In case you missed it, Saturday April 1 was April Fools’ Day.
Across the globe, buildings, museums, and government bodies partook in the fun by sharing jokes on social media to prank the public. From a loud car on Amtrak, to slides wrapping around iconic buildings, to a Guggenheim turned red, check out these fresh gags. Did you fall for any of these stunts?
MoMA PS1
MoMA PS1 unveiled a new mural for the brick wall on its Long Island City building, a depiction of the new (and controversial) We Heart New York campaign.
HGTV
HGTV announced a new reality TV series similar to Big Brother. The show would star several hosts of its popular programs and feature them living in and renovating a house together, among the participants are the Property Brothers and Ben and Erin Napier of Hometown.
Amtrak
Amtrak poked fun at the concept of its Quiet Car, with an announcement of a new Loud Car, in which passengers can play speakers out loud, talk loudly on their cellphones, or chat with others.
Mayor of Miami
Francis Suarez, mayor of Miami, shared via a Tweet that Twitter would be moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Miami.
As much as I’m enjoying the congratulatory tweets, media inquiries, and new followers…the tweet below is an APRIL FOOLS JOKE. BUT I can assure you that the next time we announce it IT WON’T BE…😆 https://t.co/ExzZywfikj
— Mayor Francis Suarez (@FrancisSuarez) April 1, 2023
Rijksmuseum
At the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, a new exhibition featuring a colorful ball pit and curving slide will take up space in front of the famed Rembrandt painting The Night Watch.
National Mall NPS
In Washington D.C. where the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, the National Park Service and National Mall announced that the fabled cherry tree cut down by George Washington in his youth has “regenerated.” Instead of shades of pastel pink and white it blooms red, white, and blue.
Unbelievable! The legendary cherry tree cut down by young George Washington has regenerated on the Washington Monument grounds and is patriotically blooming red, white & blue blossoms. #NationalMall #WashingtonDC pic.twitter.com/r82ob8WSjV
— National Mall NPS (@NationalMallNPS) April 1, 2023
Eiffel Tower
Starting July 1 the Eiffel Tower will have a new installation: A spiraling slide will hug the metal tower. According to the announcement it will be “tallest slide in the world.”
🇫🇷 Vous n’êtes pas prêts pour ma nouvelle attraction de l’été ! Le plus haut toboggan du monde sera installé sur mon sommet à partir du 1er juillet !
🌐You’re not ready for this! The tallest slide in the world will be installed on my summit from July 1st!
📽️@origiful pic.twitter.com/MrwlmYvtic
— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) April 1, 2023
The Edge
On the topic of slides… in New York City, The Edge building in Hudson Yards also revealed plans to install a curving slide on its vertical structure.
Hyperallergic/British Museum
The arts media outlet Hyperallergic posted an article sharing that the British Museum will offer Greece NFTs of the Parthenon Marbles in lieu of returning the objects themselves, a piece that further inflames debates about repatriation.
The British Museum has dug its heels in regarding its decision not to repatriate the Parthenon Marbles, offering Greece an “exclusive NFT” of the sculptures. https://t.co/xlMcX3JdVs
— hyperallergic (@hyperallergic) April 1, 2023
MASS MoCA
MASS MoCA, the contemporary art museum in Massachusetts, announced a name change and rebrand as MATH MoCA (The MATHachusetts Museum of Calculus and Algebra). The news release, shared on Instagram, cited “funding” as the reason for the change and said the public could weigh in during a 24-hour comment period.
Guggenheim
Guggenheim in New York revealed a major change for the white exterior of the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed building, changing it to a bold shade of red. The joke is based on historical evidence that Wright had originally proposed the building as red, but the idea was tabled by then–museum director Hilla Rebay.
Ryan Scavnicky
AN contributor Ryan Scavnicky mocked Instagram and other social media platforms with a jest that drawing and 3D modeling software platform Rhino 7 would implement a stories feature in which you can see what friends and colleagues are working (or not) on.
Dezeen
Dezeen announced that “minimalist British designer John Pawson has ditched his pared-back aesthetic in favour of full-blown maximalism.” With a set of altered images of his home in the Cotswolds, it appears Pawson has embraced color, perhaps due to the influence of social media like TikTok. “Asked if he could explain his reversal in tastes, he replied: ‘No.’,” according to Dezeen.