Talk:April Fools' Day/Archive 1

message: The Associated Press reported that Google would launch an e-mail service (http://gmail.google.com/) with 1 GB of storage for each user. [23]
Funny :O Was this initially intended to be a joke? - Sajt 23:24, 7 Nov 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: Nope, but everyone thought it was, hehehe. --Veratien 17:24, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  Similarly they're upgrading everyone to 2GB in a similarly Jokey manner.JamesGlover 19:40, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Joke eh 

message: The neopaganism Internet forum WiccaUK was informed that spaghetti was invented by witches in the Middle Ages.
No-one actually took that seriouly, y'know... :p--Veratien 17:23, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  WiccaUK Reference 

message: Is there any reason this sentence: "One might note that 9 months from the 1st of April a child was born of immaculate conception which could be the source of the fools day." should be in the article?  This seems to be a completely unnecessary statement that claims Christan doctrine as truth.  This doesn't seem like anything an organization that purports itself to be informational should state unless it is a organization with an acknowledged Christan point of view.  It also doesn't make any sense to me personally, it seems like a complete non-sequitur.  This certainly could just be going over my head, but I don't see the relation between the two things.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.40.135.34 (talk) 10:06, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: It seems to me that someone is just messing around with it; it was just added today. 24.249.134.214 (talk) 18:01, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Immaculate conception 

message: The article leaves open the question of why Chaucer refers to April Fools Day as "32 days after the first of March." It sounds like it used to be considered a jinx to refer to the day by it's name or date- or maybe they thought talking about it jinxed you by making you more likely to become a fool on that day. Or, maybe you just referred to it obliquely in the hopes that people who were out to get you who listened to your conversation would be less likely to be reminded of the day, and to quietly resolve themselves to get you when it came up. Then this safe practice could have become a custom or superstition for many. 
I have an idea of how to research this-- I guess a medieval-expert anthropologist or an expert on literature from medieval England would be the best person to present the theory to, although it might be hard to find evidence that would support it. If we could find literary evidence of other days that were referred to obliquely during Chaucer's era to avoid a hex or a jinx, we could extrapolate from that fact that Chaucer might have been doing the same thing. If we find other writings from Chaucer's time that don't support the theory (i.e., that refer to April Fools Day by name or as April 1st) then the theory may still be correct, because Chaucer's jinx-prevention may have not been uniformly practiced- it may have been a custom from a specific are of England or among a specific social class or ethnicity (pre-William the Bastard Britain was made up of a great many tribes or petty kingdoms, and the island was influenced by a great many ethnic groups, even before William got there). Anyway, if Western folk-culture has stayed a lot the same since the middle ages, in my opinion this is a likely theory, since people from many cultures still, and for quite a while have, avoided jinxes by not mentioning something out loud, or by not doing something.
67.85.225.175 22:28, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Chaucer excerpt 

message: Do you think we should add it? I think it deserves to be mentioned here  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.207.60.27 (talk) 00:03, 1 November 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dragonball AF 

message: I seem to remember a very good April Fools day prank by London based Capital radio. April fools day fell on a saturday. They broadcast a show using Chris Tarant who was the then host of the Breakfast show which was normally broadcast Monday to Friday. The show followed the exact same format. I believe that many people turned up at their place of work on Saturday only to find it not open. Does anyone else remember this and could it possibly be a prank that has been played by other radio stations? 
--Cockers 15:07, 23 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Radio Prank 

message: Someone should include Google's annual April 1st jokes: PigeonRanking (I think from 2003) - last year had the 'moon base' announcement, and 2005 they are 'introducing' a line of "Google Gulp" drinks. The comic strip switcheroo only happened once, but many online cartoonists continue to do some sort of gag on April 1st (see: UserFriendly, PC Weenies).
Software Development magazine's April 2002 issue contains a hoax article about an AI program that "writes programs" based on a natural language conversation with the user. "Successful" examples range from writing an unbeatable tic-tac-toe program to writing FAA aircraft control software.
Sport's Illustrated did a hoax a few years back where they wrote an entire article about a rookie pitcher for the Mets who had studied philosophy in Tibet and had an amazingly fast fastball.  I wish I could remember the details.  -- Zoe
This year's prank is about getting wireless internet through your toilet 
http://www.google.com/tisp/
74.192.205.170 17:07, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: Google's April 1st Pranks

message: You know, wikipedia ought to pull something really big this April Fool's. I mean, come on! Google does it, Radio stations do it - <B>Why don't we?</b> I mean, come on. It's not as if anyone's going to die if we pull a prank for 12 hours, right?
: Like we don't do it the other 364 days? LOL (AndrewAnorak 16:53, 30 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Many Wikipedians do make April Fool's Day jokes, and it takes weeks to clean up the mess! And some jokes go completely undetected. Such jokes on Wikipedia are really just self-justified vandalism. Glenn 07:25, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: To paraphrase Tom Lehrer, "There's time to trick them all the more, the other three-hundred and sixty-four." Wahkeenah 17:26, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

