Last year was bleak. So this April Fool’s Day everyone from government agencies to brands and even Gina Rinehart jumped at the chance to generate some laughs in 2021.
Many organisations created their own promotional videos or press releases to test the credulity of the Australian public. Guardian Australia sorted through them all to bring you the best – and worst – of this year’s jokes.
Dachshunds on duty
Anyone who’s been through airport security is used to seeing German shepherds and labradors donning the uniform, but South Australian police on Thursday announced sausage dogs were joining their dog squad.
“We’re … going to be able to attach them to drones and that’s really a game-changer for us. They can be tactically deployed from that – you know, dropped down into people’s yards,” Sgt Simon Rosenhahn said in a promotional video featuring the policeman cuddling up to the new recruits.
“It’s been really hard work lifting those 40kg shepherds, especially above your head, into ceiling spaces,” Rosenhahn said while demonstrating lifting a dachshund towards an air vent.
‼️New Dog Operations initiative announced‼️ The ‘small area urban search and guided evacuation’ dogs will be part of SAPOL's capabilities from today🐕🦺https://t.co/hpVfrqiXsd pic.twitter.com/OTFulWBAbg
— South Australia Police (@SAPoliceNews) March 31, 2021
SBS puts viewers in picture
SBS was onto streaming before it was big, so you could almost believe the Special Broadcasting Service was offering “superior settings” like “Noir On Demand”.
For those who’ve already binged all of SBS’s Nordic Noir shows, SBS said on 1 April the “Noir on Demand” setting let die-hard fans bring the Scandinavian aesthetic to any scene, in any show, while “Fun On Demand” detected any elements that weren’t family-friendly, like a knife, and replaced it with a hairbrush.
Poking fun at the narcissism of the digital age, the promotional video ended with “coming later, SBS on demand will launch the most interactive experience yet … U On Demand. Where the latest in deep-fake facial replacement technology puts you in the picture of your favourite shows.”
Animal jokes never get old
Adrian Schrinner, the Brisbane lord mayor, named the bin chicken as a city emblem.
Soon after becoming Lord Mayor, I added the koala as a new city emblem. The koala joined the tree frog as our faunal emblems.
— Adrian Schrinner (@bne_lordmayor) March 31, 2021
Today, I’m announcing that Brisbane’s newest emblem will be the iconic ibis! pic.twitter.com/FDtnJ4jHtS
Transport NSW horsed around with a very Dad-humour equine pun game.
CAUTION! Horse on the loose - last seen at Normanhorste.
— Trains Info (@TrainsInfo) March 31, 2021
Please keep an eye out at Neiiiiighbouring stations 🐴
Answers to the name April.
Last seen heading for Hay-market.
DO NOT APPROACH! She suffers no fools... pic.twitter.com/oLqYXylisc
Products we wish were real
The promo for Lipton’s self-jiggling tea bags stated “bag jiggle technology guarantees even infusion and aids milk dispersement”.
The smell of old books – bottled? The eBooks company Rakuten Kobo released the image as a joke, but someone should really take up the idea. As described on its Facebook page, “with just a hint of the musty smell of aged paper, our new signature fragrance conjures memories of old-school reading with a sprinkling of violets and a dash of tasteful potpourri. For those who just *need* the scent of paper to dive into a good story, we’re here for you too”.
A taste too far
Sci-funny
Outdoor play company Vuly purported to sell the world’s first Anti-Gravity Trampoline. After revealing the promotion to be a joke, the company are now selling the April Fool’s Day video as a non-fungible-token (or NFT – a digital asset much like crypto currency) to the highest bidder to raise money for the Australian Trampoline Team, which they say “are grossly underfunded in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.”
Guardian Australia’s environment reporter, Graham Readfearn, was sent a press release purportedly from Nasa about the Mars rover finding single-use plastics.
Crime Stoppers Victoria announced its call takers were also trained mind readers and that the agency was “now accepting telepathic reporting.”
Crime Stoppers Victoria is now accepting telepathic reporting. 🧠
— Crime Stoppers Vic (@CrimeStopperVic) March 31, 2021
Our call takers are also trained mind readers so if you’d like to remain anonymous, don’t forget to think about it. 💭
Think you know something? Share your thoughts with us today!#aprilfools pic.twitter.com/vO8J0aqhw6
Wait a sec – this isn’t a joke?
Australia’s wealthiest woman, mining billionaire Gina Rinehart, has just published a collection of jokes, quotes and cartoons in a book titled Jokes and Joys.
Sky News reported Rinehart’s purpose in publishing the book was “to bring joy to those doing it tough”.
Jokes and Joys was launched across 12 locations with guests from the world of politics, including Bronwyn Bishop, sharing their favourite jokes from the book. Sky News reported guests attending the launch said “laughter is desperately needed in an era of political correctness”.
“All profits from the book are going to the Cambodian Children’s Fund, Shine Awards, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the Country Women’s Association,” the broadcaster said.
Sky News insisted on Thursday afternoon the story was legitimate and no joke.
South Australia has rivalled the Northern Territory for the lewdest tourism advertisement.
Debate raged all day on Thursday over whether the latest South Australian tourism campaign, Taste Down South, which launched on 31 March, was an April Fool’s joke.
The campaign slogan asks Australians to “go down south with your mouth”. The accompanying video invites people to “bask in Australian bush”.
The ABC suggested Adam Blackburn and Blaze Tripp, the entrepreneurs behind the notorious Northern Territory tourism slogan “CU in the NT” were also behind the South Australian campaign.
A spokesperson for the South Australian Tourism Commission confirmed the state government was not responsible for the campaign.
The listed media contact for Taste Down South, Clarke Reid, was approached for comment but, like the ABC and several other media outlets reported, the number diverted straight to an answering machine.
The UK: "Eat Out To Help Out" is hands down the horniest government slogan of all time
— Caitlin Richardson 🇬🇧🏳️⚧️ (@CaitlinRose52) March 31, 2021
South Australia: Hold my beer https://t.co/7YpZscYGUD
