Megan McCrossin
Bartender
I was a mean big sister, and the worst April Fools’ joke I played on someone was on my little brother. I had him convinced that our house was haunted. I was 12 at the time, and he was only 7. He was in the bathroom, and he thought that I was downstairs, but actually I was hiding outside the bathroom, and I kept jiggling and shaking the door handle. He cried. I didn’t get in any trouble from our parents. I bribed him with candy and a movie he wasn’t supposed to watch.
John Root
Trucking contractor
My buddy sent me a photo of the Sundial Bridge in Redding, Calif., showing that the bridge had collapsed. I knew the architect’s husband and called him to tell him what I had seen. I believed what I saw in the photo was real, and I got the photo from a reputable source—and I passed it on! I found out later that it was a joke. I think that it’s still being played every year.
Alex Batter
Visitor service officer
I was a senior in high school, and we snuck into the school early on April Fools’ day and set up inflatable pools in front of all the teachers’ offices. We filled the pools up with floaty toys, and we then we sat in the pools. Some of the teachers were like WTF?!, and others got the joke. The principal thought it was a great joke.
Michaela Graham
Fitness instructor
It was played on me by Alex Batter. We are roommates. He was talking to our other roommate … and then he said that he had just gotten engaged to his boyfriend. They had only been together for a few months, and I was thinking that was pretty fast. It went on for, like, 10 minutes. I accepted that he was engaged but thought that he was crazy—and then they just started laughing and broke it to me that it was just an April Fools’ joke!
David Smith
Warehouse maintenance worker
I told my boss that I was quitting. The look of shock on his face was worth a million bucks! He didn’t want me to quit as I was a hard worker, always showed up and was always on time. I kept it up for 10 to 15 minutes. I wanted it to fester for a bit. I went back later and said, “April Fools!” He had a few choice words for me.