text: Also, who says we're not pagans? Wahkeenah 17:26, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

text: Guess I'm a little late here, but if it's done with the knowledge of the wikipedia community, the jokes will be easier to clean up once it's over.68.228.80.106 (talk) 07:37, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: A Wikipedia Prank

message: As of yet, Wikipedia has not had any record of vandalism on April Fools Day. If you happen to see any, please report them directly to me. Thanks.… – Minh Nguyễn (talk, contribs, blog) 05:23, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Vandalism 

message: :They already drive on the left, (or at least are supposed to).  Or am I missing something? Srl
Yeah, the prank is that they would have to drive on the right now. poopsix 16:10, 5 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Maltese Drivers 

message: I understand people want to have fun, do it in a way that does not effect my life. Thanks. -- Cat chi? 11:13, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Amusing 

message: What I don't understand is the thing about new year:  Prior to the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, it was observed as New Year's Day. Does that mean 1530, say, changes to 1531 in April??? -- Tarquin 12:07, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: I don't think the new year thing is itself an april fool, I've read it in a great deal of sources. If it IS, then the joke is a little old, and this page shouldn't be making it. -- Tarquin 09:48, 2 Apr 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  New Year 

message: Is April fool's day really a holiday? Shall we categorize it under ":category:holidays"? I really don't think so. A holiday is a day off such as New year's day or Christmas. I don't think there's a country on earth where prople don't go to work on April 1 because they are allowed by the government to fool other people. April fool's day is, at most, a festival or celebration. -- Toytoy 08:17, Apr 2, 2005 (UTC)
Does a holiday need to be a day when you don't have work? There are plenty of Catholic holidays that aren't recognized by the US government, and so don't result in a day off. So, why wouldn't that work for April Fools' day? poopsix 09:02, 6 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Holiday? 

message: I have heard from a rather non-Xian source, that the Fool's Day has to do with the Xian belief that a baby was born without a father. Assuming a baby is born on December 25, and working with an average 269-day gestation period, the conception happens on April first. So, a nonbeliever would consider a believer a "fool" for believing that a baby is born with no male, and that belief would be on April first. The source is some obscure book a friend of mine has. No other sources i know of, so i don't think it's prime stuff for the front page. --  Chacham 09:08, 2005 Oct 10 (UTC)
: Well, actually that would work for 268 days:
 mysql> select date_add('2006-12-25',interval -268 day);
 +------------------------------------------+
 | date_add('2006-12-25',interval -268 day) |
 +------------------------------------------+
 | 2006-04-01                               |
 +------------------------------------------+
: --Gutza T T+ 12:15, 1 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Other sources for the day 

message: Are we allowed to make funny edits and prank other users on April Fool's Day? That would be fun! --Wack'd About Wiki 19:35, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: You're allowed to make funny edits every day, they'll just get reverted more quickly on April Fool's Day since people will be looking out for them.  I also suspect admins will be more lenient about about temporarily blocking people, at least I hope they are - because I have big plans this year. --NEMT 04:41, 20 March 2006 (UTC)

text: No. Melchoir 02:04, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

text: Agreed.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.17.188.98 (talk) 23:55, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  April Fools Day on Wikipedia 

message: "Because the Dutch did not comply with this, they fought back. There was this band of roaming so-called freedom fighters, what we'd now call terrorists, calling themselves Geuzen, after the french geux which means beggars."
This isn't exactly objective. So the US revolutionists were terrorists as well? --Syr 17:01, 18 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dutch history 

message: Is April Fool's Day a Western custom, or is a more worldwide custom? In what countries it this day "celebrated"? Sijo Ripa 20:22, 2 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Question 

message: Canterbury Tales: The Nun's Priest Tale
*3190 Syn March [was gon], thritty dayes and two,
:Since March had gone, thirty days and two,
*3191 Bifel that Chauntecleer in al his pryde,
:Befell that Chauntecleer in all his pride,
MartinGugino 02:55, 19 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  April first in the Canterbury Tales (1400) 

message: I'm confused by the last sentence in the first paragraph. The text reads "In some countries, April Fool's jokes (also called "April fools") must only be made before midday." Does this mean in some countries, they prohibit the jokes after midday or is it just a tradition? The article should be updated to make it more clear. — Jeremy | Talk 02:21, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Hm, seems clear enough to me with that single sentence. It's one of the unwritten rules on how to prank people, possibly made up by people to prevent excessive pranking and such. The unwritten rule applies where I live, and I'm pretty sure it's elaborated further on in the article. Of course, with the usual mass vandalism every April 1st, something might've been lost.. - Zero1328 10:39, 20 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, the "source" is a "BBC Article" but it's not a BBC article at all. It's simply a BBC-administered Wiki (h2g2) with that info. Wikipedia can't reference itself, so I'm going to add "citation needed" to that line, even if it's well know. The "cited source" is: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A516791. The-bus 16:16, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  April Fools' prohibited after midday? 

