netflix, Inc.," read their press release.
It turned out, of course, to be an April Fool's Day joke that left many scratching their heads and smiling in amusement.
Which April Fool's Day prank did you like best? Let us know using the comments section below.
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