Those Times When Disney April Fools’ Jokes Got Us Good

Have you heard any outlandish news pertaining to something Disney-related either today or sometime within the last 24 hours? Perhaps you even came across a surprising announcement posted by the Walt Disney Company on social media that either confused you or left you feeling concerned. The news, in general, can seem somewhat surreal these days, but the bizarre reports and bogus headlines tend to increase even more so around April 1—better known to most as April Fools’ Day.

Don’t be “fooled” into thinking that Disney doesn’t do April Fools’ pranks. Let the records show that the Walt Disney Company is very much in the game, as are several official and unofficial Disney websites and other companies with known Disney associations. And there is already a long line of proceeding pranks related to Disney that fans have rightfully been tricked into believing over the years, some of which really ended up causing quite a stir when first presented. So, in keeping with the spirit of another April Fools’ Day, here is a good-humored reminisce about all those times when Disney April Fools’ jokes got us good.

The Teasing of New Mickey-Shaped Foods

It’s not uncommon for Disney Parks and Resorts to come out with innovative new Mickey-shaped foods. It’s been a growing trend since the first Mickey Mouse Premium Ice Cream Bar emerged so long ago. Now we have pretzels, cupcakes, and even beignets likened to the iconic Mickey Mouse shape, among so many other things. Therefore, when Oh My Disney released an announcement in 2014, denoting the introduction of a whole new slew of Mickey Mouse-shaped foods set to premier, it didn’t seem so outlandish. And given the fact that they provided equally convincing photographs to go along with the corresponding announcement, there was absolutely no reason for us not to believe these new foods would become a reality. According to the site, the new items would include Mickey Corn Dogs, Mickey Churros, Mickey Dole Whips, Mickey Pepperoni Pizza, Mickey Risotto Balls, Mickey Veggie Burgers (with Mickey-shaped buns), and even Mickey-shaped Turkey Legs.

Before you start thinking that this elaborate April Fools’ joke was all too obvious, and anyone who would be so easily bought is just gullible, take a long hard look at the photos! And if you know the Disney Culinary Team, then you know they are more than capable of bringing about such clever culminations. They did, after all, create them just for this hoax.

RELATED: Disney’s Best April Fools Jokes

A New Disney Park in British Columbia

Back in 2015, a March 31 setup offered the perfect prelude to April Fools’ Day when a “breaking news” release went viral over the Internet from McKinley Beach. Shared via Facebook, they made the announcement that Walt Disney Parks and Resorts had purchased the remainder of the McKinley Beach property and would be establishing its newest venture here. The post highlighted certain attractions in particular, including Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain (yes, that was a “thing” back in the day), and a couple of others. In a faux press release, they even teased proposed plans for a “Magic Kingdom of the North” and a corresponding “it’s a small world” attraction. At 900 acres, this would become Canada’s largest amusement park.

The post was shared more than 10,000 times and even garnered 20,000 comments. So, when the truth finally came to light, there were many folks who were understandably disappointed, especially all the devoted Disney fans to the north.

An Elsa Retheme Announced for Cinderella Castle

Another 2015 April Fools’ gag got us really good, particularly because it came as an “official-like” announcement, as reported by our friends at Disney Dining. As the story goes, Disney Parks spokesperson Ilene Woods (sound familiar?) announced early on the morning of April 1 that Disney World’s iconic Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom Park would be getting a Frozen-themed overhaul starting September 8, 2015. It would be transformed into “Elsa’s Ice Palace,” she went on to say, also commenting on the similarities between the names of “Elsa” and “Ella” (Cinderella’s actual name as confirmed by the live-action release that year). Other changes to be made would include rebooting the existing Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique into a new store called “Olaf’s Outfitters” and replacing Cinderella’s Royal Table with “Anna’s Royal Table.” Woods explained that it would have the same concept but feature different characters.

Of course, the announcement sparked many questions, including one about when the rest of the changes to the Castle would take place. That was when Woods admitted that there was no official date before adding, “we’re hoping for a year from today. That would make it April 1, 2016. April 1…get it? Oh, and one more thing. Did I mention that the bridge to Adventureland is for sale? I can get you a good deal on it if anyone is interested.”

Even though this was revealed to be a cleverly composed hoax, I still remember the outrage this story ignited across the Internet and the angry comments many loyal Disney fans made in defiance of such a horrible decision by Disney.

