April Fool's Day, 2019

Pre-Buttered Bread (2019) The manufacturers of Blue Band, a popular brand of margarine in Kenya, revealed they were diversifying into baked goods, with the introduction of loaves of pre-buttered white bread: "Pre-Spread, Fresh & Tasty." They made the announcement several days before April 1st, which caused some confusion on social media, but revealed the joke on April Fools Day.

Vegan Conversion Pills (2019) Healthcare company Zava UK revealed a new product designed to help people who wanted to convert to veganism: Meata Blockers. The new drug, claimed the company, would help prevent meat cravings and increase empathy for animals, while providing all the nutrients one would get from eating meat. The product page explained: "It acts by diverting blood flow so that hormones involved in creating meat cravings such as leptin and serotonin can’t circulate around the body as efficiently. The pill also lessens blood flow to the nose, causing a decreased sense of smell and therefore less temptation when a bacon sandwich is nearby."

Long services to be fined (2019) At a crematorium in York, England, a notice appeared on the bulletin board warning that ministers, celebrants and funeral directors would now face fines of up to £200 if their services ran over by even a few seconds. The announcement was lent credibility by a recent case in Grimsby in which a grieving family had been fined when its service went longer than its allotted slot. However, when contacted by the press, the City of York Council insisted that no such policy was planned, describing the announcement as a prank "in poor taste".

Rhino Fish (2019) Researchers at the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) reported that several specimens of Rhino Fish had been discovered off of Pianosa, an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. This strange species of fish (scientific name Sigus aprilis) sports a horn like a rhinoceros. It was said to be indigenous to Thailand. Specimens had been imported to Italy as an ornamental fish species, and it was believed that some of these had escaped from their underwater cages during a storm.

Rice Cracker Watch (2019) Seiko announced the release of a line of "rice cracker dial" watches. The dial of the watch was painstakingly handmade from an actual rice cracker, while the numbers were crafted from nori (seaweed). Customers would have three flavors to choose from: soy sauce, sesame, or sugar-coated zarame.

Pizza Cheesecake (2019) The German frozen-food manufacturer Dr. Oetker revealed a new product, pizza cheesecake, that combined pizza and cake together. "Spicy salami caresses fruity tomato sauce, a mild cream cheese, and a crispy-flaky bottom that bakes fresh at home."

Flat Earth Globe (2019) In response to customer demand, globemaker MOVA debuted a Flat Earth Globe. The company boasted, "The Flat Earth MOVA Globe removes science and facts from the conversation to better represent the world we all live on. Behold an Earth that does not spin and is not spherical. Matter of fact, it’s flat as a pancake." The new globe also featured no latitude and longitude lines "for a clean, no-nonsense look," as well as an "Ice Wall edge so we don’t fall off."

Pink Avocados (2019) British supermarket chain Sainsbury's issued a press release announcing that it was stocking a limited edition run of pink avocados, also known as "rosa-vos." This unusual item was said to be a naturally grown hybrid of different avocado varieties, imported from Peru.

Mustard Custard (2019) Colman's Mustard announced the introduction of Colman's Mustard Custard, claiming that it tasted "equally delicious with roast beef and parsnips as it does with an apple crumble or a sticky toffee pudding." In a press release, their Head of Product Development, Daisy O'Farllop, added: "In a world where less is more, we recognised that consumers are crying out for a streamlined condiment stash and we're confident this one will be loved by the whole family."

The Smell of Space (2019) Aerospace company Lockheed Martin announced it had created a fragrance, which they named Vector, that recreated the smell of space by blending "metallic notes... with a sterile feel, balanced by subtle, fiery undertones that burn off like vapor in the atmosphere." While the announcement was tongue-in-cheek, the company really did create a small amount of such a fragrance that they gave away as samples.

Google Tulip (2019) Google Netherlands revealed that its researchers, working in collaboration with Wageningen University, had developed a cutting-edge technology that allowed them to communicate with plants — specifically with tulips, which had been the initial focus of the research due to the Netherlands historical relationship with this plant. The result was a new product, Google Tulip, which let users around the world communicate with any tulip. "Talk to your tulip today," promised the company.

The Polite Horn (2019) Inspired by the reputation of Canadians for politeness and civility, Honda Canada announced a "revolutionary innovation in vehicular communication" that would be available for all models of its cars: the "polite horn." Instead of honking, it made a throat-clearing sound. The company noted, "the polite horn allows drivers to cease causing a ruckus on the road and instead assert themselves passive aggressively, as is appropriate."

Bone Only Chicken (2019) KFC Japan announced that, in response to popular demand, it would be selling buckets of "bone only" chicken. A bucket of bones would cost 1500 yen, while a single bone could be purchased for only 250 yen.

Leopard-Print Koala (2019) Tourism Australia revealed the "little-known fact" that some koalas are born with leopard-print fur. To convince all skeptics, it supplied photographic evidence.

Police Flip-flops (2019) The German federal police announced that, following the hot Summer of the previous year, and in an effort to make their male and female officers less sweaty, they were introducing a new Summer uniform that would include flip-flops.

Ballpuppies (2019) The US Open Tennis announced on Twitter that, for the first time, it was planning to add puppies to its ballperson team at the 2019 tournament. All breeds were welcome.

Lunar Paint (2019) BMW UK announced that new models in its line of electric cars, the BMW i, would feature lunar paint as an option. A press release explained: "BMW Lunar Paint uses revolutionary photovoltaic technology to passively recharge your battery in the hours of darkness, extending your electric range even further."

Fly Foods (2019) Spoofing food-delivery services such as Uber Eats, Virgin Australia debuted Fly Foods, allowing people to order food from restaurants throughout Australia. Orders would be flown via the company's existing domestic flight routes and delivered to the customer's door, in time for dinner. "When you’re tossing up what to order for dinner tonight," promised the company, "remember that the sky’s the limit."

McPickle Burger (2019) McDonald's Australia unveiled the McPickle Burger. It featured no meat. Just "juicy, flavoursome pickles layered between melted cheese, ketchup sauce and toasted sesame seed buns."

Fossilized Croissant (2019) The French embassy in Japan reported that a joint team of French and Japanese researchers, working in the southwest of France, had found a fossilized croissant, which revealed that this popular breakfast food was being eaten in the region as long ago as 20,000 years, contradicting the widespread belief that croissants were invented in Vienna in the seventeenth century.

Police Rabbits (2019) The French National Police announced the introduction of "leporiphile brigades" consisting of trained rabbits. In a video, a policewoman explained that while "it is true that in the police we mostly know the work of dogs," rabbits had the potential to contribute greatly to police work because of their excellent agility, hearing, and smelling capabilities that were "30 times superior to that of dogs."

Left-Handed Gin (2019) Hayman Distillery announced that in a "bid to better support the left-handed bartending community" it would be making its English Gins available in left-handed bottles. [left-handed products]

The Inventory of Crayons (2019) The teachers at the primary school Gutschick in Zürich informed their pupils that they were all required to complete form DE-1.4.19, the inventory of crayons. The number of crayons had to be entered into a table, listing the amount of each color. The form then had to be signed. After completion of the inventory, all crayons had to be sharpened. The reaction of the students to this new official requirement was not recorded.

SodaStreamME (2019) SodaStream, maker of a home carbonation product, collaborated with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly to produce the SodaStreamME, a device that allowed people to use their excess stomach gas (their burps) to carbonate water. "Just blow your excessive CO₂ into your SodaStreamME and turn your extra gas into sparkling water." Also available, revealed the company, was a special snoring adapter "to start making soda in your sleep."