Curated

These were the best April Fools' Day pranks in Toronto this year

Kimia Afshar Mehrabi
Kimia Afshar Mehrabi
|
Apr 1 2024, 7:12 pm
These were the best April Fools' Day pranks in Toronto this year
Raptor leg at Sanagan's Meat Locker

It’s officially April Fools’ Day 2024 in Toronto, and as expected, many local organizations, agencies, restaurants, politicians, and businesses took to social media in hopes of pranking their followers.

From revolting food combinations to bizarre partnerships and AI-generated images, here are our picks for some of the best April Fools’ Day pranks that tricked people in Toronto this year.

Canada’s Wonderland hotel

The social team behind the 134-hectare amusement park in Vaughan turned heads on Monday morning when they announced the 2025 “opening” of a jaw-dropping hotel inside the park’s Wonder Mountain.

The promotional video immediately caught the attention of thrill seekers around the city after it showed off the hotel’s 25 sound-proof and ride-themed rooms with views of the entire amusement park.

Willy Wonka Experience at Ontario Place

As the controversial redevelopment of Ontario Place and Therme’s wellness complex remains top of mind, the grassroots community group Ontario Place for All decided to drop AI-generated images of a “Willy Wonka Experience” coming to the waterfront space.

The group joked that tickets to the House of Illuminati-backed program would start at $44 and feature cotton candy towers, Ferris wheels, and a spa pool lined with lollipops.

The prank is an obvious play on the disastrous Willy Wonka Experience held in Glasgow earlier this year that failed to live up to its AI-generated advertisements.

Weird food combinations at Gus Tacos

The Toronto-based taco chain took a break from its usual feed full of mouthwatering Mexican treats to advertise its new head-scratching food combinations, which included horchata with salsa verde, pineapple consomé, and “tacos de nada” featuring no meat with a sprinkle of onions and cilantro.

“Got me good!” one customer wrote under the post. “What’s next? Jamaica with hot sauce?” another comment reads.

Pork soft serve at Sunny’s Chinese

This Michelin Bib Gourmand spot decided to combine some of its most popular menu items for a sweet and salty treat. “New soft serve alert,” Sunnys Chinese wrote in a post on Monday morning, advertising its new “dessert” featuring its twice-cooked Tanjo Farms Pork and daily soft serve.

While some were confused by the flavour combinations, others were eager to try it out, noting that the Sichaun’s heat might be complimented well by the icy chill of the soft serve.

Nut-free facility at The Roasted Nut Company

Known for its freshly roasted nuts and coffee, this Queen Street West café confused its followers this morning when it announced that it would be processing its products in a completely nut-free facility after months of innovation and brainstorming.

“Here’s to taking our passion for nuts to the next level,” the company wrote as it joked about its impossible venture.

Ikea Canada’s meatball furniture

Have you ever wanted to take your love for Ikea’s Swedish meatballs to the next level? Well, you’ll probably be disappointed to hear that their latest product “launch” was just an April Fools’ Day joke.

The furniture retail company took to Instagram on Monday to announce its latest collection, KÖTTBULLAR. The savoury “collection” includes a giant meatball armchair for $159, a delicious pillow for $19.99, and a duvet cover in a meatball pattern for $34.99.

“Don’t play with me Ikea, I want a giant meatball beanbag immediately,” one person wrote under the post.

Councillor Josh Matlow’s canal motion

Josh Matlow, City Councillor for Ward 12 Toronto — St. Paul’s, pranked his followers bright and early on Monday morning when he announced that he would be moving a motion to replace curb lanes throughout the city with canals at the next city council meeting.

Matlow added that the motion would be backed by Stephen Holyday, City Councillor for Ward 2 – Etobicoke Centre, and would provide a fluid way of moving around the congested city.

Raptor leg at Sanagan’s Meat Locker

This Toronto-based butcher shop chain turned heads when it announced that its latest product, the Raptor leg, would be hitting its shelves on Monday.

“While Jurassic Park is just a fantasy, scientists have figured out how to replicate dinosaur DNA for meat production. It’s a fledgling industry, and probably one that Florida will eventually ban, but we wanted to see what y’all thought of it,” the butcher shop wrote, adding that the legs would run for $73.99 per pound, while supplies last.

Lightning at Pearson Airport

The team at Toronto Pearson Airport managed to prank many of their followers on Monday when they uploaded a seemingly serious video of “lightning” striking the travel hub.

As viewers anxiously waited for the lightning to appear, several images of Lightning McQueen, the protagonist of the Pixar franchise Cars, zoomed across the screen. “Good one,” several followers wrote under the post.

Lip balms at McDonald’s Canada

While McDonald’s Canada is regularly bombarded with requests to bring back nostalgic menu items, the fast food chain decided to drop a few products virtually no one asked for just in time for April Fools’ Day.

“Available at a McD’s nowhere near u (check the date),” the fast food chain wrote, as it shared multiple images of its new lip balms in a variety of flavours, including Big Mac Sauce, Oreo McFlurry, and Extra Pickles.

“Extra pickles! Was going to add this to my cart until I saw the comments,” one person commented under the post. “Jokes aside I would def wear the Oreo one,” another person said.

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