message: I noticed that quite a few entries in the list are without references to sources. Two problems:
*wikipedia:Verifiability; the entry may be false, a "metahoax" 
*Notability: on this day zilloions of people say stupid things, and  it is not a big deal that a shock jock announced that a local city mayor died of heart attack. Only entries with reported consequences or of particular elaboration must be included.
My suggestions:
*Delete all unsourced entries; at least the stupid ones, i.e., lacking ingenuity and fantasy.
*Move entries that don't have wikipedia articles in the lists by year (no article - no especial notability).
`'mikka (t) 22:42, 25 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Cleanup: verifiability/notability 

message: Why is the famous radio broadcast by Orson Welles not listed here?  I know it was not on April 1st, but it was still a very successful hoax.BBGun06 20:24, 26 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: so put it under hoax, not april fools. pretty simple. --naught101 09:40, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  War of the Worlds 

message: === Other effects ===
There is a persistent type of hoax which is telling someone to phone "Mr. C. Lion" (sealion), or "Mr. L. E. Fant" (elephant), or "Mr. G. Raff" (giraffe), or suchlike, at a telephone number that turns out to be a zoo. This causes a massive and very unwelcome overburden on zoos' telephone switchboard staff.
that was posted under the heading "side effects." it's great, but it's not related to april fools. perhaps it should go under hoax or prank call? --naught101 09:38, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Side effects sub heading 

message: There is a persistent type of hoax which is telling someone to phone "Mr. C. Lion" (sealion), or "Mr. L. E. Fant" (elephant), or "Mr. G. Raff" (giraffe), or suchlike, at a telephone number that turns out to be a zoo. This causes a massive and very unwelcome overburden on zoos' telephone switchboard staff.
</div>
that was posted under the heading "side effects." it's great, but it's not related to april fools. perhaps it should go under hoax or prank call? --naught101 09:38, 13 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Other effects 

message: All my dictionaries (OED, Collins, Chambers) have "April Fools' Day" (with the apostrophe after the s, not before it). It is the day of "April fools", after all, not one "April fool". So do dictionary.com, Encarta and Wiktionary, so why does Wikipedia misspell the name of the article? — Paul G 07:34, 6 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Misplacement of apostrophe 

message: There are way too many pages containing April Fool's instead of April Fools'  and there is even a category too (:category:April Fool's Day) - far too many to update by hand. Could a bot be written to make the necessary changes? — Paul G 14:42, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  What links here 

message: This section appears to be too long, and will only get longer. Nor has it been clarified what counts as 'well known'. Additionally, there are already several other articles listing April Fools pranks year by year.
I suggest:
*that this particular section is cleaned up to include only particularly notorious hoaxes.
*that an article called List of April Fools' Day hoaxes or similar is created for those interested in a fuller list.
Any thoughts? Richard of York 14:43, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Well known hoaxes 

message: During the TV special for the movie BttF2 (making of?), Zemeckis (I think, don't remember exactly) claimed that they had used real hover skateboards that were based in a technology that was discovered a while ago and patented but was not used because it was considered dangerous and hard to control. Supposedly the things used two magnets and created some weird magnetic effect that levitated the board. Allegedly, the actor or stuntman or whatever had an accident and broke some limb while using the "dangerous" device.
They had to issue a clarification the next week or month or so that it was an april fools' joke, because many people had called asking where they could get their flying skateboards.
I thought this was a well-known prank, but I can't find anything on the 'net. Anyone else remember this?200.48.20.67 15:55, 11 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Back to the Future II Movie Special 

message: Contrary to the text of this article, the USA and USSR were not supposed to be preparing for hypothetical future climate catastrophe, but were in fact supposedly putting plans into action as a result of a climate catastrophe that had begun and was thought to be inexorably progressing toward the extinction of mankind.  The entire program is available on Google Video at present, but as the program itself is all the information I have, I hesitate to edit the article.  Original research? 72.83.243.12 03:56, 15 January 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Alternative 3 

message: I can't see that this qualifies as a hoax in any way - nobody was deceived in any way by the switch, were they? Jon Rob 14:45, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Jeopardy/Wheel of Fortune Switcheroo 

message: * The First Review of April Fool's day Transactions (RAFT'2006)
* The Second Review of April Fool's day Transactions (RAFT'2007)
* The Third Review of April Fool's day Transactions (RAFT'2008)  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.233.121.213 (talk) 14:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  This is spam (not to mention the foolish external links) 

