Alexander Lewis 
Apr 01, 2024
No, April Fools' jokes are not just for children. Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of April Fool’s Day. It often feels like a day of half-baked pranks that rarely match the ingenious heights of classics like the BBC’s spaghetti tree hoax from decades ago. Yet, here we are, on the cusp of April 1st, and we all know there’s always that one office prankster ready to seize the day. Let’s call him Tad, shall we? And discuss some harmless April Fools Day pranks.
Who says you have to be at the mercy of Tad’s antics? This year, why not flip the script and out-prank the prankster? I found a few clever ideas online to keep Tad and his quirky fashion sense in check (great to play on siblings too!).
Harmless April Fools Day pranks
Remember, while pranks can be fun, it's important to keep them light-hearted and not cross the line into being mean or disruptive.
1. Chrome extensions
Starting simple, there are Chrome extensions crafted just for April Fools’ Day. They range from subtle annoyances like hiding the cursor to the more obvious, like unexpected John Cena pop-ups. The best part? They’re easy to set up for a bit of harmless fun.
2. Subtle text swaps on MacOS
For MacOS users, playing with text replacement settings can lead to some amusing typos. Imagine replacing "the" with "teh" — it's a small change but can lead to a few double-takes and chuckles. I am not going to say more, be CREATIVE.
3. Application overload for a double-take
Now, here’s a slightly more technical prank. Using AppleScript, you can make a computer open multiple instances of an application like Microsoft Word. It’s a bit more work, but seeing Tad’s reaction when Word opens 20 times would be priceless.
4. Grunt task tomfoolery
If Tad is a developer using Grunt, tweaking his build tasks could be an interesting prank. A word of caution, though — this one’s a bit risky and definitely not recommended for the faint-hearted or those wary of potential job hazards!
In the end, April Fools Day pranks should be about a good laugh and not going overboard. After all, this day comes once a year, and it’s about adding a bit of fun to our routine.
