March 31, 2025 by Olivia Howe (‘26)
As April Fool’s Day is approaching this Tuesday, people around the U.S. are practicing their best jokes, testing out whoopie cushions, and plotting detailed pranks to prepare for one of the most practiced holidays in the nation. However, this year our usual small schemes like these are being upped by something bigger. Yes, be prepared for the possibility of large-scale trickery or the crash of society as we know it.
Our famous social media swindlers have been discussing ways to raise the stakes. This is expected, as experts say that the expanding influence of social media is tied to this rise in April Fool’s Day spirit. Pranks are being caught more and more on media platforms, which lead to prank paraphernalia being sold out by March and videos getting hundreds of thousands of views. Recent prank ideas have increased to conspiracy-level. Rumors have spiraled about an office pranking their entire staff that the building will be hit by a meteor. Imagine the absolute chaos as people fear for their lives and then realize through laughter and a hearty “gotcha!” that they were being played the whole time. As you can see, people aren’t pranking their peers or coworkers anymore, they’re pranking our concepts of reality. How’s that for deception?
Experts also warn of pranks that are getting out of hand. From spray glitter to fake weddings, from life to death, pranks just aren’t as casual as they used to be. Phony moon landings. Bogus lottery wins. We should be wary of losing track of reality, as pranks are rapidly turning into an artform. People need to remember the simplicity of knock-knock jokes or putting plastic wrap on toilets. This is a fun holiday, not one that destroys someone’s concept of real life entirely. Despite what the critics say or the weight of risks, enthusiasm still hypes up Americans everywhere. A global movement is forming out of pulling pranks; it makes people question everything from things in their day to day life to their placement in the universe.
So, what should the restrictions be on April Fool’s Day? The answer is: none. As the countdown to April 1st goes on, we can only wait and see how far people will really go… or will we?