These Unhinged Brands Pranked Us All With Top-Tier April Fools' Jokes

Man laughing while scrolling on a smartphone.

It's April Fools' Day, which means today, more than any, you really can't believe everything you see on social media.

Brands are acting more unhinged than usual as they share very official-looking announcements that will leave you scratching your head and doing double-takes while asking, "Is this real?"

Granted, today is the day when pranksters and jokesters flourish, it's also the day many of us are embarrassed by our media literacy (or lack thereof). But instead of sticking our tails between our legs all ashamed that the marketing teams at big-name brands like Dunkin' and environmental agencies got one over on us, we may as well come together and share a laugh.

Dunkin' renamed itself to just "Donuts"

Yep, you read that right. The fan-favorite coffee chain announced earlier today that it will be "changing" its name "again." In an Instagram post, the team wrote: "Announcement we're changing our name again. now we're just DONUTS'. we will have coffee still. pls don't ask any other questions. just going thru it rn. - DONUTS'"

The brand even designed new merch to reflect its sudden rebrand.

The Rainforest Cafe opened a new location at the Empire State Building

The Empire State Building shared a sick and twisted joke on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) that it would be welcoming the newest location of Rainforest Cafes to its rooftop–something that could have been really cool, but apparently, we can't have anything.

T.J. MAXX has become just a candle store

"???? breaking news ???? we’re sticking to what we do best—candles only!" the department store claimed alongside a photo of its store signage, which was edited to read: "T.J. WAXX."

Narwhals made "a comeback" to New York Harbor

While conservationists have previously celebrated the improved water quality in New York Harbor, citing it as the main culprit many aquatic species have returned to the city's waterway, this one is nothing other than a joke–a controversial one at that–made by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Driscoll's discovered a new berry

The produce giant shared an expertly photoshopped image along with a convincing caption that had fans excited, until they checked their calendars, then they got sad. "Combining the sweet and juicy flavor of raspberries with the oh-so-bluetiful color of blueberries, our NEW Blue Bliss?? Raspberries have the delicious flavor of your favorite candy and a sweetness that's FOOLISHLY good," the post read in part.

Scotch expanded its empire from tape to alcohol

Whiskey enthusiasts want to know "will it stick or will it go down smooth" after Scotch branded tape revealed it would be "launching" a new product on Instagram, "Scotch - The name that is loved by many... and in so many forms.??Introducing ?? Scotch Whisky by Scotch? Brand. A spirit worthy of our heritage and your tastebuds."

Sour Patch Kids grew up

In a series of several tweets, the makers of Sour Patch Kids claimed that its candies had "grown up" and apologized for the "tomfoolery," "mischief" and past "child-like behavior," going on to say the sweets would now be marketed as Sour Patch Adults because the brand is "Not a kid anymore." Though it later walked back its statement and said the brand was "just kid-ding" it appears as though there may be a market for Sour Patch Adults as the term is currently trending on Google.

OLIPOP collaborated with Pringles for a Sour Cream and Onion-flavored beverage

The social media photo opp may look convincing, but don't let it fool you–Pringles Sour Cream and Onion flavored soda is not coming to stores (thankfully).

BabyQuip developed a baby babble translator

Communicating with your little one just got a whole lot easier with this translator app made by BabyQuip–just kidding! No one knows what your kid is saying.

Sweetgreen debuted an 'After Salad Kit'

Why use regular toothpaste and floss, when you could brush your teeth with spicy cashew mint and clean in-between them with cilantro lime floss? If this was real, the big toothpaste brands may have had something to worry about.

7-Eleven planned ahead and officially confirmed its Hot Dog Water announcement was fake

Convenience store giant 7-Eleven fooled us all when it teased a new product it had planned to launch–even sending influencers cans of the Sparkling Hot Dog Water it said would be coming to stores. Today, we learned it was all a joke, though the company seems open to revisiting the idea now that it knows just how many people want to try it. Until it gets sorted, though, we're all stuck drinking hot ham water for now.

Next: Internet Is Convinced Limited-Edition Pepsi Flavor Is an April Fools’ Joke: ‘Drop It in a Rubbish Bin’