message: The 2005 practical joke was replacing the front page so it looked like the DHS, not the DoD.  See link here http://www.nationstates.net/hws.html -- I only mention because I was one of the guys who came up with it.  I suggested "Department of Homeworld Security," made the logo, and took on the role of General George Hammond when we got lots of worried help requests about it.  Damn but I was evil. --The Centipede 02:34, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Concerning NationStates 

message: Trying to prune the list, here are dubious items as I find them. The second level of comment is my explanation for removal. I am putting them here so people who know of a source for these can easily see they've been removed from the article and add them back, with a source.
* Breast Exams by Satellite: In the 1990s, Portuguese national television network RTP announced the Ministry of Health would perform free breast exams by satellite, causing thousands of women to go out topless
** A similar prank to this has been reported, but it was not an April Fool's joke and not conducted by RTP, but by some random hoaxer with a telephone
*Weird Al Yankovic wears opposite costumes during concerts such as his "Dare to be Stupid" costume during "Like a Surgeon".
**Can't find any references for this... just Wikipedia mirrors. Found a detailed review of a 4/1 show that did not mention him doing this prank.
* FBI Crackdowns on On-line File Sharing of Music:  Such announcements on April Fools Day have become common. 
**Unreferenced, not really interesting or funny. It would be like saying "sometimes people send virus warnings on 4/1"
* Wrapping Televisions in Foil: In another year, the Dutch television news reported that the government had new technology to detect unlicensed televisions (in many European countries,  television license fees fund public broadcasting), but that wrapping a television  in aluminium foil could prevent its detection. 
**Best I could find was . A "oocktail fact" is perhaps not the best reference.
* National Television Station (TVM) in Malta: In 1995, TVM announced the discovery of a new underground prehistoric temple with a mummy. Another year, TVM  announced that Malta would adopt the European continent convention of driving on the right-hand side of the road
**Citation requested for 3 months... I couldn't find anything on Google.
*Free wine for all:The Norwegian newspaper "Bergens Tidende" announced in 1987 that the state's alcohol monopoly had 10,000 litres of illegally smuggled wine that had been confiscated. The inhabitants of Bergen were invited to the main store in town to receive their share of the goods, rather than to spill good wine down the drain. That morning staff were met by about 200 men & women with bottles, buckets, and other suitable vessels for carrying the prized goods.  Legislation in Norway causes alcohol to be relatively expensive and have limited availability.
**Again, citation requested for 3 months and no one bothered. Not much on Google except 9,000 (!) Wikipedia hits. 
*Rain drop power: On April 1st 2006 Norwegian media had a one-page story concerning "rain drop power", which could replace oil as a primary energy source.  One could write to the energy company BKK in Bergen in order to be a volunteer and receive the power generated for free. 
**Couldn't find a source, tried several places
* China Decapitates Taiwan: In 2005, an undergraduate nicknamed SkyMirage, who was well-known in Taiwan for his humor, fabricated a series of news that China's airforce was bombarding Office of President, Taiwan.
**Unref'd, doesn't fully explain it and sounds like a vandal edit. Couldn't find a reference anyway
* In 2002, it was revealed by Electronic Gaming Monthly that Sonic and Tails, two popular SEGA characters, were unlockable characters in the game, Super Smash Bros Melee. People took this to be a serious statement and many tried to determine how to unlock the two characters. Upon printing that it was an April Fool's joke, many were frustrated and some even upset. 
**Couldn't find a credible source... 
*Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z was announced for production by Aniplex, Cartoon Network, and Toei Animation on 1 April 2005 and was originally discredited, but turned out to be true when poster art and clips from the series were revealed days later.
**Ref not in english, seems to be some random fansite
More to come perhaps. --W.marsh 13:17, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: All of these have my vote for deletion BQZip01 17:06, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Dubious items 

message: In ancient Roman times April 1 was associated with the Veneralia a festival of the godess Venus. Was gift giving on April 1 associated with the display of signs of affections? What about being a fool for love? The modern April Fools Day seems to be much more cynical.
What is the nature of the fool in April Fool's Day. Is it The Fool on a Tarot card? Or just a jester? Or just someone easily fooled? 
The article is still missing something. More historical material might help. Jbergquist 15:54, 29 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Some items for consideration 

message: April Fools' Day is the opening scene of French Connection II, not The French Connection. As Popeye Doyle arrives in Marsaille, French narcotics police are duped into thinking drugs are hidden in fish at the marketplace, which is revealed to be a hoax. Joe62.255.0.7 20:56, 31 March 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  The French Connection  

