Don’t Be a Fool

We are thrilled to announce that our Words, Wisdom & Whimsy group will be featured this month on The Today Show in a segment called “Well Written Women.” Two lucky subscribers can join as well. We can’t believe it and neither should you…ha, ha…April Fool’s!

‍Today is April 1st, also known as April Fool’s Day, when friends and family play harmless tricks on each other. Once the joke is revealed, April Fool’s is shouted, and everyone has a good laugh! This day is all about pranks and shenanigans. It is an annual custom in the United States, in most Western countries, and in many nations around the world. It even shows up on your iPhone calendar, so you remember to play that practical joke on someone.

Just how did all this tomfoolery come about? (How Tom got involved with foolery is a story for another day.) Its origins are unclear and debated but the practice may have started in Renaissance Europe when the calendar shifted from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. Communities slow to adopt the change continued to celebrate the New Year on April 1st, and they were mocked as April Fools. By the 18th century, the practice had spread throughout Britain. One common joke was to stick a “kick-me” sign on the back of an unsuspecting fool.  (So that’s where it came from!)

Some historians place the origins even farther back to Roman times. This theory attributes the custom to the festival of Hilaria, (Latin for joyful or merry,) where citizens dressed up in disguises and mocked their fellow denizens.  Still others attribute the hoax-playing to the celebration of the spring equinox, when the weather was unpredictable.

‍ Whatever the exact beginning, April Fool’s Day has endured for over five hundred years.  In more recent times, companies and governments have kept the custom alive and well by joining in the fun.  On April 1, 1957, the BBC aired a segment featuring Swiss farmers enjoying a record crop of spaghetti, complete with footage of people harvesting spaghetti from trees. Gullible citizens called in looking to buy a pasta tree.  Another time, the newscaster reported that Big Ben was switching to digital timekeeping. Listeners were encouraged to call in and enter a contest to win the landmark’s clock hands. The company’s phone lines were jammed. ‍

Here at home, Taco Bell used this date in 1996 to announce it was purchasing the Liberty Bell and changing the name of the venerable landmark to Taco Liberty Bell.  Two years later, Burger King announced a special hamburger for left-handed customers. Sure enough, individuals were pulling up to the take-out window and requesting this specially designed, but totally fake Whopper.

If you are considering taking part in today’s celebration, think about these helpful hints for fun and light-hearted foolery. (We’ll leave Tom out of it.) Play your joke early in the day to catch people unaware of the date. Keep your prank light and playful, so no harm is done.

My favorite April Fool’s joke was played in my youth when Easter Sunday fell on April 1st. My unsuspecting dad hid our Easter baskets in places around the house, but my older sister discovered them first and relocated them to new spots. The look of confusion on my sweet father’s face when his hiding spots revealed no baskets was priceless. We tried hard to keep a straight face as we watched him scratch his head and recheck the area. My mom, sister and I eventually let him in on the joke and hilarity ensued.

What jokes do you remember playing on a friend or family member over the years?  Have you ever been the April Fool?  Let us know in the comments below.

Bit by bit…that’s all she wrote…

·         A Brief, Totally Sincere History of April Fools’ Day. Washington Post.

‍ ‍·         History’s Greatest April Fools Jokes. National Geographic.

·         Some of the greatest April Fools' pranks of all time. CNN.

·         15 Best April Fools’ Day Hoaxes. CBS.

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