April Fools’ Day might have less of an impact these days, since every text message feels like a scam; magazine editors are being added to government war-plans chats; and even our DNA is at risk. Is there anything left to joke about when real life already feels like fiction?
According to corporate America, the answer is: Yes, definitely. This year’s list of weirdness includes at cat poo scented candles, a Gen Z slang translator, wearable mattresses, sports drink flavored shampoo, Flat Earth travel insurance and the practice of “egging” houses with chocolate eggs. There’s surely more to come. April Fool’s Day is Tuesday.
Last year’s April Fools’ Day pranks from companies included:
- Duolingo on Ice
- Scotch whisky from the makers of Scotch tape
- Hot-sauce flavored Tic Tacs
- Flying J truck stop–scented cologne
- Sour cream and onion Olipop soda
- A “Rainforest Cafe” atop the Empire State Building, and perhaps the funniest (and grossest):
- 7-Eleven’s hot dog water–flavored sparkling water (they really made some cans of it, too)
Don’t be an April Fool
Check URLs
You’re probably always carrying a little healthy skepticism these days, but turn up the disbelief until April 1 has passed. There’s a famous journalism cliche: If your mother says she loves you, check it out. If you see a news report that looks… well, weirder than usual, verify that it’s from a legit site. Check the URL. The New York Times doesn’t misspell its own name in its URL, but joke sites may pick a very similarly named web address to try to trick you.
Consider the calendar
And as for those loopy prank products, be aware that companies sometimes throw a lot of time into their jokes. There may even be videos or order sites that tie in to the gags. If a company picks April Fools’ Day, or the days leading up to it, to release or announce a product that sounds too odd to be true, don’t be quick to believe in the offering.
Do some searching
Fact-check anything that looks suspicious — especially before spending any money. Make sure you’re on the company’s own site, for one thing. Google the name of the product, or information about the item, to see if anyone has called out the product as a prank. Usually, fake products will offer a page to click to, and that page may simply say APRIL FOOL.
Don’t believe Facebook friends, either
Don’t fall for an April Fools’ prank from a random trickster, even if your Facebook friend Lisa swears it’s true. It’s easy to spread falsehoods and misinformation on Reddit, Facebook, X, TikTok or Instagram, where everyone is a publisher and not everyone can be trusted.
Flat Earth Travel Insurance
“This sign is flat — the Earth is not!” said one sign during the Silicon Valley March for Science in 2017.
Insurance comparison service Insuranceopedia unveiled Flat Earth Travel Insurance, describing it as a “policy created exclusively for travelers who believe the Earth is flat — and who plan to explore every glorious, uncurved inch of it.” The joke coverage addresses potential travel issues like falling off the edge of the Earth, loss of gravity, UFO detainment and rescue from the rogue sea turtles supporting the Earth’s underside. Better safe than sorry.
7-Eleven mystery doughnut
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What flavor is 7-Eleven’s 2025 mystery doughnut? No one is sure.
For 7-Eleven, the whole month is worthy of a sweet April Fool’s celebration. The convenience store chain unveiled its 2025 mystery doughnut, a Bismark-style confection. But 7-Eleven won’t tell you what flavor it is. Good luck figuring it out. Some doughnut fans on social media have already taken a bite and the best they can come up with is that it’s vaguely lemony.
Cat poo scented candle
The candle is real, but it only pretends to smell like cat poo, and instead smells of roses.
Cat owners love their feline friends, but not this much. Whisker, the maker of Litter-Robot automatic litter boxes, pretends to be offering a very, uh, special candle with the purchase of one of its boxes. Called Cat Pu/No. 2, it’s described as “a composition of all-natural notes,” with the company saying that “each and every CAT PÙ / NO. 2 is organically cat-crafted in-houses daily (sometimes multiple times a day) in very small batches.” The relevance? Because Litter Robot supposedly keeps your house smelling so good, “this scent may be lost forever.” The funny thing is, it’s kind of real — anyone who buys a Litter-Robot on April 1 will get the candle — but it actually has a rose scent.
Egg someone’s house with… chocolate eggs
Reese’s and Cadbury want to give “egging your house” a whole new meaning.
Maybe you’ve had your house egged in the past and had to deal with the mess of cleaning it up. An April Fools’ prank from candy companies Reese’s and Cadbury is that people should instead start a new tradition by “egging” friends and family with the confectioners’ tasty eggs. Thankfully, you don’t hurl them at your friend’s house, you just give your pal a surprise of candy eggs, and leave a sign or note saying, “You’ve been egged.” This might be the tastiest April Fools’ prank of the year, and anyone who wants to egg my house in this way is more than welcome.
The Odd Company City Napper
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Snooze on the bus with The Odd Company’s City Napper, a comfy April Fools’ joke.
UK mattress and bedding retailer The Odd Company wants you to get cozy on your morning commute with the City Napper. The wearable mattress comes with a wraparound headrest and quilted poncho for crashing out during your next trip on public transit. Actually, it looks really comfortable. Too bad it’s not a real product.
Razer Skibidi headset
When you need to understand a Gen Z video-game player, get the Razer Skibidi headset to translate their slang.
“Skibidi toilet” is one of those bizarre expressions associated with Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and those generations play a lot of video games. So Razer’s April Fool’s Day prank is something called a Razer Skibidi headset, which it calls the world’s first AI-powered “brainrot translator” headset. It translates phrases thrown out by young gamers such as, “What the sigma? We’re getting mobbed,” which means, “Your team needs support.” And it translates, “I think you’re cute” to become “ni hao fine shyt.”
Bodyarmor Sports Performance Shampoo
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Give your hockey hair a wash with Bodyarmor Sports Performance Shampoo.
Sports drink company Bodyarmor decided to get into the hair business with a Sports Performance Shampoo packed with electrolytes and vitamins.
The shampoo is a tie-in with the NHL and the legendary locks (often mullets) sported by hockey players. It’s not all a joke. The prank leads to a real sweepstakes where a fan can win tickets to the Stanley Cup finals. Just don’t drink the faux shampoo.
