You’ve got to be joking: Brands and government agencies take on April Fool’s Day

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on the government, car manufacturers, and others.

Twitter users woke up on Friday to a slew of outlandish announcements from government and business accounts, prompting people to attempt to sort fact from fiction on platforms already overrun by disinformation. Several notable accounts came out swinging on April Fool’s Day, leaving hundreds of users scratching their heads before conceding, “You got me!”

NORTHAM PRANKS YOUNGKIN WITH LIFE-SIZE TRUMP CUTOUT AND ITEMS FROM HIS PAST

Here’s a roundup of some of the best April Fool’s pranks so far:

Honest Abe gets a facelift

The Lincoln Memorial could be rotated nine score degrees if one National Park Services announcement were to be believed.

Under the proposal, the president would have his back facing tourists as a preservation effort after years in the sunlight caused the marble to fade. The agency even hinted at what many curious onlookers may have been wondering for years: What does the back of Abraham Lincoln’s head look like?

But for those who do their homework and read press releases to the end, it became clear the suggestion was, in fact, a joke.

“Lincoln, in addition to being president during the Civil War, was well-known for his folksy sayings, one of which, according to legend, was ‘You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time,’” it stated.

Local cuisine meets La Croix 

La Croix is known for its experimental flavors significant to cultural references, such as the cherry blossom flavor introduced in March for the Washington-based festival. The City Council played on this joke, introducing a hyper-local flavor that only a true Washingtonian could enjoy: mumbo sauce.

The sauce, a local signature condiment, is popular throughout the district and gives a sweet-yet-sour option for dipping side dishes.

“Though we love cherry blossoms, they were a gift from Japan to Washington as a federal capital. We at LaCroix felt strongly that our new flavor had to reflect actual hometown DC,” the faux press release quoted La Croix CEO Walter Cruz as saying.

Virginia annexes Kentucky

Neighboring Virginia also got in on the fun, with the attorney general hinting that he was going to make U.S. geography classes a tad more complicated.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares introduced new, albeit fake, legislation on Twitter, proposing the state would annex Kentucky because its statehood is illegitimate.

“Recently discovered archives show that the vote to create the Commonwealth of Kentucky was illegitimate,” Miyares said. “The Commonwealths are once again united — welcome home.”

The future of electric vehicles

Volkswagen has been in on the joke for days, beginning its prank on customers earlier this week. The company “accidentally” published a press release, which is now unpublished, that it would be renaming its company Voltswagen to show its emphasis on transitioning to electric vehicles.

The company came clean on Thursday, noting the name change was a joke.

“What began as an April Fool’s effort got the whole world buzzing,” it said in a tweet. “Turns out people are as passionate about our heritage as they are about our electric future.”

Pizza and beer… together

Bud Light also made an early April Fool’s joke, hinting customers would no longer need to choose between taking bites of their dinner and washing them down with seltzer.

“Finally, you don’t have to choose pizza OR seltzer,” the company said in a tweet.

The company revealed its mischief on Friday, with a hint of judgment for those gullible enough to believe it.

“Scary how many of you actually wanted to try these yesterday #AprilFools,” the account wrote.

Foot-friendly Legos

Lego introduced a new feature to the popular building blocks that would make it impossible to ever step on a stray piece again.

The company posted a video to showcase how its new “SmartBricks” work, with the Lego pieces flying out of the foot’s path to avoid injuries.

Well, that’s cheesy

Relaxation has taken on a whole new meaning as Velveeta attempted to bridge the gap between comfort food and self-care.

The food company released a video promoting a cheese-scented body lotion and other products.

“Is this for real??” one user asked.

“ITS REAL AND ITS FANTASTIC,” the company replied.

Cracking jokes and smashing stereotypes

Other companies used the holiday as an opportunity to poke fun at stereotypes associated with their brands. U by Kotex, a women’s hygiene company, blasted “one of the many ridiculous period stigmas like ‘women eating chocolate 24/7 when they are on their period.’”

Its solution? A chocolate-flavored female hygienic product with raspberry filling, with the box specifically noting it’s “not for menstrual use.”

“This product is obviously a joke but period stigma isn’t! Periods are completely natural and they don’t make women crazy, less capable, or overly emotional,” the company said.

Duolingo’s revamped outreach methods

The language-learning website Duolingo also poked fun at its customer outreach, posting a video on April Fool’s that claims the company is facing legal battles for users being “extorted” by the app’s mascot.

The joke pokes fun at widespread internet memes about the app’s persistent notification system that reminds users to complete daily lessons. If you forget or lose your streak, the site concedes defeat by noting, “These notifications don’t seem to be working.”

The joke we wish was real

Twitter tried to get in on the fun, teasing users with a much-requested function: an edit button.

“We are working on an edit button,” the company posted.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Although April Fool’s has been celebrated for centuries, the holiday’s origins are not entirely clear. Historians have linked the prank-filled day to the ancient Roman festival of Hilaria, when people would gather in disguises and mimic one another in a celebration honoring the god Attis.

Others believe it may have started in the 16th century when France adopted the Gregorian calendar, leaving the Julian calendar behind. However, news of the change spread slowly, causing confusion of when holidays were being celebrated, rendering those still accustomed to the old calendar the butts of jokes.