The Answer to ALL of Life’s Questions: The April Fool’s Day Booklet of Etiquette & Ideas

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I realize this is a stretch to think I could come up with the answers to all of life’s questions.  However, after sixteen years of immense and comprehensive research, here it is...

Wait for it….

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Did it happen yet?

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If it didn’t happen yet, click here.

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If the “click here” didn’t work, try this…

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What? THAT didn’t work either?  Let me consult my Tech Guru….

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He can’t figure it out either.  Hold on a second….

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What day is today?

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Wait a minute…it’s APRIL FOOLS DAY!!!

Heh, heh!  Did I getcha? April Fool’s Day is one of my favorite holidays of the year.  Yeah, it could be because I have a sick sense of humor.  But I’m blaming this one on my Dad—the one who, at 95 years old, was still pulling my leg days before he passed away.

Within those sixteen years of immense research (working with youth will do it) I realized there were some good and bad methods-to-the-madness for April Fool’s Day pranks, or even just your daily run-of-the-mill tomfoolery.  I realized we all need a Book of Etiquette, as we go about our shenanigans!

So, I present to you The April Fool’s Day Booklet of Etiquette & Ideas: 

NOTE:  Due to the Coronavirus and our social-distancing, some tips—but not all—won’t apply.  Save them up for next year’s April Fools!

·       Only pull pranks on people you like, otherwise it goes from mischievous to malicious.

·       Unless you want to become the next star of Ring Doorbell fame, check first for video cameras.

·       Not pointing any fingers (Amanda), but don’t break into someone’s house to perform your joke. J

·       If your prank requires material (like lipstick for writing on the mirror) use your own—not theirs.

·       Do not destroy their property.  Example: writing on walls, shaving cream on cars, walking through shrubs, etc.

·       Pulling a too-good-to-be-true prank isn’t the best kind of prank, because you are the only one enjoying the outcome.  If you must do a too-good-to-be-true joke, the time that goes between proclaiming “April Fool’s!” is directly related to how disappointed they’ll be.  In other words, if it’s a biggie, like You Just Won a Trip to Jamaica, don’t let too much time pass before the truth.  Otherwise, their mind will have time to wander down Jamaican sun-drenched paths, the breeze softly blowing their hair, while they wear their new fat-reducing swimsuit.  Yes, indeed, our minds can dream big…fast.  We need to nip the prank in the bud before their brain wanders too much!

·       The funniest kind of shenanigans are the harmless ones:

Put bubble wrap under a rug, in a well-traveled area.  Video tape the victim’s new dance moves!

Add Shrek photos in frames, covering the family photos.  See how long it takes before they notice.

Bring a donut box to the office but fill it with spinach and kale. Add sprinkles for extra points.

Or, bring a perfectly normal box of donuts to the office, with a note that says “April Fool’s Day,” then watch everyone try to figure out what you did to it.

Wrap the victim’s entire room with aluminum foil.  Get creative!  Ordinary shoes become Aladdin curled-toe slippers, hats become crowns, toilets become…well, you get the picture.

Put a fake bug in their coffee or behind a lamp shade.

Add to the victim’s car’s bumper:  “April’s Fool’s Day! Please honk, smile and wave.  Driver doesn’t know.” He’ll be wondering why his town has suddenly become friendly overnight!

Wait until your victim is watching TV. Sneak outside with your universal remote, peering through a window.  Wait until an especially tense part of the show and switch to HSN.  Wait 30 seconds and switch back.  Repeat over and over, with less time between switching until you’re switching every 5 seconds.

Bring a toaster and coffeepot into the office and tell everyone its voice activated.

Fill a mayo jar with vanilla pudding or yogurt and in front of people, eat it for lunch.

Switch the contents around in your beloved’s drawers (not the underwear kind of drawers…although that would be funny, too.)

Start an April Fool’s tradition by repeating the same one every year.  At 5 year’s old, I told my dad our car was stolen.  Obviously this was before I realized that is NOT funny! But every year for decades, Dad took it in stride, played along and acted surprised. J

Place googly eyes on everything, but act like you don’t know what they are talking about when asked if you know anything about it. 

Most of all, have fun with your victim, and make some great memories! 

What is one of your favorite April Fool’s Day jokes—either you pulled on someone else, or they did to you?