It was huge. Tremendous turnout. Thousands of people. Bigger than the Obama Inauguration! These images speak for themselves…
Continue reading “NYC’s 32nd Annual April Fools Day Parade in Photos”
April Fools 2017: This Year in Branded Pranks
April Fool’s Day brings a deluge of cleverness. For journalists covering the arts, entertainment, business, culture, or predictably tech (populated as it is by Stanford and MIT wiseacres), tracking the cuteness can be overwhelming.
At The Verge, Elizabeth Lopatto turns in a thoughtful rant on “the 500-year history of a troll holiday,” including an interview with Alex Boese of the Museum of Hoaxes, that explores why some of us are not big fans of 4/1.
Nevertheless, there’s plenty of fun to be had. The enormous display of creativity and break from the standard shilling grind can be inspiring. And a few marketing stunts shine through with transgressive humor, playful conviviality, or something genuinely important to say. (That, or they’re just joyously dumb.)
Here were a few that stood out in 2017.
MetBnB
The Metropolitan Museum’s fictitious partnership with the “sharing economy” startup was a lighthearted means of drawing attention to serious commercialization and fundraising challenges in the art world. Continue reading “April Fools 2017: This Year in Branded Pranks”
Joey Skaggs Promises Satirical Provocation for Donald Trump
As our founder prepares for his April Fools’ Day Parade Trumpathon, he gives us a look behind the scenes.
“Prankster Behind NYC April Fools’ Day Parade Says This Year’s Event Will Mock Donald Trump”
by Jillian Kay Melchior
Heat Street
March 28, 2017
For more than three decades, prankster Joey Skaggs has rejoiced in ensnaring the national media into covering fake news of his own invention. But this April Fools” Day, he insists he”s absolutely serious about mocking Donald Trump.
“You can certainly accuse me of being the Boy Who Cried Wolf, given my past track record with this parade,” Skaggs told Heat Street. Indeed, for the past 31 years, Skaggs has sent out elaborate news releases announcing not only the April Fools” Day Parade schedule and route but also describing floats””all fake, all for a parade that doesn”t actually happen.
“But the reality of this April Fools” Day makes it absolutely essential that I finally show up along with, hopefully, hoards of Donald Trump look-alikes,” Skaggs said, adding that he”s hoping to earn a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records for the world”s largest gathering of Donald Trump look-alikes.
For what it”s worth, we called the Guinness Book of World records, which confirmed there is an open application under Skaggs” name. “But the category that he”s applying for is a new category, so the category would have to be accepted by the records team first, before he could attempt a record,” said spokeswoman Sofia Rocher. She said it”s not yet clear whether they”ll have an answer for Skaggs by April 1.
New York City requires a permit from the Police Commissioner for any parade. Skaggs says he has not gotten one, adding, “We”ve gone 32 years without a permit.” Read more.