April Fool's Day Photo Hoaxes

The German magazine Echo Continental reported the development of a new triple-decker city bus. Echo Continental was the trade publication of the auto and truck parts manufacturer Continental AG. The magazine focused on automobile and racing news. More…

The Dutch magazine Het Leven published a photo of a "Super Horse" that it said would be on display in Rotterdam. More…

"WILLACOOCHE, Ga., April 1. — Babe Ruth, the big Bambino of the Yanks, revealed here today that he has lost so much weight by intensive spring training that he has been forced to give up his career as a baseball player and become a jockey.

Ruth, who formerly could cover more ground than any outfielder in the American League—also while sitting down—now tips the beam at a mere 108 pounds. If he fails as a jockey, he may seek the flyweight boxing championship."

[Miami News-Record - Apr 1, 1930] More…

A Berlin newspaper published a photo of a four-story bus. The newspaper subsequently received several thousand letters inquiring where the bus could be seen, how many people it could hold, how fast it could travel, how much it cost to build, and how it managed to go under bridges and trolley wires without being wrecked. More…

"While all San Antonio craned their necks skyward Wednesday, the huge Graf Zeppelin surprised residents by soaring over the city and mooring to the Smith-Young tower. Hugo Eckener offered free rides to all air-minded persons. Oh, well — April Fool! — Harvey Patteson Photo." [San Antonio Light - Apr 1, 1931] More…

A German newspaper ran a "news photo" of a giant five-foot-high penguin kissing a man with its long beak. The accompanying story explained that the penguin had recently been brought to Berlin and was being kept in a private zoo. The story created a minor sensation. Pet store owners, animal trainers, and naturalists all received numerous calls from people wishing to see the giant penguin. More…

"No, the courthouse cracks aren't this big yet. This was concocted by a waggish Journal photographer and an equally waggish Journal artist as an April fool joke on the picture page editor and here it is passed along to the defenseless reader. It is certain that one reader — Architect Ross — won't think it funny. If it will serve as a somewhat belated warning against April fool pranksters it will have served its purpose."

[The Milwaukee Journal - Apr 1, 1932] More…

A German newspaper ran a picture of an inventor testing a flying bicycle over Tempelhof airfield in Berlin. The picture was actually a photomontage created from a shot of the inventor taken the previous month, as he prepared to test his "rocket bicycle" on a rooftop at Tempelhof. More…

"Government fire boats steamed up the San Antonio River, two navy Zeppelins dropped chemicals, but all efforts to save the San Antonio postoffice early this morning were unavailing. The fire was incendiary, as shown by the flames spurting from all windows at the same time. Thousands of April 1 bills were destroyed. Maybe we will get our new postoffice now. Perhaps you have guessed, it's only APRIL FOOL." [San Antonio Light - Apr 1, 1932] More…

The Madison Capital-Times ran a picture on its front page showing the dome of the Wisconsin State Capitol collapsing. A headline announced, "Dome Topples Off Statehouse." The subhead read, "Officials Say Legislature Generated Too Much Hot Air."

The image provoked strong public reaction and became one of the most notorious April Fool's Day photo hoaxes ever. More…

"Babe Ruth himself — see him over the bar? — putting a little finesse into pole vaulting. His regular exercise on days like this one. Fine for reducing — and the Babe's gone in for that lately." More…

"It's Gandhi, of all people, all decked out in golf togs and with a smile that looks as if he's just got a birdie — perhaps with a pinch of salt. Maybe this was his day for golf. At any rate, he seems pleased." More…

The Dutch magazine Het Leven ran an article about a flying bicycle designed by inventor Peter Müller. Photographs showed the bicycle successfully taking off and soaring above Amsterdam. More…

In April 1934, many American newspapers (including The New York Times) printed a photo of a man flying through the air by means of a device powered by the breath from his lungs. The man, identified as German pilot Erich Kocher, was said to be blowing into a box on his chest, which activated rotors that created a powerful suction effect, lifting him aloft. Skis on his feet served as landing gear, and a tail fin allowed him to steer.

