April Fool's Day: Popular brands pulled off some epic pranks - like zero-gravity cabins, sour cream soda

• April Fool's Day made a return - and brands did not hold back.
• Woolworths, Oreo, X, MSC and others put out various quirky tweets.
• Among the funniest pranks were MSC's zero-gravity cabin, and the separation of Oreo's cookies and cream.
• For more lifestyle news, go to the News24 Life front page.

April Fool's Day, which falls on 1 April, is popular for being a fun and quirky day to pull a fast one on friends and family members.

It's a day filled with giggles and mischief, during which people prank others with jokes that are either funny or cringe-worthy.

For many years, brands have been joining in on the fun, advertising products that are far from what they are typically known for, or even advertising products that do not exist.

This year was no different, with popular brands like Oreo announcing that its biscuit and cream were separating, to X announcing that, in the spirit of transparency, DMs and drafts would be made public.

Zero-gravity cabin

In a recent post, global cruise line MSC introduced its upcoming zero-gravity cabin, which would allow travellers to have a weightless experience at the touch of a button. Given the way in which the Instagram ad was created, it certainly made the innovative offering believable.  

In an Instagram post, MSC wrote: "Discover the new MSC zero-gravity cabin. A leap into the future of cruising, and designed for those seeking thrills beyond the ordinary. With patented technology, our new cabin allows guests to experience total weightlessness at the touch of a button."

Woolies

Woolworths did not want to be left behind, announcing that its beauty brand, WBeauty, and home snack brand, Chuckles, would be teaming up to launch bath and beauty products.

Comrades

The official Comrades Marathon account posted on X that the association had "reconsidered the short route announced 10 days ago and had decided to add a loop which was approximately 4km to include the Pietermaritzburg City Hall before finishing at the stadium", changing the route distance from 85.9km to 88.94km.

Adidas

Various shoe resellers on social media posted that Adidas would be dropping a new shoe range, called the Shoe Box - and, yes, the shoe looks just like it sounds. The pair of "sneakers" would feature a blue adidas shoe box, flipped upside-down, with an opening to accommodate feet and what looks like shoelaces.

It was later confirmed to be an April Fool's prank.

Oreo's cookies and cream separation

US sandwich cookie brand Oreo pulled a fast one on its customers, with a tweet stating that its cookies and cream would be separating after years of enjoying a harmonious union, and would be sold separately.

Pringles

While sour cream and onion Pringles tastes good, it certainly wouldn't make sense as a soda. This was what Pringles and US soft drinks producer, Olipop, proposed on April Fool's Day.

Krispy Kreme 

Krispy Kreme announced that the company would be extending its glazing to more than just donuts.

In an Instagram post, the food company announced that customers could bring any kind of food, from watermelon, burgers, or even mangos, and they would glaze it.

DMs on X

Social media platform X announced that users' personal information would be made public.

In the post, the company wrote: "As we continue to celebrate transparency on this platform, all your DMs and drafts will be made public."