RELATED: Cinderella’s Castle To Be Renamed For Elsa

Kale Churros as the Next Big Thing

Do you remember a couple of years ago when kale was suddenly trending as the next best thing in the salad revolution? And you’ve undoubtedly noticed how churros in both Disneyland and Disney World have been among the top contenders for Disney treat favorites for quite some time now. Well, back on April 1, 2018, Disney took to social media with an official posting to unveil their new Kale Churros. They even featured a fun little intro video all about this new evolution of a salad hit combined with a dessert favorite.

Don’t be so quick to shame anyone who may have been honestly fooled by this announcement. If you’re familiar with some of the more bizarre food twists taking over the Disney scene, such as the secret menu King Dog served at the Hot Diggity Dogs Food Truck in Disney Springs, or even Everglazed’s Grilled Cheeeeeese Donut, then you should know that such a concoction really isn’t out of the realm of possibility. But thankfully, this is one piece of grotesque grub that hasn’t actually come to fruition (at least not yet).

RELATED: VIDEO: Walt Disney World introduces Kale Churros for April Fools’ Day prank

An Impossible Spot the Differences Challenge

This may well have been the meanest mental challenge Disney has ever posed to fans. On April 1, 2019, the official Disney Twitter feed featured two side-by-side image stills taken from the animated film Lilo & Stich from 2002. Their post challenged followers to uncover 626 differences between the two pictures. The only problem was that these were actually identical graphics.

RELATED: New Details Released for Live-Action Lilo & Stitch Movie

The Disney Parks Box of Air

The Walt Life Company also got into the April Fools’ spirit in 2019 by unveiling what is perhaps the most unique original item since some emperor in literature got his titular new clothes. And it’s a very similar scenario at that.

If you are acquainted with Walt Life, then you know that they are a subscription company that sends out boxes filled with Disney products and merchandise to fans monthly. There are several different options to choose from, and new box features are forever premiering. So, when the Tweet was made about their latest box on April 1, 2019, almost all Twitter followers got a good chuckle out of it, even those who have no problem admitting that they are prone to overpaying ridiculously in the name of all things Disney!

What was the Tweet exactly? Only they were introducing their brand-new Disney Parks Air Box. Per their announcement, the Disney Parks Air Box is boxed up air gathered from various Disney Parks and sent to subscribers monthly. Even better, the cost was revealed to be only $1,000 a month, although an asterisk noted that Pirates of the Caribbean air would only be included at an additional fee.

RELATED: Want More Disney World Merchandise? Check Out This Secret Disney Store Nobody Knows About!

The Introduction of ‘Snears’

April Fools’ Day 2019 was a good year for Disney gags. That was also when the official Walt Disney World Twitter account introduced foodie fans to an innovative new set of Mickey Mouse Ears sure to make Disney Park snacking even more fun. The announcement for “Snears” (snack + ears) absolutely blew up all over the web and was shared virally through various social media accounts. Like the Kale Churros, Disney even had an “official” short video profiling all the fun ways you could load up your Snears with well-known Disney snack staples.

For some, Snears just seemed too good to be true. And sadly, that was indeed the case. When the truth was revealed, many were left yearning for Snears and hoping that Disney may someday answer the call to create this would-be cult-classic set of Mickey Mouse Ears.

 

Get your #Snears on! Check out the latest innovation in #WaltDisneyWorld snacking, and tell us which snack you’re going to style your Snears with. 🍭 🍪 🍿 pic.twitter.com/0ZqPyyK8fe

— Walt Disney World (@WaltDisneyWorld) April 1, 2019

RELATED: Disney Merchandise Finally Makes the Change Fans Have Been Waiting For

The No Remakes Clause

After two consecutive years where April Fools’ was nothing to laugh about, Disney Dining returned to the forefront with a viral gag for the books. A year ago, in 2022, our friends published their article about Disney’s Mousekeeping staff having uncovered a mysterious document while cleaning out an important desk. The document revealed some rather crucial new information that would deeply impact the fates of so many Disney films, both announced and already in the works. That’s because its contents outlined Walt Disney’s very specific wishes for not having his films remade. To honor their founder, the Walt Disney Company made the decision to cease remaking any other Disney films, effective May 1.

That was the story in a nutshell, and concerned fans all over the Internet just ate it up. Kudos to Disney Dining for once again orchestrating such a perfect Disney April Fools’ prank.

RELATED: Disney to scrap all remakes beginning May 1, citing newly-discovered clause in Walt’s final directives

With a new April Fools’ Day among us, we Disney fans must stay alert to the potential pranks that are sure to befall us. But again, as fans, we all know that anything is possible concerning Disney. And that fact alone may just mark us as the perfect prey for Disney-related April Fools’ gags.