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April Fools' Day 2022 Pranks: Butterfinger Mayo, Invisible Earbuds, 7-Eleven Tiny Gulp

The jokes flew fast and furious for April 1. Budweiser, Twitter and Reddit were among the many companies getting in on the fun with (mostly) fake products.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
7 min read
tushyapril1

Tushy's It Takes #2 is the dating show nobody asked for.

Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

We're all in need of a good laugh these days, and April Fools' Day was here for us. April 1 is always devoted to jokes and pranks, and plenty of companies tried their hand at generating giggles this year. Here are some of the funniest, goofiest entries for 2022, so get ready for a little comic relief.

Twitter edit button

Twitter: where you need to triple-check your missives before you unleash them on the internet. Twitter dropped a simple seven-word statement on April Fools' Day and it's the kind of thing calculated to throw users into a frenzy. "We are working on an edit button," the company tweeted from its official account. Sure, Twitter. But we know what day it is.

Newegg introduces the Dot PC

It's time to downsize your PC. Retailer Newegg came up with computer so small, you can't even see it. "This is the world's first PC that's probably utilizing a superposition CPU, a subatomic interference custom loop cooling system, and a quantum entanglement graphics card," Newegg joked

Marques Brownlee reviews Apple's polishing cloth

Technology video creator Marques Brownlee pranked his millions of fans with a serious-seeming review of Apple's polishing cloth. He patiently sets up the punchline and then delivers it beautifully.

American Swedish Institute serves 90-year-old lutfisk

You have to applaud organizations that go all in for April Fools' with elaborate videos. So don't overlook the American Swedish Institute's high-effort joke about finding bundles of 90-year-old dried cod. The deadpan video follows the lutfisk's journey from discovery to rehydration for eating. 

Synology FloppyStation

If you like your April Fools' Day with a side of computing nostalgia, you'll enjoy Synology's concept for a FloppyStation said to offer speed, power and efficiency. Forget all this newfangled technology. It's time to go back to the past.

Moosejaw VoxDoc

Outdoor retailer Moosejaw made an important operations announcement for its new service VoxDoc. VoxDoc gets rid of digital communications like receipts and shipping notifications in exchange for a Moosejaw customer service rep shouting your information at you at ear-splitting volumes.

Busch Light Pee in a Busch Kit

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Protect the forest. Pee in a can.

Busch Light

Beer brand Busch Light combined April Fools' with upcoming Earth Day for a real product called the Pee in a Busch Kit. The idea is to convince beer drinkers to pee into empty cans that can then be disposed of, rather than urinate on trees. When lots of campers pee on trees, it can have a negative impact on the environment. Available in black or blue for $20, the kit includes a pee funnel, a carrying case and can lids to keep you from accidentally drinking the used containers. Proceeds go to One Tree Planted, an organization focused on reforestation.

National Trust live action paintings

The UK's National Trust introduced a new way to connect historic-home visitors to art. When artworks are taken off display for conservation, the Live Action program replaces them with people dressed and posed as the paintings. A delightful video details the program and shows examples of some reenactments. 

Dordle gets obscure

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Thanks a lot, Dordle.

Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

Dordle, a five-letter guess-the-word game times two, is a popular second stop after completing the daily Wordle. Dordle went rogue for April Fools'. Sorry about the spoilers, but one word was "prank" and the other "hapax." Yes, hapax. Look it up to find out why it was such an appropriate choice.

HyperX touch grass keyboard

Do other people think you spend too much time on the computer? Are you on the receiving end of the "go touch some grass" insult? HyperX's imagined keyboard lets you do just that without having to actually go outside. It's not real, but it looks like it would be an enjoyable tactile experience.

Omaha Steaks meat sweats perspirant 

This is exactly what it sounds like. Meat company Omaha Steaks imagined a set of roll-on perspirants (that's not a typo) that will give you the meat sweats in scents of original beef, lighter fluid and mesquite. It's not about stopping the sweat, it's about embracing it with your armpits.

Traeger Grills Weed Pellets

Well, this kind of makes sense. Traeger, known for its pellet-powered grills, introduced cannabis Weed Pellets to take your cooking to a higher level. Breathe deeply and get ready to feel the munchies.

King Arthur baking multigrain mittens

There's no reason you should have to leave your passion for making fresh baked bread behind in the kitchen when you go out. King Arthur, famous for its flours, created cozy-looking Multigrain Mittens, saying they can be "gently toasted for extra warmth or frozen for long-term storage."

Budweiser Budbnb

If you like Bud's famous Clydesdale horses, then you'll love spending a night in their hay-filled stables. Budweiser joked about offering a $1,876-per-night stay in Budbnb stables with access to a fully stocked bar. Actually, I think I would be down to try it.

Dion's pizza raw carrot topping

New Mexico, represent. Regional pizza chain Dion's sliced up some carrots and put them on a piece of pizza to create an unholy salad-pie hybrid for April Fools'. It's a simple but effective joke. It also sneakily references a viral map image that circulated earlier in the year claiming New Mexico's favorite pizza topping is carrots. It's actually green chile, silly map people.

