April Fool Pranks... or reality?

Sweetpea · 04-01-2011, 06:16 AM

Prank or reality?

http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/looflirpa/e8bb/

http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/land...ateforanimals/

Exer · 04-01-2011, 06:38 AM

Reminds me of the iPad arcade cabinet that thinkgeek had as a prank. So many people thought it was real and wanted to buy it that they eventually made it into a real product.

wannabee · 04-01-2011, 07:07 AM

This has always been my favorite hoax. The ABC rolled it out over and over again.http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&so...WWYy6wJbQKeKTA

Those links you posted look like hoaxes to me

feenix1363 · 04-01-2011, 07:10 AM

Translate for animals? I'd prefer translate for wives! Plenty of real life options in that one.

ardeegee · 04-01-2011, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Exer

Reminds me of the iPad arcade cabinet that thinkgeek had as a prank. So many people thought it was real and wanted to buy it that they eventually made it into a real product.

Also this.

ATDrake · 04-01-2011, 08:06 AM

My favourite ThinkGeek "joke becomes reality" April Fool's is the Canned Unicorn Meat.

They actually got a for-serious cease and desist letter from the National Pork Board for that. And then they eventually made it into a real product.

Possibly the entire kerfuffle provided inspiration for this year's Angry Birds Pork Rinds?

ETA: Archive of past ThinkGeek April Fools. I kind of want those Tribbles 'n' Bits. And a Monolith (in)Action Figure.

HarryT · 04-01-2011, 08:12 AM

Another "joke that became reality" happened in the UK a while ago. There was a comedy series in the 1980s called "Not the Nine O'Clock News" - a parody news programme with Mel Smith, Griff Rhys-Jones, and Pamela Stephenson. They did an item about lorry (truck) drivers, in which the pleasure of squashing hedgehogs was touted as a major benefit of the occupation

. Not too long after that, hedgehog-flavour crisps (chips) appeared on the market and were very successful

.

As a follow-up, though, these crisps were actually flavoured with pork fat, and the manufacturer were prosecuted by the UK's Office of Fair Trading on a charge of false advertising. They had to change the packaging to specify that they weren't actually made from hedgehogs.

ardeegee · 04-01-2011, 08:25 AM

Also, genetic engineers are still diligently working on those spaghetti trees.

HarryT · 04-01-2011, 08:29 AM

Spaghetti harvest:

GeoffC · 04-01-2011, 09:35 AM

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12932108

MJK2111 · 04-01-2011, 11:18 AM

Personally, I would like to have a few bags of hedgehog crisps.

HarryT · 04-01-2011, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJK2111

Personally, I would like to have a few bags of hedgehog crisps.

Sadly, they seem not to be sold any more.

Wetdogeared · 04-01-2011, 12:28 PM

Gmail Motion

Angst · 04-01-2011, 12:35 PM

search for "comic sans" on google.

dreams · 04-01-2011, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

Gmail Motion

An old favorite of mine:

04-01-2011, 06:16 AM	#1
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	April Fool Pranks... or reality? Prank or reality? http://www.thinkgeek.com/interests/looflirpa/e8bb/ http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/land...ateforanimals/

04-01-2011, 08:06 AM	#6
ATDrake Wizzard Posts: 11,517 Karma: 33048258 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Roundworld Device: Kindle 2 International, Sony PRS-T1, BlackBerry PlayBook, Acer Iconia	My favourite ThinkGeek "joke becomes reality" April Fool's is the Canned Unicorn Meat. They actually got a for-serious cease and desist letter from the National Pork Board for that. And then they eventually made it into a real product. Possibly the entire kerfuffle provided inspiration for this year's Angry Birds Pork Rinds? ETA: Archive of past ThinkGeek April Fools. I kind of want those Tribbles 'n' Bits. And a Monolith (in)Action Figure. Last edited by ATDrake; 04-01-2011 at 08:11 AM.

04-01-2011, 08:12 AM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Another "joke that became reality" happened in the UK a while ago. There was a comedy series in the 1980s called "Not the Nine O'Clock News" - a parody news programme with Mel Smith, Griff Rhys-Jones, and Pamela Stephenson. They did an item about lorry (truck) drivers, in which the pleasure of squashing hedgehogs was touted as a major benefit of the occupation . Not too long after that, hedgehog-flavour crisps (chips) appeared on the market and were very successful . As a follow-up, though, these crisps were actually flavoured with pork fat, and the manufacturer were prosecuted by the UK's Office of Fair Trading on a charge of false advertising. They had to change the packaging to specify that they weren't actually made from hedgehogs. Last edited by HarryT; 04-01-2011 at 08:16 AM.

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04-01-2011, 06:38 AM	#2
Exer I see Russia! Posts: 205 Karma: 234787 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Alaska Device: Etch-A-Sketch	Reminds me of the iPad arcade cabinet that thinkgeek had as a prank. So many people thought it was real and wanted to buy it that they eventually made it into a real product.

04-01-2011, 07:07 AM	#3
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,382 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	This has always been my favorite hoax. The ABC rolled it out over and over again.http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&so...WWYy6wJbQKeKTA Those links you posted look like hoaxes to me

04-01-2011, 07:10 AM	#4
feenix1363 Lost and clueless Posts: 194 Karma: 233336 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: UK Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Glo, Kindle for Andriod, Kobo for Android	Translate for animals? I'd prefer translate for wives! Plenty of real life options in that one.

04-01-2011, 08:25 AM	#8
ardeegee Maratus speciosus butt Posts: 3,292 Karma: 1162698 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-350	Also, genetic engineers are still diligently working on those spaghetti trees.

04-01-2011, 08:29 AM	#9
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Spaghetti harvest:

04-01-2011, 09:35 AM	#10
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,599 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12932108

04-01-2011, 11:18 AM	#11
MJK2111 FUBAR! Posts: 1,946 Karma: 15018767 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Woodstock, IL Device: Kindle 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 S	Personally, I would like to have a few bags of hedgehog crisps.

04-01-2011, 12:28 PM	#13
Wetdogeared Storm Surge'n Posts: 5,781 Karma: 8213195 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Polar Vortex Device: S0ny PRS-300/350/505/700/T1	Gmail Motion

04-01-2011, 12:35 PM	#14
Angst Cannon Fodder Posts: 2,884 Karma: 52253556 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Probably a library Device: PRS-350, Kindle DX, Kindle Paperwhite	search for "comic sans" on google.

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