The origins of April Fools’ Day are mysterious, and historians haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly how the annual celebration of hoaxes began. But these days, it’s a bona-fide marketing tradition.
With numerous brands getting in on the joke each April 1, the name of the game is to grab consumer attention with weird, funny, and sometimes gross stunts. ADWEEK rounds up this year’s most unusual April Fools’ Day pranks from brands.
Prebiotic soda brand Olipop has partnered with Hidden Valley Ranch for a limited-edition “Ranch Lovers Pack,” including soda flavors like the classic salad dressing and Garlic Ranch. While the products themselves are fake, the two brands sent creators real Olipop cans wrapped in the Hidden Valley Ranch branding to create buzz online.
Touch grass, literally, thanks to Yahoo’s keyboardYahoo
In a world of endless meeting invites, video calls, and “circling back” over email, many people are looking for a way to escape the digital noise. With the Yahoo Agricultural Interface, you can touch grass—literally—without ever logging off. The tech giant’s grassy keyboard really works and is available to purchase on Yahoo’s TikTok shop for a limited time. The stunt reminds those who are chronically online to take a break and ground themselves.
Pet tech company Whisker, maker of the automatic litter box Litter-Robot, is offering a CAT PÙ / NO. 2 candle to anyone who places an order on April 1. While the candle promises a primal, litter box-inspired scent, it actually just smells like roses—a tongue-in-cheek nod to how Litter-Robot eliminates odors.
Dude Wipes and Manscaped promise to take men’s grooming to a “hole” new level (sorry). The two brands released a faux grooming tool, called the Dudeman 2.0, that claims to “revolutionize butt tech” with interchangeable heads for optimal trimming, buffing, and cleansing. The brands are calling it a “hole in one” (again, we can only apologize).
Skincare, but make it dumpling themedMr. T’s Pierogies
For your next self-care night, lather your skin in mashed potato face cream and kick back with a pair of mini pierogi eye patches. Food brand Mr. T’s Pierogies has released a fake pampering kit. Honestly, though? Pierogi skin cream sounds kind of soothing.
Hands up if you’ve ever struggled to clean your glasses and resorted to the corner of a T-shirt, which is exactly what you’re not supposed to do. But what if your whole outfit doubled as a cleaning cloth—and was fashionable, too? Enter the Microfiber Collection from GlassesUSA.com. Is this the next wave of athleisure?
Dunkin’ knows some people have trust issues on April 1Dunkin’
After years of brands playing April Fools’ pranks, Dunkin’ recognizes that consumers may have some trust issues. Though Dunkin’ has gotten in on the joke before, this time around it’s skipping the tricks and offering a real deal. The brand will give away 1 million free hot or iced coffees or cold brews to Dunkin’ Rewards members who enter the code “ThisIsNotAJoke” on the app.
