10 pranks to play on April Fools Day other than announcing a fake pregnancy

April Fools Day has a long and storied history (that I really enjoyed learning about in this article), and part of that history involves a lot of fake pregnancy announcements. I encourage you to reconsider if you’re planning to pull that particular prank.

It’s been done a lot, so you don’t get creativity points. It’s easy to spot and identify as a prank, so there’s no cleverness to it. But most of all, it can be really hurtful to people who are struggling with infertility or loss.

One in ten women in the United States struggle with infertility, and 20% or more of pregnancies end in miscarriage, so these struggles are common. Chances are you have not just one but several friends who have had personal struggles with infertility or loss, and posting about a fake pregnancy has the potential to affect their emotional health and your relationship with them.

I strongly suggest you find another prank for April Fool’s Day. Here’s a list if you’re looking for ideas.

Household:
Swap the socks of everyone in the house.
Replace someone’s deoderant with cream cheese.

Food:
Bring a donut box to someone filled with vegetables.
Make caramel-covered onions.

Work:
A la “The Office,” put your coworker’s stapler or other office tool in jello.
Play cat noises throughout the day. Lead the hunt to find the stray cat.

Shared Spaces:
Put googly eyes on everyone’s lunch items in the fridge.
Replace every photo in the space with pictures of one person. (I suggest Guy Fieri.)

Social Media:
Make a bitly that reorients any link you post (Got interviewed for the local news! RSVP for the family reunion here!) to your favorite music video in classic Rickroll fashion.
(Keeping in mind that you don’t have to create the content yourself,) Repost all the hilarious pranks that brands come up with.

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Some quick internet research should provide with oodles more ideas for jokes and pranks that won’t highlight the grief several of your friends or family are probably experiencing. Keep them in mind, and enjoy a hilarious April Fools Day tomorrow!

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