The photo was actually a joke from the April Fool's Day edition of the Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung. More…

The Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung ran a photo of the Statue of Liberty. The photo was supposedly taken from Europe by means of "infrared remote photography". The rocky islands visible in the foreground were England and Ireland. More…

"The picture... shows the present plight of the former three most powerful dictators of Europe, summarily ousted by their parties when they were discovered in a hotel room playing a game called 'Guns, Guns — Who's got the Munitions Contract?' Der ex-Reichfuhrer Adolf Hitler, dejection in every line of his face, is gratefully receiving a handout. Italy's Benito Mussolini pushes in for his turn, hoping vainly that there'll be spaghetti. Russia's Joseph Stalin, third in line, smiles sardonically at the turn of events, and has just coined a little wisecrack: 'Let them eat crusts!'"

[Picture distributed by the Newspaper Enterprise Association] More…

"Here is the first picture of the new Harmony Three formed by Father Coughlin, Senator Long and General Johnson. After weeks of bitter wrangling about financial problems they have accepted a vaudeville contract which solves for them, personally, at least, all further worries about money. They were snapped during a rehearsal of their opening number, which begins like this:

Oh, we're Charley and Huey and Hugh!
We're pals: no hooey—that's true!
The state of the nation—depression—inflation
No longer makes each of us blue—hey-hey!
For we're Charley and Huey and Hugh.

Note how enthusiastically the General, who sings bass, is coming in on the last note. Each member of the trio also does a specialty turn. Father Coughlin sings: 'Love Thy Neighbor.' Senator Long performs a political contortion by straddling a fence, keeping an ear to the ground, and playing 'Every Man a King' on the big bassoon— all at the same time. General Johnson does an interpretive dance, 'The Dying Eagle,' in the manner of Mary Wigman."
[Picture distributed by the Newspaper Enterprise Association] More…

"H.R.H. Edward, Prince of Wales, is seen placing a ring on the finger of his bride. Note that she is masked. This precaution was considered necessary to hide her identity from several thousand members of the Girls Who Have Danced With the Prince of Wales Association, whose protest demonstration staged outside the palace during the ceremony had reached the proportions of a riot."

[Photo distributed by the Newspaper Enterprise Association] More…

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin ran a story about the discovery of an ancient Viking ship in a sandstone quarry near Waimanalo, Oahu. The article was written in a tone of absolute seriousness, discussing details of the ship such as its dimensions and objects found alongside it. The only clue that the article wasn't entirely serious came at the end, when it was revealed that the letters A—R—FJOL—E. had been found inscribed on the stern of the vessel. Lest this was too subtle, the article noted that, "Its equivalent in English is APRIL FOOL." More…

The Philadelphia Record ran a story, with accompanying photo, titled, "Deep Sea Monster Visits Philadelphia." More…

The San Antonio Light revealed that a plot to move the Alamo from San Antonio to Dallas had been foiled at the last minute:

"Vigilance of patriotic San Antonians Wednesday was all that saved the historic Alamo for this city. Since Dallas was awarded main Centennial celebration, its citizens have been casting envious eyes on the shrine of Texas liberty. Early rising San Antonians today were astounded to find the Alamo had been loaded on trucks, preparatory to being taken bodily to Dallas for exhibition at the Centennial. Irate citizens and hastily summoned police halted the outrage and restored Alamo to its proper place." More…

"Old Rye, N.H.—A freak windstorm spells things in branches of willow trees." [Life, Mar 22, 1937.] More…

"The Flume, N.H.—Local boy builds boat, finds it too big, sandpapers it down to fit." [Life, Mar 22, 1937.] More…

"Charleston, R.I.—Dr. Harold Sand's pet oyster-eating hippo escapes from backyard." [Life, Mar 22, 1937.] More…

"Boston—General George Washington is caught backwards on his charger in the Public Gardens." [Life, Mar 22, 1937.] More…

"The equator was recently photographed for the first time in history. It turned out to be a broad white line which this schooner had difficulty in hurdling." [Life - Apr 4, 1938] More…

North Carolina's Twin City Sentinel ran a story on its front page claiming that "a long sleek transatlantic steamer," the S.S. Santa Pinta, had "plowed through the muddy waters of Yadkin River and anchored ten miles west of Winston-Salem." An accompanying photo showed the stranded steamer. Hundreds of people (who hadn't read to the end of the article to see the phrase "An April Fool's Dream!") drove out to see the steamer, resulting in a traffic jam on the highway. More…

Life magazine published a selection "strange photographs" which they identified as being typical of the kind that appeared in German newspapers and magazines on April 1. "Every April Fool's Day, the German press goes on a spree of printing photographic hoaxes, sprinkling fake pictures in with real ones, leaving readers to guess which is which."

