Top 4 Logistics April Fools Day Pranks

Some of the oldest April Fools Day pranks are based on logistics. In Scotland and Ireland, a common prank was to seal an “important letter” and send someone to deliver it to a specific person. When that specific person received the letter, it would say something to the effect of “Now it’s your turn to send this moron on another wild goose chase.” Technically, goods were moved from one place to another. See? Logistics. 

That’s not the only logistics-based April Fool’s Day prank, though. We combed the internet to find some others. Not that we’re looking for ideas, and even if we were, we don’t think we could pull these off. 

4. The Flying Penguins 

Image by @corneliusventures via unsplash

We’re all familiar with the concept of penguins, right? They’re birds, they like the cold, and they can’t fly. You might think of them as the cold-weather version of the emu, another flightless bird that won a war against a group of humans. And that’s not a hoax, by the way. Humans really did lose a war against a bunch of birds. 

Where were we? Right. Like we said, penguins can’t fly. It’s okay. Neither can we. They’re probably great at other forms of logistics and transportation. But in 2008, the BBC made a very convincing film trailer saying that penguins can indeed fly. Well, not all of them. Just the very rare “flying penguin.” 

The whole thing was narrated by Terry Jones, who is famous for his work in Monty Python. That probably should have been a clue. 

3. The Flying People 

image by @dariusbashar via unsplash

Penguins don’t get to have all the fun with fake flying, though. Humans got there first. In 1976, Sir Patrick Moore, a British astronomer, told BBC Radio 2 listeners all about the Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect. Moore explained that two planets would align perfectly at 9:47 am, causing a reverse gravitational pull. If a person were to jump in the air at exactly that time, they would float. 

The only problem is that the Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect isn’t real. That didn’t stop people from believing it. To be honest, we don’t really blame them. Sir Patrick Moore wore a monocle and everything. He had some credibility. The really weird part is that dozens of people called the station to claim that it totally worked. We have several questions. 

2. The Diverted Space Shuttle 

Image by @nasa via unsplash

Ok, look! Another space shuttle just made its way into our logistics conversation. Sort of. Last time this happened, we were talking about a real space shuttle in the context of heavy-haul shipping. This time, the space shuttle in question didn’t actually exist. Well, the shuttle was real, but the landing was a hoax. 

In 1993 in San Diego, a local radio station convinced its listeners that the space shuttle Discovery would be landing in Montgomery Field, a small area that doesn’t generally (or ever) host space equipment. Still, enough people drove to the field to cause a major traffic jam. 

1. The Shaving Cream Iceberg

Image by @htn_films via unsplash

Our last logistics prank comes from Sydney Harbor in 1978. A millionaire, appropriately named Dick Smith, towed an entire iceberg into the Harbor. He claimed he had towed the iceberg all the way from Antarctica and would be cutting it into ice cubes. And then the rain showed up, which is how the “iceberg” was revealed to be another ship covered in foam, plastic, and shaving cream. 

We Put Our Clients and Carriers First, and That’s No Joke 

There have been some elaborate logistics-based pranks over the years, but what’s not a joke is our dedication to our customers. Whether you’re a shipper or carrier, get in touch with us for service so good that it’s not even funny. We promise that we’re too focused for any juvenile pranks*. 

*aside from one fake cricket, but that was for the home office