A Dozen Not-So-Funny April Fools' Jokes That Show the Best of (and Worst of) Humanity

Welcome to the worst day on the internet, where companies are more likely to lose fans than gain them. As Chaim Gartenberg once noted, brands and a holiday dedicated to hoaxes rarely mix well. On this April Fools’ Day, we’ve seen some truly cringeworthy attempts at humor that, while often amusing in hindsight, usually only serve to annoy those on the receiving end. Here are 12 of our favorites – or least-favorite, depending on how you look at it. We start with April Fools’ 2026: Oura’s smart ring for pets. Who wouldn’t want a wearable device that tracks their pet’s every move? Not everyone, apparently. The joke falls flat because we all know pets don’t need more tracking than they already do – and even less, if you ask us. But some companies still think this is the way to go. Like our next entry: Crusader Kings III dunks on Nvidia’s DLSS 5 with a hilarious April Fools’ video that shows the game’s developers trying (and failing) to create an AI that can make decent decisions. It’s a funny take, but also kind of sad – because, yeah, we all know how well that’s going to end up. Next up is MKBHD reviews a toy Bluey phone. The joke relies on the fact that everyone loves Bluey (and, let’s be real, who doesn’t?). But it turns out this is actually just a regular old smartphone – and not even a particularly clever one at that. Still, we can appreciate the effort. We also have Sanic, Shewdew, and Knackles getting official t-shirts from Sega. It’s funny in retrospect because Sega isn’t exactly known for its attention to detail when it comes to merchandise announcements – but hey, at least this was a clever take on their usual marketing shenanigans. Dyson AirWrap for pets is our next entry. We can almost see the thought process behind this: “You know what would be funny? If we took an expensive hair dryer and told people they could use it on their dogs.” It’s a weird one, but hey – at least it’s consistent with Dyson’s usual brand of over-the-top marketing. A smart home controller that knows what you want before you do is the next joke. Sounds great in theory, but then it’s just like every other smart speaker – except with more bells and whistles (and also a higher price tag). Still, we can appreciate the effort to make this one seem funny. Bass Magazine written by ChatGPT, sponsored by Suno? That’s some next-level satire right there. It’s clear that someone is trying to poke fun at the absurdity of influencer marketing and celebrity endorsements – even if it means pretending to write a magazine article about it all. Yahoo’s Scroll Stopper stops doomscrolling might have been intended to be a funny April Fools’ joke, but it ends up just sounding like a weird tech feature that’s more annoying than clever. Still, we can appreciate the creativity behind this one. Next up is Fortnite now has big head mode – and honestly, who wouldn’t want that? It’s not exactly the most high-brow April Fools’ joke out there, but it’s at least a fun take on the usual ridiculousness of Fortnite content. Capcom’s next big game might have a fun Mega Man crossover is another one that seems like a great idea until you think about how complicated it would be to actually make happen. Still, we can appreciate the humor behind this joke – even if it’s more of a “what could possibly go wrong?” kind of situation. We also have Snapchat’s ‘Reals’ joke mocking Instagram’s many ripoffs. This one is especially funny because it’s so on-point with how ridiculous some of those features are (hello, Xerox machine-style product development!). It’s clear that someone has been paying close attention to the latest social media trends. Then there’s Trackable socks – which are just a weird take on the usual tracking tech that everyone’s always talking about. Why bother when you can just make socks do it instead? Still, we can appreciate the creativity behind this joke. Connor Storrie’s big butt dialing problem is our next entry – and honestly, this one is just great because of how ridiculous it sounds. It’s like someone took every terrible idea from a bad sitcom and mashed them all together into one hilarious April Fools’ joke. Last but not least we have Stream Deck Plus Lever – which is basically just a regular old keyboard with some funny-looking buttons slapped on top. But hey, at least it looks fun to use! Who’s that pokémon? This one might be the most confusing of our list, but it’s also kind of brilliant in its own weird way. It’s like someone took every Pokémon joke imaginable and mashed them all together into one hilarious April Fools’ joke. A backpack for the Macintosh and a stylish holster for the Newton are next – which is basically just two old computer parts stuffed into a modern backpack. Sounds like someone had some fun with their grandfather’s old electronics. Pocketpair’s joke that never ends might be the most clever of our list, mainly because it’s so self-aware about being terrible. It’s clear that someone took every bad April Fools’ joke idea and mashed them all together into one hilarious (and also kind of sad) joke. Finally, we have Mini to Micro – which is basically just a clever take on the usual tech upgrade cycle. Who wouldn’t want a device that shrinks down to the size of your thumb? Except, you know, for the fact that it probably still costs an arm and a leg. In conclusion (or rather, in half-hearted mockery), it’s clear that companies are more likely to lose fans than gain them when they resort to April Fools’ jokes. And yet, we can’t help but appreciate the creativity behind these attempts at humor – even if most of them fall flat.