April Fools’ Day Classics: Top 10 Viral Pranks on YouTube
By Christine Erickson On MashablePeople love a good trolling, whether it’s online or not, and there’s nothing like a company having a bit of harmless fun at the expense of a few thousand customers.
Whether it’s a gag product or a fake movie trailer, when an April Fools’ Day prank video is convincing enough, it has the potential to go viral on YouTube.
Unfortunately this leaves fans punked, potentially even get their hopes up. (We’re pretty sure Zelda fans are still a little heartbroken over IGN Entertainment’s faux trailer.)
Our friends at Unruly Media have provided the ten most-shared April Fools’ Day videos on YouTube. Take a look back at some of the best online pranks, and let us know your favorite in the comments.
Last year, Google announced a "new feature" in Gmail that would allow your webcam to recognize simple actions like pretending to open an envelope in order to open your inbox. Because gesture recognition is indeed a hot trend, this video is almost real enough to believe.
In this prank documentary, BBC discovers a colony of penguins that question the belief that these arctic birds can't fly.
IGN Entertainment crushed every Zelda fan's dreams with this fake live-action movie trailer of the popular video game series.
If you were hoping to communicate with your cat, Google UK's prank in 2010 may have left you with your hopes up.
YouTube celebrated the 100th anniversary of YouTube by sharing the most viral photos of 1911. "Buggy Intruder" is our favorite.
Ikea Australia believes "the dog is part of the family," and with this fake product, your dog can finally stop begging under the table and join you for dinner.
Nike let the "secret" out on their most popular shoe in 2010: the athletic apparel company has been collecting the oxygen of famous athletes for many years.
Ever wonder how Google comes up with predictions on your search? It's people like Michael who make this stuff up.
Fans of StarCrft were duped by "Motion Overdrive," a video game that takes gesture recognition and eye tracking to a new level. Xbox also joined in on the joke, posting the same video to their channel.
BBC has been known to pull a prank every April Fools' Day, dating all the way back to 1957, when they broadcasted a hoax documentary about a tree that produces spaghetti.
