Olivia Flaherty-Lovy, Reporter
@ofl_courant
Not everyone celebrates Christmas. Not everyone celebrates Hanukkah. Not even everyone celebrates their birthday. Every year, though, there is one glorious day that everyone in the world has the authority to celebrate. Why April Fools Day has not been made a national holiday yet remains a mystery to me, but that does not mean it can’t be celebrated like one. Because the biggest April Fools Day pranks can take months to prepare and my family is very last-minute, our trickery is normally confined to 9 o’clock setups the night before. Here are some of our best, easy, under-10-minute April Fools Day gems.
Toothpaste or whipped cream?
This trick is a little mean and a little stupid, I admit that. But if you’re looking for something that takes under 2 minutes to prepare and doesn’t really harm anyone, this could be what you’re looking for to get back at that brother who stole your headphones last week. All you need is a frozen waffle (Eggos are good) and some toothpaste. Blend some toothpaste up until it resembles whipped cream, spread it on a waffle, and simply tell your victim it’s your gesture of appreciation for all they’ve done for you. They’ll normally forgive you within a month.
Phone Shortcuts
Full disclosure- when I did this to my mother’s phone this year, it was not for an April Fools Day trick, but could easily be used as one. When my mom decided that she was a fan of the Patriots last year, I knew I couldn’t let her get away with it, so I made it so that every time she typed the word “Patriot” her phone would automatically change it to the entire Gettysburg address. This prank went on for about a month until she accidentally referenced the Patriots in a huge email chain with a bunch of her co-workers…sorry, Mom.
Reset the clocks
Parents, this is a good one for you. A couple of years ago my parents reset all the clocks in our house so that they were 4 hours early, meaning my sister and I got up and got ready for school at 2 instead of 6. You don’t know what it feels like to have been pranked until you’re waiting for the bus at 2:30 am. Yep.
Newspaper Door
This one admittedly takes a little more planning, but working together, the crime can be completed in less than 15 minutes. All you need is a bunch of newspaper and some duct tape, as shown below. Create a giant spread of newspaper by taping multiple papers together and tape it to the outside of a bedroom door, so that when the person on the inside opens their door in the morning they are blocked in by a giant sheet of newspaper. If you haven’t watched your brother bursting through a wave of paper to get out of his room, then this is your time.