message: Pfft. You shouldn't protect it. Someone should just keep a copy of the original page and let people have fun with it! Then just revert it on April 2! --Theunicyclegirl (talk, review me!)  02:24, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: *This is not a play-ground.  It is an encyclopedia.  If you wish to experiment, please use the sandbox.  If you find productively editting an encyclopedia to be fun the please contribute.  If you want to play pranks, please go somewhere else. Johntex\talk 05:00, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I haven't missed out on previous ones, and yes joking around is common on the Wikipedia and talk namespaces, but not the actual articles themselves.  Vandalism isn't suddenly hilarious just because of the date.  (Btw 'Wiki' means something different to 'Wikipedia'.) -- Chuq 09:05, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Chug is exactly right.  Aritcle vandalism does not become funny on the first of April every year.  If you think vandalism to articles is ever pleasant, then you are the one you has a decidely unpleasant attitude. Johntex\talk 18:38, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm not saying vandalism is pleasant (for one, a fake AFD is not considered vandalism on this day given that admins have done so before). I'm saying your rude and uncivil reaction to their statements was out of line. I'm not sure if you intended to, but you came across as more than a little elitist and as ignorant of the day's celebration. Statements like "This is not a play-ground. It is an encyclopedia" are condenscending and flat-out inappropriate. If you're going to correct someone, do so in a more polite, mature manner. Otherwise, don't say anything at all. Most editors I know phrase things with greater care, please try to learn from your peers on this matter so you can improve. Also, please read WP:CIV and WP:BITE. GarryKosmos 19:01, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: You are mistaken and you are being uncivil.  What was being discussed here was whether or not this article should be protected against vandalism.  This had nothing to do with AfD or other jokes on non-article pages.  It is perfectly appropriate to remind people that this is not a playground, a social networking site, the unencyclopedia, or any of the other things that Wikipeida is not.  You need to go review our policies and objectives.  Anything that lessens the accuracy of even one of our articles, even for one day, is not to be encouraged for the sake of something you think may be "fun". Johntex\talk 20:07, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: You don't have to encourage it, and discouraging is fine, but you bit Atomic Religione, which isn’t right. You didn't say anything wrong, but you could have been nicer in the way that you went about saying it. I get that you were probably annoyed by the antics going on around this article, but you need to be especially careful during those times to avoid incidents like this. Cheers, -- The Hybrid 20:17, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I said "please".  :-)  Johntex\talk 21:36, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: Fair enough ;) -- The Hybrid 22:05, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Protection 

message: I wonder if the start of the UK tax year (April 5th)is related to the original new year being in april perhaps this should be a related topic ie if april 2nd is on a friday then april 5th is a monday the start of the working week.  Tax is the biggest joke in england at present83.100.189.230 08:30, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  April fools day and the UK tax Year 

message: if my memory severs me correct they did play the "new" theme on that day. Listners liked the new one so much, Radio 4 still use it on the  Omnibus edition of the whole week's episodes every Sunday at 10.00. 
just looked at The_Archers#Theme_tune, reads: "In 2004 both The Independent [4] and The Today Programme [5] claimed (as April Fool's Day jokes) that Brian Eno had crafted an electronic remix of the theme tune to replace the old theme." -- Artlondon 16:20, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  "BBC Radio 4 (2005): The Today Programme announced ... The Archers had changed their theme tune ..." 

message: I've lived in Canada all my life, and I've never heard of this "jokes must be played before midday" thing.  Maybe the entry itself makes the fool? 142.167.95.179 23:35, 1 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm from Ontario and I've always heard it was only before noon. Perhaps there are differences in other regions? Merc 2k 02:51, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I'm from the UK and I was told as a child that jokes had to be played in the morning - after noon and the fool is on you. Though this doesn't seem to be something widely recognised in the UK these days, if it ever was. User:Green Fairyt c 19:26, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: I've lived in Canada since I was 4 and the before noon rule has been a part of April Fools' for all the time for me, my friends, and family. CoW mAnX (talk) 00:46, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

text:  I'm from the UK, and I've always been told it was supposed to be before noon.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.8.58.255 (talk) 15:27, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text:  Another lifelong Ontarian here. I know about the no-hoaxes-after-noon rule, but it was only a few years ago that I encountered that rule for the first time.--Vonbontee (talk) 04:57, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: It certainly applies in the UK, going back more than 40 years. Thanks, SqueakBox talk 05:04, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Canada only before noon? 

message: "The Great Iceberg" On April 1, 1978 a barge appeared in Sydney Harbor towing a giant iceberg. Sydneysiders were expecting it. Dick Smith, a local adventurer and millionaire businessman, had been loudly promoting his scheme to tow an iceberg from Antarctica for quite some time. Now he had apparently succeeded. He said that he was going to carve the berg into small ice cubes, which he would sell to the public for ten cents each. These well-traveled cubes, fresh from the pure waters of Antarctica, were promised to improve the flavor of any drink they cooled. Slowly the iceberg made its way into the harbor. Local radio stations provided excited blow-by-blow coverage of the scene. Only when the berg was well into the harbor was its secret revealed. It started to rain, and the firefighting foam and shaving cream that the berg was really made of washed away, uncovering the white plastic sheets beneath"
This is taken verbatim from the page at http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/ Pennywisepeter 15:37, 2 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Iceburg 

