RGB hair, Godzilla headphones, and more — here are the best April Fools' pranks in tech
April Fools' Day brought us funny pranks, fake news, and some hilarious false products.
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What you need to know
April Fools' Day is a dangerous day for news writers. We have to sift through pranks and news alike to find out what’s real and what’s not. While some companies are kind enough to make it obvious, like Razer announcing an RGB hair dye you can control with your phone, other pranks aren’t so clear. We’re rounding up the best April Fools' Day pranks and stories from the day to make things just a bit easier for you — and for us.
Razer Rapunzel Glow Up
One thing that Razer’s known for is its love of RGB lighting. For April Fools' Day, Razer created a fake product page forRazer Rapunzel Chroma Hair Dye. The fake dye allows you to apply green slime to your hair to dye it into any color you want.
“The secret to Razer Rapunzel Chroma Hair Dye lies in its billions of cutting-edge nanites that bond with your hair at a molecular level—powering, lighting, and pairing with our Chroma app to bring out your hair’s true potential,” says the dye’s fake listing.
While theRazer Laptop Stand Chroma V2and thebest Razer gaming micemake it easy to add RGB to your desk, you sadly cannot use Razer to add RGB to your hair.
The full page for Razer Rapunzel is quite entertaining. The FAQ section includes advice on what to do if the nanites in the hair start taking over your consciousness and if it’s safe to drink. There’s also a fake ingredient list.
A quick jab from Halo
While the official Halo Twitter account didn’t share any fake news or products, it did take a friendly jab at a site for falling for a fake Halo Infinite delay post.
For the latest official news on Halo Infinite, be sure to follow@Halo(that’s us) right here on Twitter! 😉https://t.co/f9A5EfEZFpFor the latest official news on Halo Infinite, be sure to follow@Halo(that’s us) right here on Twitter! 😉https://t.co/f9A5EfEZFp— Halo (@Halo)March 31, 2021March 31, 2021
The official Xbox Twitter account also joined in on the fun.
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pic.twitter.com/jAvstc5HQGpic.twitter.com/jAvstc5HQG— Xbox (@Xbox)March 31, 2021March 31, 2021
Tangentially related to the aforementioned Microsoft and Halo “news” is this little treat: incredibly, theMoa burger-flavored Pringlesare not an April Fools' Day prank. They’re an actual product that will be available for a limited time.
Surfshark ‘95
Usually, protecting your PC is no laughing matter, but Surfshark decided to have some April Fools’ Day fun by “launching"Surfshark ‘95 for Windows 95. You can use just five floppy disks to install the VPN on your Windows 95 PC. If you order now, you’ll also get a free mouse cleaning tool. Hard to resist.
Below the button to place an order, there’s a quick note that states:
If you’re actually on the hunt for thebest Windows 10 VPN service, you probably want to go with something a bit more modern.
Kaiju headphones
With Godzilla vs. Kong in theaters and on HBO Max, people have giant monsters on the mind. Audio-Technica AU tweeted out a fake pair of Kaiju headphones for April Fools’ Day. They feature 4.5m ‘mega-aperture drivers,’ so they should be big enough for monsters that are several stories tall.
Introducing the new limited edition ATH-M50xGZ, designed for the Kaiju who truly cares about sound. The ATH-M50xGZ features proprietary 4.5m mega-aperture drivers to deliver exceptional clarity and earth-shattering bass.From the studio to the street. No survivors.pic.twitter.com/r3YYVOCjTYIntroducing the new limited edition ATH-M50xGZ, designed for the Kaiju who truly cares about sound. The ATH-M50xGZ features proprietary 4.5m mega-aperture drivers to deliver exceptional clarity and earth-shattering bass.From the studio to the street. No survivors.pic.twitter.com/r3YYVOCjTY— Audio-Technica AU (@AudioTechnicaAU)April 1, 2021April 1, 2021
NVIDIA RTX 4090
A YouTuber by the name of Captains Workspace shared a video showcasing a fake NVIDIA RTX 4090. It uses two power plugs, has 18,000 Cuda cores, and is an absolute unit. The video jokingly says that the fictional card’s starting stock of 21 units is an improvement over theRTX 3000 series.
Secretlab chair for dogs
Secretlab makes some of thebest gaming chairsaround, but sadly the Secretlab Titan XXXXXS gaming chair for chilfren and pets is not real. Secretlab has anadorable page listingfor the tiny chair.
“Be the best parent you can be. Support your kid the right way today with a seat that’s been proven to help them aim better and react faster. They’ll soon be a walking highlight reel,” says the listing under a section titled “Start them young. Teach your kid to carry you.”
Multiple members of our newsroom would consider buying one of these if it was real, and we’re sad that it’s just an April Fools' Day joke. Dear Secretlab, please let us review a tiny gaming chair for our pets.
While Secretlab doesn’t make a Titan XXXXXS, you can grab aSecretlab Titan XL.
Not everyone played along
While some companies joined in on the fun, others felt it wasn’t appropriate. Google canceled its April Fools' Day festivities this year. Google toldThe Verge:
In 2020, we made the decision to pause our longstanding Google tradition of celebrating April Fools' Day, out of respect for all those fighting COVID-19. With much of the world still grappling with serious challenges, we will again pause the jokes for April Fools' Day in 2021.
Have you spotted any other good pranks? Please share them in the comments below, and we might add them to the roundup.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
