Spoiler alert! We round up the best April Fools from Minnesota and beyond
It's April Fools' Day and companies have been working overtime to come up with original and amusing ideas to trick the unsuspecting public.
So to spare you from falling victim to this year's set of pranks, we've rounded-up the best ones we've noticed:
The Target fanny basket
Target started early on this one, with an article in Buzzfeed going up five days ago with one of its reporters testing out the "fanny basket," which wraps around shoppers waists giving them full use of both their hands.
It went down well with City Pages, which described it as a "funny, well-executed April Fool's Joke" amid "an ocean of lame corporate" pranks.
A move for the Guthrie
The Twin Cities Daily Planet broke the news this morning that the Guthrie Theater is moving out of the iconic home it's only had for nine years to make way for condos. It's an announcement that is sending "shockwaves" through the theater industry.
It says it will swap its currently fantastic view of the Mississippi to a new complex, Guthrie 2.0, overlooking the I-94/Hennepin Ave/Lyndale Ave interchange, while the condos built in the theater will be on the market for up to $25 million.
The thing is, given the rate at which high-end condos are being built in downtown Minneapolis, we wouldn't have been that surprised if this was true.
Behold! The rarely-spotted Common Bunyip
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Nice touch from St. Louis County Rescue Squad with the Minnesota/Purple and Wisconsin/Green nod to the Vikings/Packers rivalry. You can read about the amazing, and definitely not mythical, bunyip here.
The Workday Coffee from Caribou
Target isn't the only major Minnesota chain getting in on the act, with Caribou Coffee introducing a new "workday coffee" that can stay hot for eight hours.
The source of this miracle? A suspiciously named Indonesian island called Pilosa Flor.
The Tenties
Minneapolis brand agency Colle & McVoy have come up with a new awards recognizing table tent advertising.
They really put in the effort, even launching a professional-looking and very tongue-in-cheek webpage and announcing the launch of the Tenties.
This year, we honor the dreamers. The risk takers. The ones who see something more than just a flat surface; they see opportunity. Those who have toiled in obscurity, quietly connecting with millions where they eat, sleep and work. They’ve built business empires. They’ve championed societal changes. No more shall their efforts be ignored, for today we celebrate those who did it on a table.
Business Insider has some more details on the stunt.
The Ely No-Drone Zone
Ely, Minnesota, is known for its imaginative April Fools' stunts, and today is no different, as the city revealed it would be implementing a "No Drone Zone" within city limits.
The City's website features testimonies from among others, a "nosy neighbor" who just wants to know what everyone else is doing.
Amazon Retro
Take a look at the Amazon.com page today and you might be forgiven for thinking you'd jumped in a Delorean and been transported back to 1999 with this retro look. It's not fooling anyone, but it's a nice nostalgia trip nonetheless.
And finally ... Scott Walker
The Wisconsin Governor and possible Republican Presidential candidate told his Twitter followers to look for a "big announcement" at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Then he posted this.
