Brands come out to play for April Fools’

Since working at StopPress, April Fools’ Day has fast become a highlight of the professional calendar. To see brands using the age-old tradition to make people laugh with unhinged announcements is such a treat, writes StopPress deputy editor Zahra Shahtahmasebi.

After being caught completely off-guard by Night ‘n Day’s April Fools’ Day post last year, I resolved that in 2026 I would be prepared – I even set an alert in my calendar.

But the first surprise came two days early this year, when a post on my Instagram feed announced a collaboration between Tegel Take Outs and breakfast brand Hubbards.

The proposed new product was High Protein Chicken and Waffle Clusters.

Prank or real?

As a fan of the chicken and waffle combo, it took me a few moments to realise that the idea in cereal form was a bit bonkers. The more I looked at the post, the more confused I became, especially by the large jug of milk.

People in the comments were a mix of befuddled, keen or convinced it was an early April Fools’ prank. As Tegel and Hubbards continue to own the collab, I’m still in the dark as to whether this is in fact a real product launch.

Speaking of uncertainties, we also received an announcement today that online game platform Roblox is launching makeup for its avatars.

“Is this also a prank?” StopPress editor Penny Murray and I pondered. The extensive press release, packed full of data, suggests otherwise, but on April 1 you can never be too sure.

Having said that, while many thought it was an April Fools’ joke, McDonald’s NZ is selling its flagship product, the Big Mac, for $1. Only on April 1, and only inside the app.

Scratch and sniff

In my opinion, the best April Fools’ brand pranks start with what could concievably be a credible next step, but then leap

into the realm of wacky.

Pak’nSave and TVNZ stepped up to the plate with a scratch and sniff TV advert. With Easter around the corner, the ad allows viewers on TVNZ+ to catch a whiff of the supermarket’s hot cross buns through their screens on April 1 only. It’s the first of its kind, apparently.

In the words of Pak’nSave’s award-winning brand ambassador Stickman, there’s nothing quite like the smell of fresh hot cross buns.

“After a year of work on this groundbreaking Scratch and Sniff technology, it’s finally here! Just in time for the best smelling month of the year!” says Stickman.

It’s giving… convenience

Pic’s Peanut Butter came in strong, making peanut butter sandwiches all the more convenient with the Jar’wich. The idea is simple: a peanut butter sandwich that comes readymade in a jar, no assembly required. If you need a snack on the go, why not?

“It’s giving… convenience,” says Pic’s Peanut Butter product development manager Purdey O’Sullivan, adding that it was an idea that “made sense” at the time.

I laughed with glee when I saw Lewis Road Creamery announce a new sea salt and vinegar flavoured ice cream and milk.

“New flavour drop… and we’re not sure why… because somone thought it was a good idea,” the company wrote on social media. “Only available for a very limited time… like, very limited.”

Salt and vinegar being the best flavour of potato crisps is a hill I will die on, so I think this is a flavour Lewis Road shouldn’t discount too early. I, for one, believe in the vision.

Dyson joined the fray with a beauty range for pets, reimagining its styling appliances for use on a multitude of furry companions:

• The Airwrap Purrrmed for curling the delicate chest fluff on cats.
• The Airstrait Thoroughbred to straighten and smooth equine manes.
• The Airwrap HoundBrush, designed to tame even the most enthusiastic of canine coats.
• Then specifically for poodles, the Supersonic Pouf for dialling up the volume of those curls.

Honourable mentions

Subway New Zealand launched a April Fools’ collab that proved to be quite popular on social. The sandwich chain reimagined one of its classic sub flavours, meatball marinara, as a pie. As it was only available today, “you’d be a fool to miss it,” read the press release. While this one played into the great love Kiwis have for pies, I feel it wasn’t quite wacky enough for April Fools’, as both me and everyone who commented on Facebook thought it actually sounded yum. Also, I think a fake collab with a local pie company, instead of Australian pie brand Four’N Twenty, would have made this really sing.

Meanwhile, Night ‘n Day came to play, albeit a little less subtly than last year. This time, they announced a new candle range that makes you feel like being in store – scents include wedges deluxe, hot dog and cordon bleu. They all have notes of nostalgia and chicken salt, according to the social post.

Also looking at scents was oat brand Harraways as it launched a new Oat eau de parfum. It supposedly smells just like a warm Dunedin morning, with warm notes of toasted oats and creamy milk.

While there are many more April Fools’ jokes than I could possibly round up in this article, I couldn’t leave out this one from Up&Go. It’s a new blend, this time packed with 11 different types of vegetables, including onions and cabbage. I know vegetable juice exists (looking at you, V8), but the concept of veggies and milk together is diabolical. The announcement also came with the recommendation to remain within 15 metres of a toilet after consuming. Well played, Up&Go.