Ranking my favorite april fool’s brand pranks
April Fool’s Day has always been the absolute worst. What used to be the day it was wise to beware of glitter bombs and whoopee cushions are now prime real estate for viral attention. Brands have taken over, and on April Fool’s Day, product development meets performance art, and marketing teams get to test the limits of absurdity all in the name of social engagement. When executed well, a prank can reinforce a brand’s personality, generate buzz, and win over the internet. But when it misses? It’s either forgotten in 5 minutes or worse, remembered for all the wrong reasons.
This year I’m bringing my rundown of April Fool’s Day jokes to the blog and sharing the good, the gimmicky, and the ‘wait, what’ announcements and posts that got me talking this April Fool’s Day.
Welch’s $19 Fruit Snack
Best Part: I love a good dunk on extremely online content - like the $19 Erewhon strawberry. Admit it, you’d love one too. Welch’s leaned into the premium absurdity with a deadpan delivery of their $19 fruit snack. Yes, snack - as in just one. Welch’s promises it’s their most ‘luxurious’ and ‘bursting with decadent strawberry flavor.’ Ultimately, it all boils down to people will buy…anything.
Worst Part: It’s Welch’s. They aren’t necessarily known for their fruit snacks - at least in my house. There was no limited drop or fully built-out campaign. If you’ll spoof luxury, why not go whole Supreme collab and drop an actual $19 fruit snack tie-in?
Verdict: Deliciously clever
Grillo’s Pickles x Furby
Best Part: A chaos collab from the most unhinged corners of the internet. This one plays into millennial nostalgia and whatever the hell is happening with the pickle trend. Of course, this was one of the most obvious of April Fool’s jokes, but still, a pickled Furby is pretty funny.
Worst Part: Obviously Furby.
Verdict: While creative and completely unexpected, I will admit the idea of pickling a Furby when it talks in the middle of the night startling me awake is very tempting.
Awe Inspired x Wisp: The Plan B Protection Locket
Best Part: The collab that hit a cultural nerve. This one paired Awe Inspired’s feminine empowerment aesthetic with Wisp’s unapologetic approach to sexual wellness. A locket for Plan B? It’s bold, cheeky, on brand, and definitely speaks to this moment in time.
Worst Part: Simply the fact it isn’t real. With the climate being the way it is, sometimes you just got to have your own back by whatever means necessary.
Verdict: Surprising and worth every social mention.
Pringles x Auntie Anne’s Butter & Salt
Best Part: A match made in mall food court heaven. It’s what Lizzie McGuire sang about with What Dreams Are Made Of. Visually eye-catching. Flavor-wise, intriguing. And honestly feels like something that should already exist.
Worst Part: It sounds so legit that people, including myself, were actually disappointed it wasn’t real. When your audience is asking, “Wait, why not make this” you may have just turned your April Fool’s Joke into your next flavor launch.
Verdict: Sounds like the next time we see Julius Pringles, he’s gonna be finally revealing Auntie Anne’s secret ingredient. (Still not revealed to this day).
Royal Albert Hall x Nokia
Best Part: A masterclass in unexpected brand crossover, the immersive experience promises performances of classic ringtones and alarms played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. And yes, the 3310 classics ‘Groovy Blue’, ‘Mozart 40’, ‘Mosquito’ and ‘Hurdy-Gurdy’ were all mentioned. If that wasn’t a selling point, the announcement also went on to mention prominent gamers taking turns playing Snake II on a classic Nokia handset with graphics projected onto giant HD screens. Lastly, the offering of personalized and interchangeable 3310 phone cases in a market square sale situation, is chef’s kiss.
Worst Part: That my foray into having a personal cell phone is now a cultural relic old enough to be a performance and/or joke.
Verdict: This one was actually pretty funny.
The Duolingo Cruise
Best Part: Duolingo’s chaotic owl has been having a year. After being killed by a Cybertruck and pestering us daily about our lessons, he’s now offering the opportunity to learn 13 languages over 5 years on a ship you can’t leave. Talk about perfectly dystopian and perfectly on brand. The visuals are equal parts luxury and cult-adjacent.
Worst Part: For a brand known for going viral, this one didn’t quite hit the waves the way their TikToks usually do.
Verdict: Mildly hilarious because if a cruise didn’t already sound terrible, add in a giant green owl and never being allowed to leave and you have a match made in heaven.
Olipop x Hidden Valley Ranch
Best Part: Is there actually a best part? Creativity I suppose. Olipop leaned into their reputation for eccentric flavors, and Hidden Valley is always game to take on something wild. The concept of ranch probiotic soda? Hilariously cursed.
Worst Part: The mockup looks too real and even came with tasing notes like ‘creamy umami.’ People gagged. Literally.
Verdict: Honestly bold, but bizarre, and very likely to be burned into tastebuds and memories for a very long time.
KFC x Hissmile
Best Part: Honestly the most American thing I’ve ever seen. The packaging is well done, and KFC modern brand voice is none for its campiness. This kept the tone just right - crispy and not greasy.
Worst Part: I mean it’s fried chicken toothpaste, and it was literally for sale.
Verdict: More power to you!
Final Thoughts: Playful or Painful?
In a time when attention is digital currency, April Fool’s is a chance for brands to loosen their tie, show their weird side, and connect emotionally through humor. But the best pranks don’t just joke, they reveal…a lot. They expose what we crave, what we find absurd, and what we wish we could actually put into our carts. The takeaway? When absurdity meets strategy, even a fake product can make you want something you never knew you wanted.