Included among the "strange photographs" was the "ten-stack super liner" shown above:

"Its launching was announced for April 1. The photographer christened the ship President Roosevelt, declared that among its many superlative features was an auto track on which car-crazy Americans could race just to keep their hands in." [Life - Apr 4, 1938] More…

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that Norwegian scientist Dr. Thorkel Gellison (an authority on prevaricana) caught the largest fish ever recorded while on holiday in Hawaii. He took the fish, which was of the species Gellisoni Fabricata, "with ordinary Mason & Dixon line, with a leader of Associated Press wire."

The gigantic fish was later exhibited to cheering thousands in a parade through downtown Honolulu, while Dr. Gellison sat atop the fish, waving to his admirers. More…

The San Antonio Light reported that San Antonians were barricading themselves indoors after 13 lions escaped from the zoo and were "spreading terror" throughout the city. The paper's "intrepid photographer" supplied a picture of the beasts prowling loose outside of the downtown Municipal Auditorium.

The Light later reported that its switchboard operator "got over 200 calls on the lions in front of the auditorium picture alone asking whether the felines had been captured. One man wouldn't believe it was a joke, saying, 'You can't fool me. I saw the lions in the picture and pictures are one thing that don't lie.'" More…

"CAMERA DECEIVES THE EYE... Don't be misled, folks, Miss Marjorie Tanner, Weber college beauty, is no bottle baby— she merely obliged the staff photographer by climbing into the bottle so that he could hand the editor an April Fool photograph." [The Ogden Standard-Examiner - Apr 1, 1939]

"Is this Lilliput land? Not at all, it is Main Street in Spartanburg. You can hardly believe your eyes, for you didn't see this skyscraper man towering over four and five-story buildings? Take a look at the date line on this paper and you will understand why today everything is possible and even the camera may live. It's April Fool's Day." [The Spartanburg Herald - Apr 1, 1940] More…

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that Norwegian scientist Thorkel Gellison (fellow of the King Haakon Loof Lirpa Society) had invented wings that allowed men to fly. He had recently demonstrated his invention in Hawaii. He had also supplied these wings to the Finnish army, leading the Russians to decide to move for a truce with Finland. More…

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that motorists near Waikiki were shocked to see an enormous prehistoric lizard crawl out of a drainage canal and stretch out on a golf club fairway. But famed Norwegian scientist Dr. Thorkel Gellison assured everyone that the creature was harmless. It was a rare species of Gigantica fibicus that had been frozen in ice for 100,000 years before he thawed it out and brought it with him to Hawaii. He explained that it liked to dive into the drainage canal after golf balls, which it thought were the eggs of the extinct Hooey bird. More…

The Elkhart Daily Truth detailed a plan to create a protective air fleet for Indiana at low cost by attaching miniature, eight-ounce bombs to 25,000 crows, which would be trained to release the bombs on the enemy. The report included a photograph of one of the "Black Bombers." The "bomb" in the picture was really a salt shaker, and the crow was stuffed.

