April Fools Pranks 2025
On April 1st people can play pranks on each other
tell a lie = speaking only, usually (-)
play a prank = action or lie to trick someone (usually to be funny)
Why do companies play pranks on April Fools?
Companies hope their prank will go viral and their brand image will improve if people think the prank is funny
go viral = spread on social media
These are some stories from April 1st. Do you think they are true or pranks?
I’m sure = I’m certain = It’s definitely
It’s probably = I bet
I’d say = I think
I guess
It may be = Perhaps = It could be
Example: “I’d say this is a prank / true because”
Ikea’s long straight store
Have you been shopping in Ikea before?
Have you ever gotten lost in Ikea?
Many customers complain that they get lost in Ikea because the floor plan is very complicated. In response, Ikea said they will try creating a new totally straight store. Customers can just walk in one direction until the end.
Grass covers for phones, laptops, switches
In English “Go touch grass” means to go outside and enjoy nature. These days it’s often used when people spend too much time online or on their phone.
An electronics accessories company, Dbrand, decided to make these:
Why would people want these?
Do you think they’ll be popular?
London Eye World Tour
To celebrate it’s 25th anniversary, the London Eye, a popular tourist spot in London, will go on a world tour in 2026
It will be taken apart and rebuilt in various cities for a few months each.
Duolinguo Cruise
What is Duolingo?
It’s a free app for studying languages.
They collaborated with a cruise company to announce a 5 year cruise that will visit 195 countries.
Passengers can take language classes (for 40 different languages) during the cruise and speak the language at the countries they visit.
A wide menu from a variety of countries will be offered on the ship.
You can book a section of the cruise based on the countries you’d like to visit.
Would you consider going on this cruise?
Kirin Salt Spoon
Kirin announced they will sell a spoon which will help people become more healthy.
How do you think it will do that?
This spoon will give your tongue a little electric shock so it feels like the food you’re eating is more salty. You won’t need to use any salt in your future dishes!
There are 4 levels of saltiness.
Experts recommend eating no more than 5 grams of salt a day but in Japan the average person eats 10 grams
Do you think you eat too much salt?
What can you do to cut down?
cut down on [ salt / smoking / drinking ] = do it less
Price: 19,800 yen
Headline: “Selfies to Blame for Rise in Shark Attacks”
“Surfer Magazine” posted this article. Do you think it’s true?
How many people are bitten by a shark each year?
Which countries have the most attacks?
In 2024 there were only 47 attacks in the world where the swimmer didn’t try to go near the shark.
24 people were attacked after trying to touch, feed or take a selfie with a shark.
Usually the US has the most attacks with Australia being number 2.
Why are people trying to take selfies with sharks?
People have been getting close to sharks in the ocean…
to take selfies and get more followers on instagram
to take “cool” videos
to show sharks aren’t so dangerous. You shouldn’t be so scared of them
In 2025 a shark bit off a woman’s hands in Canada and an Israeli father was killed because of this trend. Scientists believe that 5% of shark attacks are caused by humans trying to get too close to the sharks.
How do you feel about this trend?
Mars Mission
William Shatner (94), the Star Trek actor, has announced that he will quit acting and join a mission to Mars with Elon Musk!
Musk has said his goal is to build a 1 million person colony on Mars in the next 30 years. He plans to send an unmanned rocket to Mars by the end of 2026.
In 2021 Shatner went to space on Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos’ rocket company.
Q: How do you think Shatner felt when he went to space the first time?
He said: “It was among the strongest feelings of grief I have ever experienced. The contrast between the coldness of space and the warmth of Earth below filled me with overwhelming sadness.”
grief (noun) = feel sad because you lost something (e.g. someone died)
overwhelming (adj) = it is too much, your body or mind can’t accept it.
headline: They told insurers a bear damaged their car. But it was actually a person in a costume
4 men told their insurance companies that a bear entered their cars and damaged it. The area is famous for having many black bears. They showed a security camera video and photos of the damage. They were paid $141,839 by their insurance companies.
You can watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/1029340693
One insurance company sent the video to an animal expert. The expert said it’s clearly a person in a bear costume so all 4 men were arrested.
Vacation flex
A Canadian airline, Westjet, will start a program called “Vacation Flex.” Passengers can submit their best vacation photos which might be placed on billboards across Canada.
“That’s a flex” means the person is showing off. It’s for people who like to show everyone how great their vacation is… like they do on social media.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/april-fools-day-2025-pranks-grass-keyboard-catnip-car-seats-5-year-world-cruise/