Photo courtesy of Burger King Japan

By Rocío Hernández

Have it your way with Burger King’s new fragrance 

A thousand beef lovers in Japan might be able to smell like Whoppers if Burger King’s announcement of its “Flame Grilled” cologne is true. The scent’s release date is schedule for April 1 and will be sold at 5,000 yen, which is about the equivalent of $40. The fast food company is also offering a complimentary burger with the sale of cologne.

News outlets aren’t ready to dismiss the fragrance as a prank as Burger King put a limited-edition body spray for men called Flame  out for sale last December. The press office of Burger King Japan continues to claim that the fragrance is real and will be available for sale.

Vanity Fair grants college newspaper 10 Hogwarts house points for its prank

Some April Fools’ Day news stories read so real, they appear to be true. College newspaper The Daily Pennsylvanian reported on Wednesday, March 25 that Brown University grad and Harry Potter star Emma Watson had selected its school, the University of Pennsylvania, to pursue her master’s degree in English. Vanity Fair fell for the joke and further reported on the actress’ announcement, only to later find out that it was fake.

The story on Watson was part of the The DP’s annual joke edition, which included other stories such as Penn’s decision to ban Netflix usage from its wireless network. The article’s writer did included subtle April Fools’ hints in the story such as an over-the-top British name for the publicists that made the announcement, Kingsley Pennyton, and a quote from a Jane Austen character Catherine Bennet.

Many students and Harry Potter fans were also hoodwinked.

“Some dreams are just too good to be true!” Vanity Fair wrote online.

Comedian discourages April Fools’ prank participation

April Fools’ is a serious problem for Last Week Tonight show host John Oliver. In his show, which aired online on Sunday, March 29, Oliver denounced the holiday and asked his viewers to take a no-prank pledge. The audience obediently recited the pledge and promised that they would not play practical jokes on their family and friends such as fake engagement posts on Facebook and false celebrity death rumors.

He compared the holiday’s value to comedians to the importance of St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland.

“Anyone who is excited for April Fools’ Day is probably a sociopath, because what they’re really saying is, ‘I cannot wait to hurt the people close to me,’” Oliver said on his web exclusive Last Week Tonight edition.

Oliver illustrated his point by misleading his audience, telling them a false origin story for the holiday. He said that while people were laughing, he wanted them to internally admit that they did feel bad about his betrayal of their trust.

Oliver recommended people use April 1 as a date to realize they have more important items to attend to in their lives other than pranks. The example he gave was filing taxes.

Rocío Hernández can be reached at rhernandez@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @TheSagebrush.