Chosen annually by Prank-O, the world’s preeminent maker of novelty gift boxes, the Fooly Awards recognize outstanding achievement in mischief making on tomfoolery’s most hallowed day.
Many pranks were had this April Fools’ Day, but only these jokesters came out on top. They are the few, the proud, the funniest. But enough waxing poetic, let’s get to the 2025 Fooly Award Winners!
2025 PRANK OF THE YEAR
@I’m From Cleveland
The Buckeye State takes the cake! Media outlet and community event blog I’m From Cleveland shared a spooky update to its social channels claiming that the Ohio Department of Natural Resources spotted a mysterious Loch Ness-esque creature in Lake Erie. The faux post included a quote from the agency claiming it “doesn’t resemble any known aquatic life in this region” and to “avoid unnecessary risks near the shoreline.” In another slide, an eye witness details walking her dog along the city’s Edgewater neighborhood when a long, “neck-like” shape emerged from the lake. And to top it all off, I’m From Cleveland even threw in a video of a shadowy shape in the water complete with a commentator saying “the Lake Erie monster is real.” Cheers to locally-sourced pranks!
BEST GEN Z SKEWERING
Razer
If you’re of a certain age (in this case, any age over 28), then you’ve probably struggled with interpreting Gen Z lingo. That’s why gaming hardware company Razer is introducing the world’s first ever Gen Z-translating headset. Or at least that’s what they’re claiming in this April Fools’ prank / takedown of the younger generation. Called the Razer Skibidi, the product is said to be “optimized for the de-evolution of speech,” allowing gamers to make sense of the youths they virtually cross paths with. To exemplify the headset’s capabilities, Razer built a landing page that lets you toggle between a clear description of the gadget and the Gen Z description, where sentences like “we’ve been elevating your in-game voice chats” translates to “we've been out here making your cracked ahhhh headsets.” It’s giving funny!
BEST USE OF MUSIC HISTORY
Abbey Road Studios
Ever since The Beatles featured a photo of themselves mundanely crossing the street over 50 years ago, the London intersection has become a tourist hotspot. Abbey Road Studios, which is famous for being the recording studio of, well, Abbey Road, decided to have fun at the expense of the music history buffs who follow them on social when they announced that the iconic zebra crossing was being removed in “a decision beyond our control.” Beatles fans and would-be London travelers flocked to the comments section to voice their dismay at the update, which went as far as to include a photo of the now crosswalk-less street. Guess that long and winding road they were always going on about is now less safe to cross!
BEST BRAND PIVOT
Omaha Steaks
After conquering the meat industry, Nebraska’s Omaha Steaks brand is moving into the high-steaks (yeah, we went there) world of publishing. That’s the announcement that came in a press release for a definitely-real romance novel titled Certified Tender. The company says it “hopes readers will devour Certified Tender just as eagerly as a USDA Certified Tender Filet Mignon.” Omaha Steaks also posted an influencer-style video featuring other titles in the “meat cute” series like Smashed Together and Perfection Takes Time. We even get a preview of the story in the caption, which describes “a bookseller who doesn’t know a filet from a ribeye“ and “a butcher who spends his downtime scrolling foodie forums.” It’s a match made in slaughterhouse!
BEST CANDY-INDUCED MELTDOWN
Sour Patch Kids
HONORABLE MENTION
X user t𝕏om𝕏s
Sometimes, the best pranks are a misinterpretation of what exactly a prank is. Such was the case for one X user, @T_om_s, who wrote “This is my daughter's idea of an April Fools prank” over a picture of a simple post-it note with “YOU ARE BALD BY THE WAY” written in children’s handwriting. Would this “prank” be funny if it was done by an adult? No, that’s just bullying. But a kid who misunderstands the concept of a prank? Epic. Innovative. No notes.