message: According to The Economist, Finnish people relish in April Fool's frivolities the most.
This should be removed from Trivia, as it is an april fool as well. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Möllikkä (talk • contribs) 05:42, 3 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Economist.com 

message: It has been suggested that this article be merged into April 1. --98E 17:01, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Merge 

message: Hi May I ask advice?  I've just had a book published about April Fool's Day which has oodles of extra info & in particular much the fullest details yet given of the BBC spaghetti hoax & the Guardian's San Serriffe one. (I am the Guardian's Northern editor & the book is The Guardian Book of April Fool's).  I fully understand that Wikipedia isn't in the business of plugging things, but wondered if the book could be a reference or footnote on the grounds that people wanting more info will def find it there. If I could get the whole text put online I would - I appreciate that may also be a problem.  Anyway, thanks in advance & for W generally btw this entry isn't intended to be a plug & i'm v happy if you want to scrub it after giving an answer Martin wainwright 21:20, 18 April 2007 (UTC)
replies: text: If it is a reference book, just put it under further reading. As long as the post is simply the title, author, etc. I see no problem with it. — BQZip01 — talk 06:38, 19 April 2007 (UTC)
thread_title:  Book Details 

message: My gut observation, from childhood experience and subsequent news, is April Fool jokes do not exist in Chinese and other East Asian cultures.  This contributor has personally experienced a harsh rebuke ("out of his mind") by a boy in the same primary school class when the contributor mentioned "April Fool's Day" around the mid to late 1980s.  It must be noted that boy had a very limited exposure to Western culture at the time.  And years later in 2003, the hoax news mentioning Tung Chee-hwa's resignation concerning SARS triggered a panic among a large sector of Hong Kong population, which implied a majority did not treat this as joke.  Are there serious cultural studies done on the popularity of April Fool in East Asian culture?--JNZ (talk) 10:31, 19 January 2008 (UTC)
thread_title: April Fool Practice in East Asian cultures?

message: Isn't this day also known, somewhat more negatively, as Liar's Day? --81.150.229.68 (talk) 16:31, 25 March 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: April’s fool day is known as Liar’s day in Ireland and the Isle of Man.  During the Second World War, 1939-45 it was known as Hitler’s day in Northern Ireland but not in the South or on the Isle of Man, for some reason.   See - http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Liar_27s_20Day  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.150.251.249 (talk) 00:00, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Alternate name 

message: The article states that "French and Dutch references from 1508 and 1539 respectively describe April Fools' Day jokes and the custom of making them on the first of April." What were these references? No citation is provided.--Alexboese (talk) 05:28, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  16th Century French and Dutch References 

message: "Online Retailer ThinkGeek usually replace their main page with a page containing "Featured Items" that are a joke. The page looks, feels and functions just like their real one, however the items featured are hoax and do not exist. Such items have included "Inhalable Caffeine Sticks", an 8-bit tie, and an alarm clock which wirelessly connects to your PC to log into your internet banking, and send funds to a charity. Adding any of these items to your shopping cart takes you to a page stating that the item is a hoax."
Isn't the 8-bit tie real?59.154.17.6 (talk) 05:38, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah, the 8 bit tie is real. I'll remove that from the article and replace it with one of their current additions. --clpo13(talk) 08:55, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  8-bit tie 

message: What about history and etymology about April Mop? Azmi1995 07:58, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  History 

message: I'd like to suggest to those reverting joke edits to use the  template for first offences, and then , ,  as normal for repeat offences. Let's not be too harsh on our regular contributors, who are just trying to lighten things up, by labelling them as "vandals". (EhJJ)TALK 16:30, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: If not because they deserve it, then simply because it is easier to just wait it out than fight a battle over what will be over at the end of the day. Sam Barsoom 17:08, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Assuming Good Faith and Civility on April Fools Day 

message: Dont argue with me, its gawk not gowk since i talk the old scotch language and know it is wrong 85.211.71.231 (talk) 17:27, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Fixed gawk 

message: This is obviously subject to vandalism, and has already been attacked several times, on this particular day...  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.249.134.214 (talk) 17:57, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Strike that, I have had a sudden change of heart. Revert it tomorrow as has been previously suggested ;) 24.249.134.214 (talk) 17:59, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: This page was semi-protected for the first few hours of the day and there was only a little vandalism and many good contributions. Sure, we could let all the vandalism pile up, but what about the numerous people who want to read this article today? I've submitted a request for semi-protection to be reinstated. We'll be able to update the page with news and general improvements, but it will be safe from the anon-IP style vandalism. (EhJJ)TALK 18:06, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: My request for semi-protection was declined  and given Wikipedia's WP:AGF policy (which I fully support), it does make sense. If the vandalism gets unmanageable, anyone is free to submit the request again. Until then, I suppose we'll just deal with reverting blatant vandalism as it occurs and then mop up the rest tomorrow. (EhJJ)TALK 18:59, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: It was bordering on unmanageable for a little bit, but things seem to have calmed down a bit. --clpo13(talk) 20:11, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Ugh, this page needs locked 