Although the crow bombers were an April Fool's day joke, there really was a plan developed and tested by the U.S. military during World War II to create "bat bombs" by strapping incendiary devices to bats, and then dropping the bats on Japanese cities. More…

Maine's Lewiston Evening Journal ran a photo on its front page showing downtown Lewiston flooded. The caption offered the following explanation:

High water Hulett square? Sure, it's an April Fool joke, but just how the picture was taken is the photographer's own private little joke. The picture was taken this morning, definitely. The public works department crew was NOT called upon to open hydrants. The photographer did NOT get his feet wet. Store clerks and bank tellers did NOT have to take to the lifeboats. Asked 'how' as well as when, where, and why, the photographer said 'it is understood from a reliable source that magic can be produced with mirrors.' More…

"Here is what the Kingsport Times' photographer, Ronnie Ezell, claims is the prize picture of the year (well, day anyway). He says this plane sliced the steeple at the First Presbyterian Church and despite the condition of the airplane's wing fluttered off in the direction of Gate City. (Or maybe the photographer said he was the one who had just fluttered in from Gate City.)" [Kingsport Times (Tennessee) - Apr 1, 1942] More…

"A couple of Junior High School graduates may solve Coach James Freeman's problems in rebuilding the line of the Dobyns-Bennett high school football team next fall. The two young football giants are G.W. and D.W. Sally... they're identical twins, known to team mates as 'Double Trouble'." [Kingsport Times - Apr 1, 1943] More…

"Evelyn Parent decided that to keep a man in these times one must take drastic steps, so she promptly sprayed her choice with a reducing fluid and bottled him up. How did she get him in there?? Maybe she has the old sea captain's secret of putting the ship in the bottle. Or it is just possible that this is all the photographer's idea of an APRIL FOOL joke." [Lewiston Evening Journal - Apr 1, 1944] More…

"When Goebbels, Hess, Hitler and Goering, suitcases in hand, marched through Times Square in New York, pedestrians ignored them. But then, maybe it's because on closer inspection, they look suspiciously like Alexander Pope, Victor Varconi, Robert Watson and Martin Kosleck, as they appear in the movie, 'The Hitler Gang,' and if you'll look at the calendar you'll see it's April First." [The Ogden Standard-Examiner - Apr 1, 1944] More…

"As shown in the picture above, part of the famed Rosenberg memorial to Texas heroes lies crashed onto the pavement at the intersection of 25th and Broadway, site of the monument. Puzzling part of the strange scene which greets the eyes of Galvestonians this morning is how the usually lofty lady of the laurel wreath managed to drop onto the base of the memorial when the supporting column was 'cut' from under her. Well, to be perfectly frank, the photographer was johnny-on-the-spot. By keeping up with the date and by 'super-imposing' parts of photographs, the above April 1 picture resulted. Just as an April Fool's picture, you know! To repeat — just an April Fool joke." [The Galveston Daily News - Apr 1, 1947] More…

"Enterprise newsboys fall from the sky." Photograph by Stanley Bauman for The Enterprise (Brockton, Mass.). More…

The San Antonio Light warned that two hippos and two alligators had escaped from the zoo and were at large in the San Antonio River. More…

Pageant magazine ran an illustrated inside feature about Garson Inconnu, a four-year-old boy genius who had worked on the Manhattan Project, helping to build the atom bomb. The article explained that the U.S. government had concealed the boy's existence, fearing he might "fall prey to alien agents." More…

International Soundphoto distributed a photo of a flying bus swooping over the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France. The photo ran in many papers, accompanied by the caption: "Well, Well, look how all those Parisians are being missed by the bus at Place de la Concorde. Anything can happen in the French capital on April Fool's day, they say, but it is suspected that some zany darkroom jokester had something to do with this." [Newsweek - Apr 10, 1950.]

A giant ocean liner was spotted traveling down the Los Angeles River. The Los Angeles Examiner published the photographic evidence.

The Progress (Clearfield, Pennsylvania) published a picture of a flying saucer, supposedly hovering over the business section of Clearfield. The photo caption read, "Scoring an unquestioned scoop on the other newspapers of the nation, Life, and Look magazines and other pictorial publications, The Progress proudly presents today the first published picture of a 'flying saucer' in the air."

