If you haven't already heard, Easter this year is on April 1st, or April Fools' Day. How did that happen? Well, the date of Easter changes from year to year, usually falling on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring, just after the Vernal Equinox. It can happen as early as March 22nd or as late as April 25th. This year, it just so happens to fall on a date that most of us associate with a more secular tradition, when it's open season for pranks and you should probably believe only half of what you see and hear.
It's not the first time that Easter has lined up with April Fools' Day, although it's been a few years. The last time was in 1956. We won't have to wait this long again; the next Easter/ April Fools' Day mashup happens in 2029, and then again in 2040. But this year is going to be special, because it's been just long enough since the last one that most people won't be prepared for the double-whammy. On any other April 1st, everyone is on high alert, ready to prove that they won't be anybody's sucker. But this year, their concentration will be scattered. Should they be looking for hidden eggs and gorging on chocolate, or keeping an eye on you just in case you try something funny? Surprise surprise, it's probably the latter.
Here are 15 ideas to help you prepare for April Fools' Day, and make it the most memorable Easter you (and your fist-waving friends and family) have ever had. And please know that these gags are all relatively harmless—and definitely won't rise to the level of the 15 April Fool's Pranks That Went Terribly Wrong.
1 | The Ol' Veggie Switcheroo
The multi-colored plastic eggs found in Easter baskets are usually filled with delicious treats like candy and chocolates. Well, forget that. Fill them with things sure to annoy kids, like brussels sprouts or broccoli. Nothing makes a hungry kid more revolted than when he or she expects something unhealthy and ends up with a plastic egg full of green beans. Et tu, Easter Bunny? Et tu?!! And for more ways to have fun with your kid, tell him or her one of these 50 Knock Knock Jokes Guaranteed to Crank Them Up.
2 | Jelly Beans in the Ice Dispenser
ShutterstockThe best April Fools' pranks are all about surprise. You have to catch them when they're totally not expecting it. If your refrigerator has one of those automatic ice dispensers, replace the ice with a big bag of colorful jelly beans. Does it really work? Oh yeah, it works like a charm.
3 | Easter Egg Hunt (Without the Eggs)
ShutterstockWhat could (momentarily) ruin an Easter morning of searching for hidden eggs and chocolates? If somebody "forgot" to hide them, that's what. Keep insisting that your Easter egg hunters have to "look harder" and "maybe you're missing some spots." Give them ten minutes searching before you announce the gag. This one can be a little mean, so have a backup location where the eggs are really hidden.
4 | Gross Chocolate Bunny Filling
ShutterstockGently remove the aluminum wrapper on a hollow chocolate bunny, bore a small hole in the bottom with a large nail, then fill the bunny with the filling of your choice. Make sure it's something disgusting, like mustard or Ranch dressing or anything else that doesn't belong with chocolate. Then rewrap the bunny and wait for the fireworks. Viva la Easter! Again, we don't recommend this gag for children: Only you're annoying sibling. And for more pure silliness, check out these 50 Puns So Bad They're Actually Funny.
5 | The Human Finger/Hand/Limb Under the Couch
ShutterstockHere's what makes Easter such a perfect time for pranking. People are digging around in corners of the house that they usually ignore, looking under furniture and tables and the backs of closets, trying to find all those hidden eggs and candy.
That's why it's such a perfect opportunity to leave props guaranteed to freak them out, like what appears to be a detached finger under the couch. Oh relax, it's just a hot dog! But for a split second, they'll think they discovered a butchered body part, and they'll scream and scream. Happy Easter! And if you want your dad howling with laughter this Easter, reel off some of these Dad Jokes So Bad They're Actually Hilarious.
6 | Grapes Wrapped like Chocolate Eggs
ShutterstockThe only problem with those mini chocolate Easter eggs is that it's too easy to keep popping them like they're breath mints. Well, this prank will put an end to that unhealthy habit.
Remove the gold foil, dispose of the chocolate—your mouth is one option, but you make that call—and then put each tiny piece of foil on every individual grape. If you really want to confuse people, leave a few real chocolates in there. Some people will get the real candy, and some will get the grapes. It's like the Easter Bunny is making some not-so-subtle hints about their nutrition choices.
