18 Best April Fools' Day Pranks for Everyone This Year
Have you been pranked every April Fools' Day, and now you've vowed to get revenge this year? Every April 1, many cultures have celebrated April Fools' Day for hundreds of years.
Traditions for this holiday include playing practical jokes and pranks on other people. So, we decided to create this list of the best April Fools' Day pranks with plenty of options you can play on your unsuspecting victim.
Origins and History of April Fools' Day
While the exact origins of April Fools' Day are unknown, History explains that historians think it dates all the way back to the year 1582. This is the year France switched from using the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as the Julian calendar miscalculated the length of the solar year.
In the Julian calendar, the year started during the spring equinox around April 1. The next year moved to January 1 in 1582, and anyone slow to adopt the new calendar was made fun of and pranked. They were called April fools and became the butt of jokes.
One of the most popular pranks included putting a paper fish on the back of April fools as it represented the April fish. It was symbolic for someone who was gullible and a young fish that is easily caught.
April Fools' Day has also been linked by historians to festivals like Hilaria celebrated at the end of March by ancient Romans. Hilaria was Latin for "joyful," and during it, people disguised themselves and mocked their fellow citizens.
The holiday spread through Britain during the 1900s. It became a two-day event in Scotland and started with "hunting the gowk." Gowk was another word for cuckoo, and this event sent people on phony errands. The next day is Tailie Day, and to celebrate, people pranked others by pinning signs on their butts like "kick me" or pinning tails on them.
Today, April Fools' Day pranks can be simple or elaborate, and media stations and websites participate by reporting outrageous and crazy fictional occurrences and stories to fool their audience.
For instance, in 1985, George Plimpton, a Sports Illustrated writer, fooled readers with a made-up story about a rookie pitcher who could throw a 165-mph fastball.
In 1957, BBC ran a story about a Swiss spaghetti harvest that talked about the "virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil." It showed video footage of a family pulling spaghetti off of trees.
In 1996, Taco Bell fooled people when it announced it was purchasing the Liberty Bell and renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell.
As you can see, April Fools' Day is a big deal, and now you're about to join the ranks of the pro prankers with the jokes on this list.
The Best April Fools' Pranks for This Year
Here's a list of April Fools' Day pranks for parents, jokes to pull at home, pranks for teachers, and jokes to play on parents.
1. Fill a Room with Balloons
This fun prank can take some time, but it's a harmless prank that's funny to watch the reaction of your victim. You can play this prank two ways, at work or school. Blow up a bunch of balloons and tie them together, then attach them to the window in the door so it looks like the whole room is full of balloons.
The second way is to actually fill the room up with balloons. The reaction to this joke is hilarious.
2. Final Exam Prank
Virginia Wesleyan University psychology professor Gabi Martorelli played a funny prank on her students. She uploaded a link to the coursework page for her student's final exam that said, "Final Exam Answers. Except when students clicked the link, it sent them to a video of Rick Astley singing the song, "Never Gonna Give You Up."
This joke is one of the best April Fools' Day pranks for teachers to use on their students.
3. Fill Up a Donut Box with Veggies
If you want to find a great prank to play on your co-workers, bring in a Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts box full of vegetables. Everyone will think you brought in a yummy treat except it’s filled with something healthy.
Watch your co-workers' reactions when they open the box and see all the vegetables. This joke would work with anything similar to a donut box.
4. Remote Control Sabotage
We've all been there when the batteries go out in your remote control, and you're trying to figure out what's wrong. Cover the sensor on the remote control with a little sticker so no matter how hard they try, the remote won't change the channels even with new batteries.
5. 180 Computer Screen
Many of us rely on our computers when we work from home. You can really drive the student or remote worker in your home crazy with this prank.
Ask your prank victim to go get you something from far away and then use CTRL+ALT+Down Arrow on their Windows laptop. This trick flips their computer screen upside down so you can watch them twist their head trying to figure out how to fix their computer.
You can do this on a Mac, too, by going to System Preferences and then pressing Command and Option while clicking on Display. Then select the "180" option.
6. What are You Typing so Long?
Find a GIF of the typing dots you see when someone is sending you a text message and text it to some family members. They'll wonder what you have to say that's taking you so long to type.
7. Scary Bug Silhouettes
Don't you get freaked out when you see a bug in the house? Get a couple of fake insects or bugs like spiders or roaches and stick them inside lamps in your house. You can also cut out silhouettes from paper.
When someone flips on a lamp switch, they'll see the bugs inside the lamp and freak out.
8. "Healthy" Sucker
Trick the kids by unwrapping a sucker and replacing the candy with a healthy brussel sprout. Re-wrap the sucker and then give it to your kids to see their reaction when they unwrap it.
Once you see their reaction, give them a real lollipop.
9. Frozen Cereal
Freeze a bowl of milk and cereal the night before, and then give it to one of your kids the next morning. Watch as they try to scoop it out but can't.
10. Confetti Shower
This trick is funny though; you'll likely be the one cleaning everything up. Place confetti on a ceiling fan blade and watch when someone turns on the fan covering the room in confetti.
11. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall......
Take every sticky note in the house and cover your bathroom mirror so your significant other can't see the mirror at all.
12. Honk and Wave
Place a sign on your car or your spouses that says, 'Honk and Wave - This is an April Fools' Day Prank!” Make sure they can't see it, and it doesn't obstruct their view. If you're in the car, watch the confusion on your kid’s or spouse's face when people start honking and waving at them.
Imagine their confusion when cars start honking if they're riding to work separately.
13. Googly Eyes
Glue googly eyes on every item in your refrigerator, so when someone opens it, all the food is staring back at them.
14. Nail Polish Catastrophe
Squeeze glue into an old bottle of fingernail polish (not any new bottles), shake it up, and then pour it on parchment or wax paper. When it dries, place it on the carpet to make someone think a bottle of nail polish spilled everywhere.
Whoever finds it will think they have a big mess to clean up.
15. Stuff Toilet Paper in A Family-Member's Shoes
Stuff toilet paper in your spouse's or kid's shoes and see how long it takes them to notice it.
16. Dirty Diaper Prank
The dirty diaper joke is a classic game for baby showers but also makes one of the best April Fools' Day pranks. If you have a baby at home, smear peanut butter or candy in a diaper and then call in your significant other to witness the mess.
17. Don't Mess with My Oreos
If someone in your household loves Oreo cookies, unscrew some of them and scrape off the cream center. Replace it with toothpaste and then put the cookies back together. Serve them with a glass of milk and see who falls for your prank.
18. Bubble Pop Noise
Lay bubble wrap under a bathmat or rug in your house and wait for someone to step on it. They'll get a big surprise, especially in the morning, once they step on the rug. They'll wake up quickly with the loud pops underfoot.
Final Thoughts on April Fools' Day Pranks
Now you have a list of fun, harmless April Fools' Day pranks you can play on family, friends, co-workers, and students. This holiday is meant for fun and jokes; but watch out, you may become the victim of a prank yourself!
If you want to find gift ideas and ways to celebrate other holidays, you may be interested in these posts too:
The 17 Best Gift Ideas for Valentine's Day
23+ Last-Minute Gift Ideas Anyone Would Love This Year
25 of the Most Unique Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Everyone in the Family
What Stores Are Open on Thanksgiving: 21 Popular Stores You Want to Shop At