Canadian Space Agency merch

CSA might not have quite the same high profile as NASA, but it's got the power of Canadian humor on its side. The space agency mocked up a series of sassy products, including a hat that says, "The cold and darkness of space doesn't scare us. We have winter." and a T-shirt reading "Just like NASA. But in Canada. And smaller."

National Weather Service goes Kelvin

The US National Weather Service has had to walk the line with temperatures, giving people options for both Fahrenheit and Celsius. On April Fools' Day, the NWS finally had enough and joked it would convert all temperatures to Kelvin to avoid confusion. That means the forecast for Friday in Indianapolis is for a high of 281 Kelvin. Enjoy your day.

Little Tikes My First Cubicle

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Your first cubicle, but not your last. Sob/laugh.

Little Tikes

Toy brand Little Tikes figured youngsters should go ahead and start preparing for future office jobs with the My First Cubicle play set. Complete with water cooler, a donut, a computer and a "hang in there" cat poster, the joke is hilarious with an edge of darkness. 

7-Eleven Tiny Gulp

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has long catered to the American thirst for oversized portions with the Big Gulp, an obscenely large serving of soda. For Friday, the company went to the other extreme with the Tiny Gulp, a mere 0.7 ounces of fizzy, sugary beverage. It's better for your health.

Formlabs Form 2D printer

With the catchphrase "less is more: eliminating the 3rd dimension," 3D printer maker Formlabs decided to uncomplicate its product offerings for April Fools'. The Form 2D printer is all about printing things flat on paper. A pitch-perfect promo video sells the concept of simplicity for this revolutionary new product.

Emirates EmirEats

Emirates airline decided to one-up local food delivery services like DoorDash and UberEats with EmirEats, a global food delivery option via aircraft. It's a beautiful dream.

Sun-Maid grape jerky

This fake promotional video gets a nod for the sheer amount of effort put in by Sun-Maid, the brand known for its raisin products. It traces the product development team as they brainstorm something outside the box, and the best they can come up with is "extreme flavor" grape jerky. Wait... isn't that just fruit leather?

Hellmann's Butterfinger mayonnaise

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Ugh.

Hellmann's

Food jokes are always popular on April Fools' Day. Mayonnaise brand Hellmann's decided it would create an evil thought experiment by offering up the idea of Butterfinger Mayo, an unholy concoction that combines the egg and oil-based condiment with Butterfinger chocolate-and-peanut-butter candy bars. Hellmann's described it as "a new crispety crunchety twist to your favorite mayo."

In case this combination makes you think "yum," Hellmann's has released a real recipe for Butterfinger cake that uses mayo (which is a legitimate secret ingredient for making moist cakes). 

Reddit r/place

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Reddit's original r/place experiment delivered a unique, collaborative piece of art.

Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

Reddit's r/place isn't really an April Fools' joke. It's a collaborative art project that happens to take place on April Fools' Day. Reddit first ran the experiment in 2017. Over a million Reddit users placed about 16 million tiles onto a digital canvas. "The original r/place was created to explore a piece of humanity -- to examine what happens when a person doing something affects a collective," Reddit said in announcing its return. "Specifically, what happens if you only let an individual place one tile at a time, so that they must work with others to build together on a massive online cooperative canvas." So get ready to art for April Fools'. 

Tushy It Takes #2

Bidet maker Tushy went all in on the potty humor with a joke dating show that puts prospective couples on matching bidet-equipped thrones for a first date. If you're into Adam Sandler's early work and don't mind tons of gross sound effects, then this is the dating show for you.

Bud Light Seltzer Really Really Retro Pack

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Really really really really regency retro hard seltzer.

Bud Light

Bud Light's image is usually one of kicking back with friends and watching sports, but the brand went in a more historic direction for April Fools'. The Bud Light Seltzer Really Really Retro Pack is aimed at Bridgerton fans who enjoy some regency romance. The fake flavors include afternoon tea, courtship cocktail, queen cake and duke delight.

JLab Invisibuds

Earbuds have gotten more and more discreet, but JLab's Invisibuds are as discreet as you can get. They're invisible. The prank promo video promises the earbuds won't play Nickelback, Stairway to Heaven or Kanye West. JLab has an actual product page where you can buy the buds for $20. I won't spoil the surprise, but you'll get something more functional than just an empty box. 

Duolingo Abductions

Language-learning website and app Duolingo likes to politely remind its users to keep working on their language development skills, but sometimes it can get a little insistent. Duolingo is playing on that idea with a Better Call Saul-ish lawyer who is looking to represent anyone who had been abducted by the app's owl mascot. Stick around for the catchy jingle at the end.

Lessons.com.au Explains NFTs

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Enlarge Image
nftslesson

Let Lessons.com.au help you explain this whole confusing NFT thing.

Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET

Online learning provider Lessons.com.au came out with a free, timely guide for how to explain NFTs to your elderly relatives. The units of study actually sound pretty handy with names like "Imagine if you could right-click the Mona Lisa" and "It's like Facebook, but also not." I think I might actually understand NFTs now.

We'll update this post as April Fools' Day jokes appear, so check back for the latest developments.