Lafayette Journal & CourierThe joke's on youLocal pranksters -- and their victims -- share their favorite April Fools’ Day memories By DOROTHY SCHNEIDER April 1, 2007 The 22-year-old Purdue University student has never forgotten the time his parents tricked him into getting up an hour early for school on April Fools' Day when he was in the eighth grade. When his mother woke him up that morning, Broach was confused because his watch said it was only 5:30 a.m. But his mother pointed to the clock in his room, and other clocks around the house, which all said it was 6:30 a.m. So Broach said he got ready, ate breakfast and went to catch his bus. "I stood there looking at my watch for 20 minutes wondering why the bus was running so late," he recalled. "Then my mom drives down the driveway honking her horn and holding some sign that I couldn't read until she got about 50 feet from me. It said 'April Fools.' It really was 5:30 a.m. To this day my mom calls every April 1 at 5:30 a.m. to tell me to get up and go to school." April Fools' Day gives pranksters like Broach's parents a chance to try and "get" a friend or family member. The tradition dates back centuries -- though most who've been the subject of past tricks operate with a healthy amount of skepticism on this day each year. Andrew Buckser, an associate professor of anthropology at Purdue University, said the light-hearted traditions of the holiday are often celebrated in tandem with other celebrations worldwide, such as Halloween and, in some cultures, New Year's. He likes April Fools' Day because it offers a release from the seriousness of every day life. "I don't see as much interest in April Fools' as there used to be. I'm not sure why that is," he said. "Perhaps it's because we don't have as much trust in people (nowadays) so it's not as easy to play a prank on someone. "But 20 years ago I taught in junior high school ... and I dreaded April 1 more than any other day of the year, because they played some really good jokes on me," he added. "So at least I can say, in the junior highs of the world it's still alive and well." Here are some stories local residents shared about their favorite April
Fools' Day experiences: Bishop decided to mess with her son and daughter's favorite lunch: grilled
cheese. She used pound cake slices as the "bread" and used tinted
frosting in the middle to look like cheese. It was an idea she got out
of a magazine. Bishop said she hasn't shied away from April Fools' Day revelry even though her prank didn't go exactly as planned. "My dad is a big jokester, and he tries to pull some stuff on them, too," she said. "We love it. It's a great way to joke around." * Yale knew his friend showered every morning at exactly 6:30 a.m. in the same shower stall. So around 6 a.m., he went to that shower, unscrewed the shower head and filled it with Jolly Ranchers. "When he got in to take his shower, the hot water slowly melted the candy and covered him with a sticky mess," Yale explained. "Needless to say, he was less than chipper for his 8 a.m. class." Since the Jolly Rancher joke was an original idea, Yale said his friend had a tough time figuring out what was going on. He thought there was something wrong with the water, until he switched showers and was able to get clean. Yale said the suite-mate was a good sport. And the prank was especially effective because eight other guys on the floor were in on it. * Beth McKee targeted her father, Gary, for the April 1 jokes each time. When she was 16, Beth confiscated her father's car keys and parked his car sideways in the two bay garage while he was sleeping. "The next morning he went out to the garage and returned to the house shortly after. The look on his face was priceless," Linda said. "It took him at least 15 minutes to maneuver the car back and forth to get it out." The next year Linda and Beth McKee teamed up and encased Gary's car in shrink wrap. They covered every inch of the vehicle with an industrial roll of the stuff, Linda said. "There was no way he was getting in that car without some effort," she added. "We weren't around to see his face, but his bosses have a picture of it, forever recorded for a good laugh." One note of caution, Linda added: Did you know that shrink wrap has some kind of coating on it that is very hard to wash off? * "On April 1, an ornery friend and co-worker brought a big platter with some wonderful-looking chocolate-covered candy into the office. She left it on a table in the hallway so everyone could help themselves. "The people who took them expected to bite into a delicious candy -- instead they had a big surprise. It turned out to be chocolate-covered pearl onions, black olives and cherry tomatoes! "Then when a pizza delivery guy came, he grabbed some to take with him on his way out. I would have loved to have seen the look on his face when he bit into those. That probably stopped him from ever taking anything again. "Needless to say, I don't eat goodies brought in on April 1st!" * "They are always giving us a hard time and kidding us on our cooking. So one night we were having steaks on the grill and baked potatoes, and when the potatoes were done Judi and I used a syringe to put dark green food coloring in the middle. "When they cut into their potatoes, green stuff came flowing out. It totally grossed them out, and they wouldn't eat them, even though we told them it was just food coloring. That is one April Fools they will never forget." * One year Tanner went on the Internet and found pictures of pregnancy ultrasounds. She changed the name and information on the pictures to make them look like her own and then took them into work. "That particular day I worked with not only Randy but also his daughter Tracey," Tanner recalled. "Tracey told me that morning her dad had warned her about me and that I would try to pull something. ... Using that information I pulled her in to help with the prank." Tanner left the pictures in an envelope laying in the office where her boss would see them. After Tracey laid the groundwork, Tanner's boss asked her about them. "I played him like a fiddle," she said. "I told him that I could only work for a few more weeks and would have to quit. I told him that after the baby came that my husband, Jack, wanted me to stay home with baby. So this would be it for my working there." After a time he was convinced, and Tanner didn't tell him the truth until hours later when they were all closing shop for the night. "The look on his face was so funny, and boy did he let us have it," she said. "Needless to say we got him good!" And even more pranks ... Barbara Rice said her favorite April Fools prank happened when she was in college years ago. She wrote: "I lived in an old sorority house, which was a converted President's