20+ Classic April Fools Day Pranks and Fails

Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor

Apr 1, 2023 8:00 AM EDT

Let's be honest: April Fools Day is the G-rated version of that movie The Purge.

Now, before we scroll through the following classic pranks to reign in this sacred holiday, I'd like to first announce that I do not necessarily condone whatever prank you have in mind for your significant other, parents, bosses, or coworkers. The key word there is "necessarily." If a prank is brilliant and relatively harmless, you should be forgiven by the person you are pranking. That being said, the one time I tried to prank someone for April Fools Day was when my sister and my 12-year-old self thought it would be a good idea to put plastic wrap under our parents' toilet seat. We are fully grown adults now and we still haven't been forgiven for this. So like I said, I do not necessarily condone April Fools Day behavior, though as an objective viewer, these pranks are always fun to watch.