7 | Kill the Wabbit… Kill the Wabbit
ShutterstockWhat's for Easter dinner? How about some braised rabbit? Here's a great recipe that looks easy enough. When your family asks why you decided to cook rabbit this year, you calmly announce, with an evil sneer, that you "caught it in the backyard… last night… leaving eggs everywhere."
Oh my gosh, did you really kill and cook the Easter Bunny? Aaiiiiieeeeghhhh!!! Give everybody a chance to freak out before you remind them that it's April 1st.
8 | Dirt-Eater
ShutterstockEaster is second only to Christmas as a holiday where we're not just allowed but encouraged to overindulge in sweets. But what's the fun of doing it on April Fools' Day if you're not freaking somebody out at the same time? Here's how to enjoy the best of both worlds.
Empty a package of Oreos and remove the cream filling, leaving just the cookie parts. Then crush up the cookies so it looks like black dark. Get yourself an empty flower pot and put the cookie crumbs inside. Then add some actual flowers, so it looks like they're planted in "soil." Wait for Easter morning, then nonchalantly lean over and scoop up a big handful of dirt. You'll make everyone run out of the room gagging, unaware that you're actually enjoying some delicious Oreo goodness.
9 | Glitter Eggs
ShutterstockLeave it to Pinterest to give us one of the most diabolical Easter prank ideas ever. You take one uncooked egg and cut a small hole in the bottom. Drain out the contents, rinse it with water, and then fill it with glitter. Yes, glitter. Place it gently in a basket with some decoy Easter eggs (i.e. those with actual eggs inside). On April Fools' morning, sneak up behind somebody and smash the egg over their head, and watch the glitter fly.
10 | Merry… Easter?
ShutterstockIt takes some doing to pull this off, but it's completely worth it. While your family sleeps, take out all the Christmas decorations from three months ago and decorate the house like it's December 24th. Put up some wreaths and garlands, hang Christmas lights everywhere, and if you're feeling really ambitious, set up a full Christmas tree.
When the kids wake up and you're dressed in your finest Christmas pajamas, ushering them towards the stockings hung by the chimney with care, they'll be genuinely confused and alarmed. When they pull colorful eggs out of their stockings, that's when it's time to yell, "Happy Easter! And April Fooooooools!"
11 | Oh, Wait, Were We Supposed to Cook the Eggs?
ShutterstockIt's a messy gag but a good one. Take a regular egg from the fridge and decorate it like you would any other Easter egg, except skipping the "hard boil it first" part. Make sure you're not the one to find it on Easter morning. Whatever unsuspecting family member gets it, encourage him or her to peel it open and enjoy a delicious hard-boiled egg inside. Whoops, is that raw egg yolk all over your lap? Looks like somebody is an April Fooooooool!
12 | Jelly Beans In The Toilet
ShutterstockFor added effect, include a note from the Easter Bunny, apologizing for forgetting to flush. Sorry!
13 | The Peep with a Hot Sauce Surprise
ShutterstockWhat could be better on Easter morning than a delicious marshmallow Peep? How about a peep filled with blistering hot sauce?
Just remove an individual Peep from its packaging, drill a small hole in the bottom with a paperclip, then fill it with your favorite hot sauce. (We recommend something with a lot of exclamation points on the label and a name like "Demon's Lament".) Leave it somewhere that an unsuspecting candy lover will find it. And if you're nice, leave a bucket of water nearby, for when his or her mouth catches fire.
14 | The Stubborn Plastic Easter Egg
ShutterstockPlastic Easters eggs are designed for children, so they shouldn't require much effort to twist open, right? Well, after you attach the two egg halves with a little epoxy glue, they can twist and twist until their knuckles turn blue, but that sucker ain't opening. Again—don't try this with young children. Play this on young teens who will enjoy the gag.
15 | Chalk Candy
ShutterstockHave you ever looked at the colorful sidewalk chalk that kids use to draw hopscotch patterns or crazy faces outside their homes, and thought, "That stuff almost looks edible?" No? Okay, maybe it's just us. But if you took that sidewalk chalk and wrapped it in tinfoil, and then put it in a basket with other Easter treats, we guarantee you that somebody would open it up and, without giving it a second thought, take a big chomp out of that chalk. April Fools! And for more on the prankster holiday of record, learn here Where April Fool's Day Actually Came From.
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