Jokes on you: 9 April Fools’ Day memes, pranks delivering laughs

A lot of decidedly unfunny things have happened in 2021.

Yet, the internet, in all its at-times-crass, often-irreverent glory, seems to find a way to make light of almost anything. Of course, that’s no different on April Fools’ Day. The annual day devoted to hoaxes and pranks has been unofficially a part of Western culture for centuries.

Some have tied its origin to the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, indicative of nature fooling everyone with its changing, unpredictable weather, according to History.com. Many point to its popularity taking off in the 18th century in Britain when Scottish citizens began “hunting gowk,” which was characterized by sending people on phony errands and playing other types of pranks.

In modern times, television and radio shows have brought the holiday to life by hosting a bevy of prank calls, creating hoaxes and making general fictional claims. With Twitter serving as the barometer of culture, there’s now a place for April Fools’ Day on social media, too. Thousands have shared jokes and memes to evoke a few good laughs in between doomscrolling.

Here’s a curation of some of the funny memes, videos and social posts celebrating April Fools’ Day:

An earthquake Thursday in California had some folks wondering if they fell victim to an April Fools’ joke.