The Cologne Neue Illustrierte published a picture of "a tiny, aluminum-covered man" who had supposedly been rescued from a saucer that had crash landed after being shot by American anti-aircraft guns. The planet this being came from was unknown. More…

The Wiesbadener Tagblatt published a photo of a "Martian in the USA," showing American soldiers accompanying a one-legged creature with "a large head and a very small body." More…

In honor of April Fool's Day, French fashion designer Jean Dessès used photomontages to dress Parisian landmarks in his gowns. For instance, he outfitted a street lamp in sight of the Eiffel Tower in a softly tailored beige and brown wool suit and a brown felt hat. More…

The San Antonio Light reported the collapse of a pedestrian overpass, though it noted that "the collapse might have been engineered by subversive elements":
"children had just passed over the span on their way to the school's playground when the steel structure began to vibrate. As they turned to watch, open-mouthed, the structure fell 40 feet onto the concrete roadway with a thunderous crash. A Light photographer was photographing a kite-flying competition nearby and rushed to the scene to take the dramatic picture shown above." More…

"This horse has been shown throughout the world to millions in order to convince them that a two-headed horse exists. It will participate in the Alamance Saddle Club horse show on April 26. Miss McLeod believes two heads are better than one because in some previous close races, Ichabod has been able to turn one head to watch the opposition from behind while his other head is turned forward to keep pace with the horses ahead." [The Burlington (N.C.) Daily Times-News - Apr 1, 1952] More…

"Australian scientists reportedly are puzzled by a strange species of ostrich, left, discovered in the Melbourne zoo. It has a beautiful neck, shapely legs, and feet resembling high-heeled shoes. April Fool! Under the plumage is Renita Kramer, a novelty dancer." [International Photo] More…

"One of the Herald's photographers, Jim Parker, who has since been banished to the north, wandered up to the editor's desk the other day and offered this picture for publication. The editor recognized it as the Calgary city hall but could see no news in it as somebody is usually blowing their top over something the city does or does not do." [The Calgary Herald - Apr 1, 1954] More…

"Herald photographer Jim Parker's sleep-clouded eyes snapped wide open this morning when he reached for the milk on the doorstep and found this instead. He couldn't believe it. In fact neither can we, but he took the picture for proof just before the Mrs. confiscated his bottle baby."

[The Calgary Herald - Apr 1, 1955] More…

"What's This? — Gail Speicher gives her French poodle 'Domino' an airing. But wait a minute ... that's no poodle! Seems like anything can happen today. It's April Fool."
[Lebanon Daily News - Apr 1, 1959] More…

The Lawrence Daily Journal-World reported that a group of science students had launched Kansas University's World War II Memorial Tower into orbit:

"A group of Kansas University science students Tuesday night sneaked up on Mt. Oread, equipped the Memorial Campanile with rockets and as APRIL 1 dawned today they ran their count-down and sent the famed 'singing silo' of Lawrence zooming toward orbit. There was some question today, however, as to whether Ronald Barnes, KU carilloneur, was allowed to get out of the tower before it was launched from its Jayhawk pad." More…

The Light of San Antonio, Texas reported that a huge army missile had accidentally escaped from Kelly Air Force Base during testing, "screamed over San Antonio," and crashed into a water tank near Trinity University. An accompanying picture showed the missile embedded in the ground as water from the tank poured over it. An Airforce Colonel was quoted as saying, "We're spending a great deal of money and much of this nation's international diplomacy is based on the armed strength this and other units like it achieve. So I hope you'll understand why I have no more time for this damned April Fool gag." More…

The Pennsylvania Bedford Express ran a photograph on its front page of an atomic submarine floating in the Raystown River. The paper was subsequently flooded with calls from its readers: "Was there really a sub in the river? Where is it now? Has it left yet?" The image was created by a Gazette photographer who superimposed a picture of the sub onto a picture of the river. The Raystown River is only three feet deep in the Bedford area. [Syracuse Herald-Journal, Apr 2, 1960.] More…

Evening Standard photographer John Polink caught a picture of chariots racing down the Main Street of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. More…

An image distributed by news services that appeared to show a dentist removing a lion's tooth. The image was actually a photomontage. More…

The Appleton Post-Crescent reported that a bizarre "half-animal half-reptile" creature had been discovered by a local resident, Lester E. Grube:

"Possessed of a head and fore-legs like a dog, the creature's body-trunk and tail is reptile-like — similar to an alligator or iguana. It weighs about 35 pounds and thus far has uttered not one sound."

