Jody Victor : Are you ready for April Fool's Day? Got your prank planned for a certain someone? April Fool's has been around for a long time. There have even been pranks pulled by countries, radio and television stations. Here are a few from the annals of time. Enjoy!
* Left Handed Whoppers - In 1998, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today, saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out of the right side. Not only did customers order the new burgers, but some specifically requested the "old," right-handed burger.
* Taco Liberty Bell - In 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell to "reduce the country's debt" and renamed it the "Taco Liberty Bell." When asked about the sale, White House press secretary Mike McCurry replied tongue-in-cheek that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold and would henceforth be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
* Shuttle Landing - In 1993, a San Diego radio station fooled many listeners into believing that the space shuttle had been diverted from Edwards Air Force Base and was about to make an emergency landing at a small loval airport.
* Theft of a Locomotive - In 2006, a Cheyenne radio station reported to listeners that during the previous night, a Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 "Big Boy" steam locomotive was stolen from Holliday Park. Although the locomotive weighed more than 550 tons and had no tracks connecting it to any nearby railroad, this making its theft near-impossible, several listeners fell for the joke and went to investigate. The road that overlooks the park was jammed for hours as people realized that it was a hoax, and the locomotive was still on display in the park.
* In 2005, TV 3 Estonia broadcasted a news story, where the station claimed that thanks to a new technology, they knew exactly how much they are being viewed at the moment. They also asked viewers to put a coin against their TV screens if they liked the running broadcast.
* On April Fool's Day, 1997, Cartoon Network ran the 1944 Srewy Squirrel cartoon Happy-Go-Nutty repeatedly from 6 am to 6 pm, suggesting that the cartoon character had taken over the network.
* The night-time channel Adult Swim has had several pranks over the years. In 2004, mustaches were drawn on characters during shows.
Happy April Fool's!