Teen Talk
A History of Fools
By Stephanie Courtois
The cycle continues one year after another. Whether there is plastic wrap over the toilet bowl or fake insects plastered around the room, April Fools’ Day is never to be forgotten.
History has provided us with many hoaxes that have made the first of April a memorable one. Its origins are uncertain but this day is recognized in many nations. The world has invented many hysterical pranks that have gotten a lot of laughs. Here are some of the best April Fools’ pranks in our history.
· “Taco Bell Buys the Liberty Bell”
In 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page ad in The New York Times and a few other newspapers announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell to “reduce the country’s debt” and renamed it the “Taco Liberty Bell.” Hundreds of fuming citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was kept to communicate their anger. Their anxieties were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke.
· “The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest”
In 1957, the British news show, Panorama, ran a segment on the coming of spring after a mild winter and what that meant for Swiss farmers. It meant that the spaghetti crop was here. The audience heard a highly respected newscaster discussing the details of the spaghetti crop as they watched video footage of a Swiss family pulling pasta off spaghetti trees and placing it into baskets. According to the Museum of Hoaxes, “Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC tactfully replied, ‘place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.”
· “Burger Launching a Left- Handed Whopper”
In 1998, Burger King circulated a full page ad in USA Today publicizing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a “Left-Handed Whopper” specially created for the 32 million left-handed Americans. BK stated that, “the burger will still feature the same meat and toppings, but the condiments have been rotated 180 degrees, shifting the weight to the left. The change will prevent the condiments from falling out the right side of the bun when held in the left hand.” The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that even though the Left-Handed Whopper was a hoax, thousands of customers had gone into restaurants to ask for the new sandwich. It so happened that “many others requested their own ‘right handed’ version too.”
Those practical jokes are only a minuscule portion of the pranks that have been pulled globally. These pranks are timeless, but they are from decades ago. What will be the criteria for an ultimate prank in this day and age?
If you have ever played a remarkable prank or planning on doing one, I’d love to hear about it! Submit your name and amazing prank to steph.teentalk@gmail.com. If your prank is selected it will be featured in the next issue of Teen Talk.
Stephanie Courtois is a junior at Wellington High School. She is involved in tae kwon do, French, National and Chemistry Honor Societies, and is the news editor for the school newspaper. She loves journalism and aspires to work for a magazine someday.