message: After all this talk about fooling the gullible, I just noticed that the word "gullible" isn't in the wiktionary. SkyDot (talk) 18:08, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
replies: text: Wierd...it isn't. I just checked... — BQZip01 — talk 20:42, 1 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Missing Definition 

message: There appears to be some material in this vein on the discussion page - someone want to make a start at it? Where did the day first start? Where has it been most popular? Is it culturally specific or cross-cultural? Natebailey (talk) 00:59, 5 April 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  This page needs a background/history section 

message: Though it may no longer be reference-able, the April Fool's jokes from Blizzard were aboslutely priceless, like the Tauren "marine" and the new Bard class (complete with a fake screenshot that included the Guitar Hero interface).
Considering they fooled a significant portion of the ten million subscriber player base, I'd say that makes them notable.  ;) --199.79.10.117 (talk) 16:40, 16 October 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  World of Warcraft 

message: This section is in need of some TLC. I saw that the 2006 list had been put up for Afd (See Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/April Fools Day 2006), and on investigation, the list of April 1 links in this article is not as clear as it would seem. Namely:
* April 1, 1999, redirects to April 1999. One single real event listed for April 1
* April 1, 2000 a short year page only listing hoaxes.
* April 1, 2001 ???
* April 1, 2002 a longer year page only listing hoaxes.
* April 1, 2003, redirected to April 2003. Events listed for April 1 are a mix of actual news and hoaxes
* April 1, 2004, redirected to April 2004#April 1, 2004, only actual news are listed with a mention that it was April Fools day. 2004 hoaxes are currently hidden in a previous version
* April 1, 2005 a year page with actual news and hoaxes
* April 1, 2006, redirects to April Fools Day 2006, (you have to look at April 2006 for actual events)
* April 1, 2007, redirects to April Fools Day 2007, which is actually a shorter list of hoaxes than 2006
* April 1, 2008, redirects to April Fools Day 2008 is massive, and actually spawned a child article even.
So I would suggest a wider discussion is in order. Ideas? MickMacNee (talk) 02:01, 24 December 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Lists of April Fool hoaxes 

message: This page needs the Goldeneye 007 for N64 prank.  It is referenced on the Goldeneye article.  The requirements to get that particular cheat was absolutely impossible. --97.101.222.18 (talk) 04:16, 5 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Goldeneye 007 

message: These have been remnoved from the article because they are unreferenced and references are required to meet FAC. RJFJR (talk) 17:49, 10 January 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Unreferenced pranks 

message: I heard there was going to be a computer virus that will screw up computers worldwide on april fools.I dont think its true. 173.35.179.194 (talk) 20:19, 31 March 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: It is true, see Conficker. —Vanderdecken∴ ∫ξφ 09:23, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeah... Not buying it. It's april fools and OH LOOK! Nothing happened. --86.87.28.191 (talk) 23:39, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Another April Fools Joke? 

message: Any particular reason, or is some admin being a dick?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 141.109.109.8 (talk) 12:45, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: For obvious reasons, this page will be vandalised a lot today, so it has been semiprotected. Queenie  16:25, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
replies: text: Is vandalism of the April Fools Day article on April Fools Day so bad?  Tempshill (talk) 18:54, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Blocked? 

message: It is listed in the opening paragraph that there is some sort of tradition in Australia about jokes only lasting until midday. Not that April Fools' Day is really ever taken advantage of here in Australia, but I have never heard anything of this so called tradition here, and have certainly never heard of it put into practice ever by anyone. It is true that the jokes last all day here and I have never heard of someone being called an 'April Fool' for practicing a joke after midday. Seems to be sort of a lost or misguided tradition to me; there is no etiquette for April Fools' Day in Australia any more. Escapomobil (talk) 13:00, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Query 

message: ...is doing April fools stuff too, including saying that chuck norris is the head of homeland security.--Ryudo (talk) 17:17, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Live.com 

message: Is it really necessary to mention them twice? The second mention in the Television section doesn't seem to add anything. Please ignore if this has been discussed and i missed it  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.89.94.202 (talk) 19:40, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Spaghetti Trees Double Mention 

message: It seems to me that the Youtube prank of 2009, which uses the terms 'new/old layout' as part of the joke, is a mocking reference to the new facebook layout - original research though this may be, I wonder if this can be substantiated and mentioned...
::86.168.125.124 (talk) 21:57, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Youtube 2009 (upside down prank) 

message: On April Fools' this year me, amongst others got a message from one "Barack Obama" requesting we accept his proposal to add him as our cousin in the family tree section.
Just wondering did anybody else get this and is it worth noting?
Cheers 82.4.66.153 (talk) 18:28, 3 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Facebook 

