Every year, brands prank the public with gags and other jokes – from products to announcements of special projects. Here is a roundup of some of 2019’s April Fools’ Day pranks:
T-Mobile
The phone booth makes a comeback in the form of the T-Mobile Phone BoothE. Referred to as "vertical rectangular cubes ... packed with advanced communication technology," on the T-Mobile website, the retro joke product is for people who want to keep phone calls private from eavesdroppers.
Credit: T-Mobile
Credit: T-Mobile
"It's 2019 and people are walking around with a finger in their ear, trying to have a conversation! The T-Mobile Phone BoothE solves this problem," John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile, said in a statement in the prank announcement. "The whole point of having a mobile phone is so you can converse on the go, but there are certain conversations that call for privacy. This is a major evolution in how we think about mobility – now the busiest street corner can be your cellular sanctuary."
The gag phone booth also boasts universal charging, soundproof walls, a Magenta Pages phone book, mood lighting and video chat.
Liberty Games
U.K.-based games room company Liberty Games has at least three prank games being touted as available on its site.
A Star Trek Tri-Dimensional Pool Table, Office Simulator Deluxe Arcade Machine and Trump v Kim Nuclear Foosball Table are up for sale, each with special features.
The “Star Trek” pool table includes a “low friction polarized plasma atomic cloth” and “photon-honed Gemulon V slate bed.”
Features of the office simulator include special missions like feeding the fish, clearing printer jams and PowerPoint presentations.
The foosball table includes latex masks of President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un and can have pitch mines and a thermonuclear foosball as optional additions.
Litter-Robot
The automatic, self-cleaning litter box company is offering a Cat Sheet that takes advantage of a feline's need to lay where ever you may be working, reading, or doing almost anything else.
"Cat Sheet enhances the natural insulating properties of paper to provide a consistent, on-demand heating source for your cat," according to the product webpage.
Although the Cat Sheet isn't real, Litter-Robot is offering a novelty mouse pad for those who buy a new Litter-Robot 3.
Shutterstock
Stock photography company Shutterstock jokingly announced it would build and open its first brick-and-mortar stock library.
"The library will house over 250 million volumes of imagery, a full floor showcasing over 14 million reels of film, and a listening bay where visitors can enjoy over 20,000 music tracks," the company said in a press release. "All content will include the renowned Shutterstock visual and audio watermarks."
Shutterstock also released a video touting the fake structure. Check it out here.
McAlister’s Deli
Restaurant company McAlister's Deli jokingly announced it will be selling kegs of its popular sweet tea.
“McAlister’s Deli is known for great food, Southern hospitality and their Famous Sweet Tea,” the company said in a news release. “Now, for the first time ever, McAlister’s Deli is super sizing their number one selling menu [item] and offering their Famous Sweet Tea by the keg! Beginning summer 2019, you’ll be able to tap into tea bliss with McAlister’s BIGGEST tea offering yet.”
For its prank, the chain claimed to be selling 5.16-gallon kegs for $34.49 or 15.5-gallon kegs for $99.49.
Credit: McAlister's Deli
Credit: McAlister's Deli
“For some, 32 oz. cups just weren’t enough to quench those cravings, so we maximized the amount offered by more than 60 times for our loyal tea fanatic to fill up on,” the release continued.
The company later admitted: “Please note that while we love our sweet tea and so do our loyal fans, this is actually an April Fools’ Day prank.”
Wayfair
The e-commerce company has jokingly launched a wedding registry for dogs called Groom’d. Pet owners can add dog houses, dog sofas, feeders, place mats and treat jars to the prank registry.
“Knowing how devoted people are to their pets, we saw a tremendous opportunity to introduce an entirely new way for pampered pets to feel just as comfortable at home as their owners,” Wayfair Registry spokeswoman Julie Cassetins said in a news release. “With Groom’d by Wayfair Registry, pups tying the knot can register for furniture, décor and more that they need to create their version of happily ever after.”
The company actually has a wedding registry available for humans tying the knot.
Build-A-Bear
The DIY stuffed toy company gets into the dating app space with Build-A-Bae. The matchmaking dating app uses a "proprietary matchmaking algrrrrithm" to match couples based on what is in a person's profile.
"Our algrrrrithm is extremely complicated and based on science, logic and imagination. If we said it was magic, we wouldn't entirely be lying," the company said. "Think about it this way: It takes six steps to create a furry best friend and it takes a lot more when it comes to love."
But the joke was short lived. A visit to the Build-A-Bae site prompts a big "April Fools" message and a 25 percent off code for furry friends.
Honda
The 2019 Honda Passport comes in a retro 1990s-inspired trim called the Pastport.
"The authentic look of the new Passport on the outside, yet simplified with everything you love about the '90s on the inside," the company said in the April Fool's ad for the vehicle.
The retro interior of the vehicle includes a cassette tape player, a paper map navigation system, air conditioner, digital clock and beeper mount. The only button on the steering wheel is the horn.
Fans of the joke can call the real phone number in the ad below:
Chicago Bears
In celebration of its centennial year, the Chicago Bears announced players jerseys would have three digits in 2019. Each player would have a "1" added to the front of their existing jersey numbers.
"First, I thought the idea was kind of crazy," quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said. "I'm like, 'Why are we all changing our numbers?' But you know what, it's an honor to be part of this historic franchise. We're celebrating our 100th-year anniversary and I think it will be pretty cool to put the '1' in front of every single jersey number."
The NFL team even went so far in its April 1 joke to update the team roster.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s is taking advantage of fans with sweet and savory tastes with Shake Sauce. The milkshake dips come in vanilla, chocolate, Shamrock and strawberry.
The Australian version of the chain is offering a McPickle burger.
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