10 April Fools' Pranks That Went Very Wrong

Here are 10 April Fools' pranks that went very, very wrong.



April Fools' Day, the day prank lovers everywhere come out to show the best they've got, and the day the rest of us are reminded how not amusing most of those shenanigans end up being.

Here are 10 April Fools' pranks that went very, very wrong.

Number 10. The Taco Liberty Bell, 1996. People love tacos and the Liberty Bell, but apparently not together. When the fast food chain announced via full-page newspaper ads that they'd purchased and renamed the national icon, a whole lot of protesting ensued. Taco Bell went public with their prank later in the day.

Number 9. Playboy Romania's wife beating instructions, 2000. The article that ran was titled "How to Beat Your Wife Without Leaving Marks" and written as if it had been penned by a police officer. The magazine's deputy editor initially defended the piece. Playboy Enterprises soon stepped in and issued an international apology.

Number 8. Hooters' Toyota contest, 2001. A waitress who was told she'd win a Toyota if she sold the most beer was instead given a toy Yoda doll. She sued the restaurant and, according to her lawyer, got an undisclosed settlement that would enable her to "pick out whatever type of Toyota she wants."

Number 7. Murdered husband, 2013. A Tennessee woman called her sister in a panic and said, "Helen, I shot my husband, I'm cleaning up the mess, let's go bury him in Blackwater." Instead of rushing over with a shovel, Helen told another family member who in turn called the police. The prankster was taken into custody.

Number 6. Athens Pollution Disaster, 1982. A broadcaster for the Greece's National Radio Network called for a full evacuation of the center of Athens due to the high pollution levels. Chaos and 6-figure lawsuits followed.

Number 5. Superglued Walmart toilet seat, 2011. In a prank attempt that had no chance of being funny, somebody put superglue on a toilet seat in a Walmart public restroom. The unfortunate victim required the assistance of several emergency crews and medical professionals.

Number 4. Dihydrogen monoxide scare, 2013. Two morning radio show hosts announced that area residents had dihydrogen monoxide coming out of their faucets. While those who took a moment to Google the term learned that it meant water, most didn't and soon the local utilities were flooded with panicked calls. The duo was quickly removed from the air, but put back on 2 days later.

Number 3. Romanian Prison Release, 2000. After reading a piece in a newspaper, 60 people thought their friends and loved ones were getting out of prison. They arrived, only to be told, 'April Fools'.

Number 2. Racially offensive office prank. Somehow, a group of grown professionals thought it would be hilarious draw one of their coworkers as a drug-addicted monkey and they post it for all to see.

Number 1. Erupting Hill in Boston, 1980. With some clever edits, broadcasters from a local television station were able to convince people that a hill was erupting like a volcano. The April Fools part of their prank didn't come until the end of the segment. It was too late, as viewers had already started to react as if it were real.