April Fools Day Pranks: The Biggest & Best (PICTURES)

April Fools Day is right around the corner, which means you're probably looking for that perfect April Fools Day prank. We'll have great prank ideas and coverage of the best pranks of 2011 this week, but first we thought we'd kick things off with a look at some gags you probably won't be pulling off (alone, anyway). Here are some of the biggest, best April Fools Day pranks that have ever gone down. Think we missed one? Tell us of this epic prank and we might include it in our slideshow!

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Swiss Spaghetti Harvest

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On April Fools Day in 1957 "Panorama", a news show on BBC aired footage of Swiss "Spaghetti Farmers" picking spaghetti from trees. The fake footage was aired as a joke, but viewers called in to find out how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. Instead of coming clean, the BBC cheekily replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."

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On April Fools Day in 1957 "Panorama", a news show on BBC aired footage of Swiss "Spaghetti Farmers" picking spaghetti from trees. The fake footage was aired as a joke, but viewers called in to find out how they could grow their own spaghetti trees. Instead of coming clean, the BBC cheekily replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best."

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Comments

[Vatican Assassin Warlock]

01:25 AM on 04/05/2011

Epic prank:

"Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Dom DeLuise?"

Chef Paul responded:

"Yeah, I've heard that about the last 20 years of my life. Dom's been at the restaurant [K-Paul's] and he's also been out and acknowledged himself as Chef Paul and told people to come on back to K-Paul's for a free dinner. I was sitting in the restaurant one time and he came through the back with a knife and fork in his hand telling everyone that he was the real Chef Paul and I was a fake. It was funny." (Interview found in New Orleans CityBusiness, Craig Guillot)

http://totallylookslike.icanhascheezburger.com/2008/08/13/dom-deluise-totally-looks-like-paul-prudhomme/

[schildpad]

03:52 AM on 04/04/2011

I have to admit, I did fall for the flying pinguins. That was a truly awesome prank.

[MarcEdward]

09:37 PM on 04/04/2011

In 1987, NPR reported that Reagan had sold Arizona to Canada and I believed it for a while. Reagan was like that.

[Frickett]

02:53 PM on 04/09/2011

You mean he didn't? Damn!

[booksnmoreforyou]

11:10 PM on 04/03/2011

Announcing UberStudent DumbedDown Edition
http://www.uberstudent.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=117

[booksnmoreforyou]

11:09 PM on 04/03/2011

Flying penguins FTW!

[jclaireburke]

10:10 PM on 04/03/2011

I wonder why I just couldn't get into April Fools Day this year.

[Fran Jaime]

07:33 PM on 04/03/2011

These really are funny! Especially the flying Penguins!

[Blodo]

07:02 PM on 04/03/2011

The flying penguin one is brilliant.

[bschmid84]

12:25 PM on 04/03/2011

that spaghetti tree gag could be updated and re-run today. america's youth would never question it.

[moutonnoir]

11:42 PM on 04/03/2011

neither would their parents.

[Oilvike]

01:44 AM on 04/03/2011

I got one of my customers good at Pizza Hut some years back. He asked if it would be OK if he ordered a beef and mushroom New Yorker. With a straight face I said, "No. That's the one thing we don't allow." He asked why. I said, "Oh, we just decided there's something about someone ordering a beef and mushroom New Yorker that pisses us off. So we decided it would be fun to have a rule against it." He said, "You're kidding!" I said ,"Yes. April Fool." He laughed pretty good.

[aprilfoolsday11]

04:22 AM on 04/02/2011

LOL. Check these out : http://vr-zone.com/articles/april-fools-day-tech-pranks-roundup/11785.html

[jtroy123]

05:10 PM on 04/01/2011

These are all hilarious. Check out this prank press release from an alarm company in Boston http://bit.ly/hF0DCa

[ashland23]

08:12 AM on 04/01/2011

I put plastic wrap over the toilet bowl once.

[Vatican Assassin Warlock]

01:26 AM on 04/05/2011

"Upper-deckers" are even better.

[ashland23]

07:50 AM on 04/01/2011

This is the greatest April Fool's Day prank ever! When I was 10 years old or so, I very very nice and neatly stretched plastic wrap over the toilet bowl, taped it with clear tape around the bowl, and put the lid back down. Now I wait... ;) I got my little sister so good! She was about 7 or 8. After she settled down and cut her losses, we joined forces and got my dad! Being a naive 10 year old, I was fortunate to have a dad with a good sence of humor! (Maybe "good" isn't the appropriate word?...!) Some may find this to seem mean, or gross... In my family it is considered to be a perfectly appropriate and honorable prank. Some years later when I was grown, I learn my dad had passed the prank on to my mom! If this suits your taste here are a few tips: Most importantly, make sure there are absolutely no wrinkles in the plastic, check from different angles and walk the path of the victim. Tape it down first, then gently adjust until smooth. Make sure to tape it under both lids. Assume the clean up responsibility, ya know out of curtousy... hehe. (I guess I never thought about the number 2 possibility?) My youngest sister got me once too, what have I created! I'm 26 now, and I'll have my day again!
Sincerely,
Michelle :)