April Fool's jokes and hoaxes
By MARLENE HABIB
(CP) - Joke radars were in high gear Thursday as April Fool's Day pranksters took aim at everything from luxury transportation to avid joggers and Alberta's rival NHL teams.
Even expectant mothers weren't off limits on the unofficial holiday also known as All Fool's Day - whose history is unclear, but which is said to have evolved from celebrations involving the first day of spring. While everyone is on a heightened sense of alert for joke media reports on April 1, it's not so commonplace for giant companies to get in on the act.
BMW Canada jumped on the get-your-goat bandwagon Thursday with a series of ads in Toronto newspapers.
Both BMW enthusiasts and golfers may have been momentarily excited about an alleged new Beemer on the market played up in a half-page ad announcing the auto-maker's 18-series - golf cart.
Like its luxury road cousins, the ad said, the golf cart is said to come with everything, including all-wheel drive and a 14-inch plasma screen.
The Toronto Star also carried a spoof BMW ad, this one announcing the auto-maker's support for the construction of the first phase of a Canadian autobahn, or super-highway, with no speed limit.
BMW responded to an e-mail from Broadcast News with a straightforward reply saying the company is proud of bringing its engineering know-how to sporting goods.
A link on BMW's website announced Thursday its ads were April Fool's jokes.
The company didn't say how many people tried to place an order for the cart or showed support for the autobahn.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/04/01/404877-cp.html
By MARLENE HABIB
(CP) - Joke radars were in high gear Thursday as April Fool's Day pranksters took aim at everything from luxury transportation to avid joggers and Alberta's rival NHL teams.
Even expectant mothers weren't off limits on the unofficial holiday also known as All Fool's Day - whose history is unclear, but which is said to have evolved from celebrations involving the first day of spring. While everyone is on a heightened sense of alert for joke media reports on April 1, it's not so commonplace for giant companies to get in on the act.
BMW Canada jumped on the get-your-goat bandwagon Thursday with a series of ads in Toronto newspapers.
Both BMW enthusiasts and golfers may have been momentarily excited about an alleged new Beemer on the market played up in a half-page ad announcing the auto-maker's 18-series - golf cart.
Like its luxury road cousins, the ad said, the golf cart is said to come with everything, including all-wheel drive and a 14-inch plasma screen.
The Toronto Star also carried a spoof BMW ad, this one announcing the auto-maker's support for the construction of the first phase of a Canadian autobahn, or super-highway, with no speed limit.
BMW responded to an e-mail from Broadcast News with a straightforward reply saying the company is proud of bringing its engineering know-how to sporting goods.
A link on BMW's website announced Thursday its ads were April Fool's jokes.
The company didn't say how many people tried to place an order for the cart or showed support for the autobahn.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2004/04/01/404877-cp.html