Toggle navigation
About
About the Museum
Contact
Forum
Home
Explore
Hoax Photos
Hoax Photo Archive
Fake Viral Images
Deleted Details
Real Photos (that look fake)
April Fool's Day
April Fool Archive
Origin of April Fool's Day
Top 100 April Fools
April Fool FAQ
10 Worst April Fools
Categories
Satirical Art Hoaxes
Bigfoot
Loch Ness Monster
Pareidolia
Student Pranks
Satirical Candidates
Tall-Tale Creatures
More…
Hoaxes in History
• Middle Ages
• Early Modern
• 1700s
• 1800s-1840s
• 1850s-1890s
• 1900s
• 1910s
• 1920s
• 1930s
• 1940s
• 1950s
• 1960s
• 1970s
• 1980s
• 1990s
• 21st Century
The April Fool Archive
The April Fool's Day "Wallet on a String" Prank
In which a prankster ties a string to a wallet. He places the wallet in the street and hides behind a corner. When a victim reaches for the wallet, the prankster yanks it away.
The Purse on a String Prank
(1861)
[
Harper's Weekly
— Apr 1, 1861]
More…
The Smart Boy
(1939)
"The smart boy who stepped on the string before picking up the wallet."
April Fool Categories
Advertising
|
Animals:
Birds
,
Fictitious Creatures
,
Loch Ness Monster
|
Anti-April Fools Day
|
Art
|
Beauty and Grooming
|
Botany
| Business:
Banks
,
Employment
,
Fictitious Companies
,
Fictitious Products
,
Finance
|
Cartoons
|
Climate
|
Crime
|
Death
|
Energy and Fuel
|
Entertainment & Celebrities
|
Fashion
|
Fictitious Geography
|
Food and Drink
|
Government:
Taxation
History and Archaeology
|
International Relations
|
Literary:
Poetry
Measurements
|
Medical
|
Mistaken for April Fools
|
Music
|
National Landmarks
|
Politics
|
Poorly Received:
Caused Panic
Religion
|
Romance
|
Royalty
|
Science
|
Sex
|
Social Commentary
|
Space and Astronomy:
Extraterrestrials
Sports
|
Technology:
Cars
Computers
Internet Technology
Strange Inventions
Time and Date
|
Traffic and Transportation
|
War and Military
Types of Perpetrators
Children
|
Corporations
|
Freelance Pranksters
|
Government Officials
|
Magazines and Journals
|
Military Personnel
|
Newspapers
|
Student Papers
|
Radio Stations
|
Scientists
|
Television
|
Websites
Recurring Themes
Brick in Hat
|
Fake Warnings
|
False Financial Windfall
|
Fictitious Disasters
|
Format Change Prank
|
Left-Handed Products
|
Loof Lirpa
|
Morgue Prank
|
Phony Bargains
|
Stupid Laws
|
Unlikely Acquisitions
|
Wallet On A String
|
Wild Goose Chase
|
Zoo Prank
Regions
Africa
|
Australia
|
Canada
|
Central Asia
|
China
|
Denmark
|
Eastern Europe
|
France
|
Germany
|
Greece
|
Ireland
|
Israel
|
Italy
|
Japan
|
Benelux
|
New Zealand
|
Norway
|
Poland
|
Russia
|
Scotland
|
Singapore
|
S. & Central America
|
Sweden
|
Switz. & Austria
|
Taiwan
|
Middle East
|
United Kingdom
|
United States
Organizations
BBC
|
BMW
|
Daily Mail
|
Google
|
Guardian
|
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
|
London Times
|
NPR
|
Virgin
Settings
House Pranks
|
In The Wild
|
Internet
|
Office Pranks
|
Photo Hoaxes
|
School Pranks
|
Street Pranks
|
Telephone Pranks