Residence' ... and although various facilities had been expanded it was still somewhat lacking at peak hours. "On one sleepy morning as those with 8 a.m. (classes) stumbled to the bathrooms, we discovered a long line before us. The stalls were all closed and no one emerged. As the line grew we peered under the doors to make sure all were full -- and saw fuzzy slippers and pajama legs in each. "Some of us scattered in search of other choices, and it was some time before some others realized how very quiet it was and began to investigate. "We learned that during the night several of our sisters had stuffed the pajama legs with paper rolls and stuffed them into fuzzy slippers properly positioned in the stalls. Then they latched the doors and crawled out. No one ever made any public claims to the most subtle joke I ever encountered, but I was later told that one of my best friends was involved, which explains why this turned out to be the most perfect prank ever!" * "I was pregnant at the time and in the process of looking at breast pumps, which my husband knew. "I called him from work and told him that Wal-Mart was having a sale on the breast pump that I wanted, but that that they only had one left and I had to have it. I told him that I called Wal-Mart and had them one for me at the customer service desk and needed him to go pick it up. He did not want to, of course, but I persuaded him by telling him how much money we would save and that I had to have it picked up right away. "He went to Wal-Mart to pick it up, went to the customer service and asked for the breast pump. They of course did not have it and told him. He argued that they should and called me on the cell phone. "I acted upset and told him to put the person on the phone and I would give them a piece of my mind. I then told them it was a joke and to tell my husband 'April Fools.' It was so funny -- had everyone there laughing. I got him good. He was a good sport about it and had to laugh too!" * "Little brothers can be a real pain, mine is no different. But he pulled the best April Fools' joke ever on me. To this day I still give him accolades for his feat. "It was the spring of 1989. ... The phone rang unusually late that evening. The caller trickily identified himself as an officer with the Appleton Police Department. Police! I had only been there four months, and they already had my number. The caller definitely had my attention. "Ma'am we have recovered you stolen car." "Stolen car? What stolen car? Mine is in the driveway." "Are you sure?" "Yes, I'm sure." "Are you positive." "Yes, officer, I'm positive." "Ma'am, we show that your gray Celebrity Station Wagon was stolen and we have it. When would you like to pick it up?" "Officer, my car has not been stolen, it is in the driveway." "Well, could you look to make sure?" OK, now I'm getting a little irritated. ... Now I have to yell at somebody, so I yell at my husband. "DAVE, IS OUR CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY?" "Yes, dear." "ARE YOU SURE?" "Yes dear, I'm sure." "ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE SURE?" "Yes dear, I'm heading out the door to check." Well, my brother couldn't hold his laughter any longer. ... All I could do was hang up, bang my head against the wall and then call him back. Way to go, Marlon, you got me! * "I come from a Southern family. There were three of us kids. We were raised on a farm most of our lives before my father became very ill when I was around 12. We didn't have (many) material things, but we had so much love. "My parents raised us the best they could, and for the most part, it was a very happy home. We learned early on that laughter was usually the best medicine for whatever ailed you. So, as adults, my brothers and I were always doing things just for laughs. "My mother, who did her best to raise us and take care of my dad, had so much patience with our jokes. She would just always say that she would get us back when we were least expecting it. "Three years ago I lost my mother on April Fools' Day. Looking back on it, I realize that if she got to chose, there would have been no other day better than that day. I know she is with the Lord smiling down on us. That is no joke!" *
"Then when he came back to his desk, we started playing 'Welcome to the Jungle.' It was great! * "Write the following on the front of an envelope and place under the windshield wiper of a friend's car: 'Sorry I scratched and dented your car. You should be able to get it fixed for very little.' "Inside place a piece of paper with the words, 'April Fool!' " * "This was years back when all of us kids were still home. There were four kids, and we were responsible to set our alarm clocks to get up for your time in our seven-bedroom house with one very small bathroom. We were on intervals for your time to curl your hair, brush your teeth or what ever needed to be done. "My dad yelled upstairs on that fine early April Fools' Day, that we were late for school and that we better get ready and fast because the bus would be coming soon. He had reset the clocks down stairs in the kitchen and living room to make us believe it. "We were all running around flipping out fighting over the bathroom and whose turn it was to curl their hair and go to the restroom. We thought we forgot to set our alarm clocks (the night before). We were in too big of a frenzy to try to figure it out. "As we set down at the table trying to catch our breath and watch out the window for the bus. My younger sister said, 'Man, it seems a lot darker outside than when we usually watch for the bus.' I too said, 'Yes, it sure does.' I looked at my dad and said, 'Is it going to storm?' "He starting laughing and said, 'No! It's just April Fools' Day, and I got all of you, you have an hour now to get ready for your bus.' "We were laughing so hard, but were in shock. My father is rather
quiet and laid-back, we never dreamed he would do something like that
or be able to pull it off. We laughed about it for years!" "This gag started when I bought a teddy bear for a friend who was expecting. The bear contained a recording of a heartbeat in a womb. I called some friends and family members and played the 'recording,' telling them that I was expecting. I let the cat out the bag a few hours later. * "On April Fools' Day we had noticed a distinct smell in the library. After some investigating we found a very small cardboard box on top of the card catalog. The smell was coming from the box. "As we investigated the box, we found that our graduate students had put collard greens in the box and nuked it in the microwave and placed it in the library for us to find. That was the best April Fools' Day gag I had ever had pulled on me and my co-workers!"
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