message: ... the term referred to someone still adhering to the Julian Calendar, which it replaced.[2] In many pre-Christian cultures May Day (May 1) was celebrated as the first day of summer, and signalled the start of the spring planting season. An April Fool was someone who did this prematurely.
Um, that's backwards, right?  Someone still adhering to the Julian Calendar would celebrate May Day later, much as they celebrate Christmas in January in modern times. 72.75.93.12 (talk) 08:47, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Julian Calendar 

message: 1. Edit the page so that the beginning of each part makes perfect sense but then digresses into hilarity. 
2. Put up fake banners requiring that you do the impossible (e.g. "Take a breath of that nice ocean air...But don't breathe!!!")
3. Delete the page!!!  —Preceding unsigned comment added by Maxaxle (talk • contribs) 01:40, 15 May 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Possible April Fool's Day pranks 

message: Hello there. I am wondering, maybe we can squeeze in the fact that the Apple I personal computer launched on the date of April 1st, 1976. :)
-user:97.103.58.2 00:59, 2 April 2009 
:Is it true? 71.178.143.66 (talk) 03:00, 24 November 2009 (UTC)
thread_title:  Apple launch date 

message: Has this been confirmed as an April Fool?  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.178.99.24 (talk) 21:56, 31 March 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  2010 Olympic Tower 

message: Do exist: the hand the drinker has to use to see the image. Jackiespeel (talk) 18:22, 29 March 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Left handed mugs 

message: I thought it has something to do with the switch from one form of calandar to the next. Julian to Gregorian.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by GwaiiEagle (talk • contribs) 23:58, 31 March 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: The Gregorian calendar was created in 1582 and there are several references to April Fools Day that predate this. There are various stories to the effect that somebody or other celebrated New Year's Day on April 1 and that other people who celebrated on January 1 made fun of them. In the Middle Ages, New Year Day's was March 25. So if a town celebrated for a week, April 1 would be the final day of celebration. That's the strongest New Year's/April 1 connection I could find. If someone celebrated on March 25 using the Julian Calendar, that would be April 4 on the Gregorian calendar, which still wouldn't explain April 1. Kauffner (talk) 03:46, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Calandars 

message: Please remove the blogspot links at the bottom of external links. Thanks.
Testpath (talk) 03:51, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: You can do that? 71.178.117.104 (talk) 02:38, 12 July 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Kill spammers 

message: Should add "2010: How the Twapler Works" to howstuffworks entry on website section.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.174.183.123 (talk) 04:52, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  New How Stuff Works Entry 

message: On April 1, 2010, President Barack Obama fell to his death when he accidentally triggered the Air Force One's secret trap door. 
This was in the "true stories" section of the April 1st article.  I think something like that is a little irresponsible.  And yeah, maybe only a little bit funny.  But someone with the authority should fix it.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 155.91.28.231 (talk) 15:23, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Umm ... fact 

message: Article considered for deletion. Wow. You guys act like changing an article's contents changes reality itself.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.112.186.47 (talk) 19:27, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: Yeh it's all our fault. Encyclopaedias are known for humour and we just can't accept that. G.R. Allison (talk) 21:38, 1 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Wikipedia, take a joke for once 

message: The origin of April fool's day is probably rooted in the festive period immediately before and after the ancient spring holiday. As has already been noted the Christian calendar initially started the year on March 25th, the approximate date for winter's end and spring's start. As some have argued, April 1st might have been chosen as the date marking the end of the first week of the new year starting on March 25th. Another, related possibility is the relation with the Iranian Sizdeh bedar holiday (). In Iran and the countries surrounding it New Year is still celebrated officially on March 21st (). The first 13 days of the new year, starting on March 21st, are official holidays. The 13th day is celebrated by Sizdeh bedar, which can be translated as "getting rid of the 13th", but also "going out on the 13th". This traditional and pre-Islamic and pre-Christian holiday is celebrated by families leaving their houses for the whole day and going to parks and gardens for a whole day picnic. The date corresponds to April 1st or 2nd, depending on the year. The roots of this holiday are clearly pagan and were probably a celebration of the renewal of the nature and the end of dark cold winter. The traditional holiday is light hearted and focused on having fun and exchanging jokes, which may explain the link with April fool's jokes. Also, families release the gold fishes they have been keeping since Nowrooz, on March 21st, back into streams. This may be an explanation for the French name of April fool's day, Poisson d'Avril, or April's fish.
bahman (talk) 08:00, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
replies: text: I should note that the article already mentions that April Fool's Day is exactly one week after Medieval New Year's Day, even though I suspect this is just coincidence. March 25 was the equinox on the old Roman calendar, which is why Christians used it as the first day of the year. Kauffner (talk) 13:42, 2 April 2010 (UTC)
thread_title:  Edit request from Bahman, 2 April 2010