Top April Fools’ Day prank news stories from Japan

Edible watches, Nintendo characters and a handy Lego app all make an appearance on this year’s roundup of fantastic news we wish was true today.

Every year when April 1 rolls around, people scroll through their newsfeeds to find some astonishing headlines. In past years, we’ve seen news of McDonald’s noodles, Pizza Hut delivery pigeons, and Burger King cologne being released on April 1, but we’re seasoned pros now, and know full well that these are all just cleverly designed April Fools’ Day pranks.

So what did the big names in Japan have in store for us this April Fools’ Day? We got together and created this roundup for you so you won’t get fooled by the jaw-dropping new products coming out in Japan today!

Peyoung

Instant noodle brand Peyoung is no stranger to making crazy ideas a reality, as evidenced by last year’s Super Super Super Big Portion GIGAMAX Yakisoba, which packed 439 grams of noodles and 2,142 kilocalories – more than the recommended caloric intake for a whole day for most adults – into every serving.

So today, when Peyoung announced the release of the Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Super Big Portion GIGAMAX365, with 781,830 kilocalories, they almost had us.

But then we read the fine print saying each pack was 365 times bigger than their original and would require a whopping 180 litres (47.5 gallons) of hot water to heat the noodles!

KFC

The colonel is beloved in Japan, but today’s news that they would be adding a bucket of bones to their menu in response to customer demand really tested the relationship.

▼ Available on their own for 250 yen (US$2.25) each or in a bucket for 1,500 yen.

／ 待望の新発売！ #骨だけケンタッキー ＼ 皆様からのご要望にお答えして、#オリジナルチキン の骨が登場🍗 圧力釜で揚げたチキンから骨をていねいに取り除きました❕ 鍋に🍲ラーメンに🍜使い方は色々😊💓 ★単品➡… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
ケンタッキーフライドチキン (@KFC_jp) March 31, 2019

Kirby

The titular protagonist of Nintendo and HAL Laboratory’s popular Kirby series of video games is known for being delightfully round but today their official Twitter account announced that Kirby would be turning into a square!

▼ They even changed their profile pic to a square Kirby for the day.

だ、大ニュースっ！！ なんと！本日からカービィさんのかたちが「しかく」になりますっ！ どうして四角くなっちゃったんでしょうか…？われわれもリンク先をチェックしなければ～！ 四角いカービィさんからも目がはなせませんっ！！… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
星のカービィ (@Kirby_JP) March 31, 2019

Seiko

Japanese watchmakers Seiko announced they would be bringing out a new timepiece for the overseas market, featuring a watch face made from…a Japanese rice cracker.

▼ The Seiko Senbei rice cracker watch is one of those products we actually wish was real.

▼ Tiny nori seaweed pieces! Such attention to detail!

▼ With three different flavours to choose from – soy sauce, sesame and sugar-coated zarame – these timepieces made our mouths water.

Lego

Today’s April Fools’ Day award goes to Lego, who came up with the brilliant idea of an app that finds your desired Lego shape and colour in a big pile of Lego pieces.

遂に…待望のアプリが登場⁉️見つけたいパーツの形と色を入力すれば、レゴブロックの山の中からアプリがお探しのパーツを探知！#レゴ #エイプリルフール https://t.co/ysl3TrNjZy

—
レゴ ジャパン公式 (@LEGO_Group_JP) April 01, 2019

It’s actually a neat idea that would work brilliantly with puzzle pieces as well. Here’s hoping Lego follows in the steps of the hugely popular Love Live! anime franchise, who decided to turn their April Fools’ Day joke a reality last year.

For more April Fool’s Day fun, don’t forget to read up on the Marie Kondo “spark joy” police tasers and the Nara adopt-a-deer program. Happy April Fools’ Day!

Source: Twitter/#エイプリルフール
Featured image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times (1, 2)
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Credit: