Spoof or serious? Pranksters come out in force every April 1 — with celebrities, corporations and others always getting in on the fun. Here's a look at some of the best April Fools' Day pranks from around the world (and Web).
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Simon Cowell might be a multi-millionaire, but is the "X Factor" boss really one with money? Britain's The Sun newspaper said Cowell agreed to have his face printed on "limited edition" banknote in Britain. Let's hope that's a joke.
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Here Be Dragons? Nature.com posted an academic paper citing "emerging evidence" indicating that dragons "can no longer be dismissed as creatures of legend and fantasy, and that anthropogenic effects on the world's climate may inadvertently be paving the way for the resurgence of these beasts."
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Singing sensation Sam Smith also got in on the fun, posting his April Fools' joke on Twitter — and waiting an hour to let fans in on the gag.
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Google took the opportunity to turn things upside down — or backwards, rather. The company unveiled a "reverse" search engine — https://com.google/ — which encouraged users to change their perspective.
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Amazon users got a surprise when they logged on: the retail site had been reverted to its 1999 appearance and greeted visitors with a message saying "Amazon.com has gone retro — April Fools?"
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We wouldn’t blame you for thinking Scott Walker was going to announce his run for GOP presidential candidate. The Wisconsin governor hinted at a “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT” coming today — but it wasn’t quite the big reveal we were waiting for.
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BMW announced it would be offering a new line of mouthguards for rugby players offering the "same impact protection" to athletes as the company's drivers. It billed the line as "all the protection you've come to expect from a BMW, bite-sized."
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Not all of the posts were as lighthearted. Newt Gingrich appeared to tweet about a political change of heart — but then made clear he was getting in on April Fools' Day.