London April Fools Roundup

M@
By M@ Last edited 143 months ago
London April Fools Roundup

We resisted the temptation to run our own April Fool's prank, but plenty of other London blogs and news outlets got up to a spot of mischief.

Google has launched an 8-bit version of Google Maps — with graphics familiar to anyone who owned a Nintendo Entertainment System in the very early 1990s. London is included (picture above), and even the Street View gets pixellated. Not so much a joke, and not even original, but still very well done.

The Sun reckons Arsenal is to launch its own perfume. The fragrance is said to invoke the aromas of Emirates Stadium, though many readers will instead smell a rat. The article finishes with a dream team of Gunners favourites who endorse the product, such as Robin van Perfume, Andei Aftershavin and...wait for it...David Eau Leary.

Rivals at The Mirror came up with some lamely photoshopped story about Walliams and Cowell frolicking together in an undisclosed London park.

Occupy London has been itching to report on a major political shift since its inception. Today, its mouthpiece the Occupied Times got the scoop that the City of London is to seek independence from the rest of London. Modelling itself on The Vatican, the new state would see the Lord Mayor in the Pope role, with a Bankers’ Council for Democratic Legitimacy governing the people.

South Londoners — did you remember to put your clocks forward by nine minutes today? If not, you could face a £25 fine, according to Croydon Guardian. Due to a redundancy in the Ministry of Horology, Big Ben has been allowed to fall out of synchrony with the south of the capital by nine minutes (though not the north...we're not sure why), and action must be taken. Somebody in the article's comments actually fell for this.

Time Out London's blog turns to matters more cultural, revealing that the London Eye will rotate five times faster than normal during the Olympics, to ensure all visitors get a go. Not such a bad idea, perhaps.

What's In Wapping treads a similar path, bringing news of the newly installed cable car pylons linking Wapping to the Shard. Viewers susceptible to dodgy photoshoppery should look away now. Link.

Diamond Geezer has put together an Alternative Tube Map of Alternative Tube Maps. Each station name on the familiar transport diagram has been replaced by the name of an alternative Tube map (a satirical nod to the seemingly endless supply of such contrivances, which we're guilty of helping perpetuate). Anagrams, Doctor Who characters, Olympic athletes, and '361 randomly selected names masquerading as art' are all present.

Having stamped his name on the bike hire scheme and new bus for London, mayor Boris Johnson is now thinking of introducing a new (old) style of train, reports Adam Bienkov at Scoop Blog. If re-elected, the blond one pledges to reintroduce slam-door trains, so passengers can more easily hop on and off.

Did you spot any others? Or fall for any? And where's dogged 1 April reporter Olaf Priol this year?

Last Updated 01 April 2012