The next day, the Post-Crescent noted that Lester Grube (who was a real Post-Crescent employee) had received calls all day from people wanting to see the creature. More…

Seventeen-year-old Dave Devine of Indianapolis posed for this shot while waiting for the bus home from school. The legs belonged to Craig Decker, a classmate. The masonry was part of the Indiana statehouse. More…

The front page of the Scottdale Daily Courier showed a photo of a large sinkhole that had reportedly formed at a busy intersection downtown. The crater was estimated to be 45 feet deep.

The picture fooled many readers, despite the "April Fool" notation in the caption. The Courier later reported:

"One family was indignant when a member returned home from downtown Saturday and did not even mention the fact that a large portion of the street had caved in. Other readers expressed concern for the safety of passengers in the autos in the picture. Others coming downtown later Saturday to see the hole marveled at the rapid fill-in and repavement of the mythical 'mine sink.'" More…

"So there you are on the San Diego Freeway and you want to make a simple little old turn. It's a problem, though. There are two ways to figure it out. One is that photographer Curt Johnson decided to whomp up an April Fool's Day picture and this is the result. In that case, it's no problem at all. You just steer home the usual way. The second way, though, is that it is four o'clock in the morning, you stayed too long in your favorite pub and it really looks like this. That, friend, IS a problem. Aren't you glad it's April Fool?"

[Long Beach Press-Telegram - Apr 1, 1968] More…

"Revealed today was this new breed of cow developed by renowned area dairyman, Lirpa Loof of Old Bennington. County Agent John Page heralds the new breed to be known as the 'Front Ender' as a distinct boon to the dairy industry, noting farmers must continually strive to develop new ways of doing old things. John DeVito, local ACP director, praised the butterfat content of the 'Front Ender's' milk, in noting that 'It's what's up front that counts.'"

[Bennington Banner - Apr 1, 1968] More…

"A helicopter airlift has been initiated to carry slow moving vehicles over the Bedford Bypass Detour. Two pick-up points, one along Sunnyside Road and the other along Mile Level, have been established. The air lift will be limited to daylight hours. Those who desire to view the operation should first check their calendar."
[Bedford Gazette - Apr 1, 1969] More…

"Observe the flowers, how they grow — but in Central Park, in the snow? Free Press photographer Jack Ablett and reporter Janice Keys just happened to be strolling in the park Thursday — April Fools' Day, you remember — when they spotted this rare sight." [Winnipeg Free Press - Apr 1, 1971]

"This handsome Holstein, owned by Marvin Vaerst of rural Bemidji, has her directions mixed up. Unlike most cows, she has her milking apparatus to the fore, rather than aft — a condition which has won her entry in Ripley's 'Believe It or Not' and a feature in the national Holstein magazine, 'Cow'. The bovine beauty, despite her peculiarities, has been pronounced fit by veterinarians and Vaerst claims she is one of the best milk producers in his herd. There are some difficulties with 'Confused Cathy', as Vaerst calls her: at calving time, her offspring usually heads to the wrong end for nourishment and has to be taught where dinner can be found. (Pioneer Photo by Lirpa Loof)" [Bemidji Daily Pioneer - Apr 1, 1971]

The Toronto Star printed on its front page a picture of King Kong hanging from the top of the CN Tower, which at the time was nearing completion. (It opened to the public in June 1976.) In a nod to the original movie, Carmen Nigro, who claimed to have played King Kong in the 1933 film (although a rubber model was used in most shots) was inside the ape costume. More…

Photograph by Cliff Yeich for the Eagle-Times (Reading, Pennsylvania). More…

Popular Photography Magazine ran a special feature on how to touch up photos in which subjects have unsightly wrinkles or unattractive expressions. "Can these photos be saved?" the article asked.

One of the examples used was Dorothea Lange's famous Depression-era photo of a "Migrant Mother" huddling with her children in a roadside camp outside Nipomo, California. Under the masterful touch of Popular Photography editors, the Migrant Mother was transformed from an iconic symbol of the struggle for survival into a smooth-faced suburban soccer mom. The makeover, intended as a joke, provoked hundreds of outraged letters from readers. More…