History Main / AprilFoolsPlot

* Creator/TexAvery's 1940 WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes cartoon "Holiday Highlights" is a series of vignettes depicting selected holidays. When it gets to April 1st, the picture is completely blank, much to the hilarity of the announcer ("Fooled ya! Fooled ya! There ain't no picture!") and the irritation of the theater management (card slide reads "T'ain't funny, [=McGee=]!")
** When Porky Pig's attempt at a career in movies doesn't pan out (1940's "You Ought to Be in Pictures"), he returns to Leon Schlesinger's studio, pleading "April Fool!" (Leon knew he'd be back.)

* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainFlamingo'' has "When Fools Rush In", where Milo must avoid being tricked after what happened in the last April Fools Day where he keeps getting false "Uh-oh! Flamingo!" calls just to get pranked. Eventually, when Rutger calls the Captain to help (for real this time), he shows Milo some pictures he shot with his camera, showing documented proof that a [[AttackOFThe50FootWhatever giant lizard]] is destroying Halverston and Area (specifically the Little Tokyo area), which scared the rest of the kids. Eventually, it was resolved when Milo used a three-headed-dragon caller for that titular dragon to fight with the lizard at its match out of the city. What they didn't know is that [[spoiler:[[AllJustAPrank the entire thing was just an April Fools prank between Milo and his dad all along]]]].

* In ''[[Literature/{{Duumvirate}} Billy and Howard]]'', the twins play jokes on each other. HilarityEnsues, for certain values of hilarity.

** The plot in the radio [[SoundToScreenAdaptation and tv]] episodes "Cure That Habit" result from Walter Denton sending a postcard to the titular organization in principal Osgood Conklin's name. "Cure That Habit" is a firm that provides treatment for alcoholism. HilarityEnsues when the president of "Cure That Habit" informs the head of the board of education of Mr. Conklin's "drunkenness".
** Again, the radio episode "Free TV From Sherry's", and its SoundToScreenAdaptation "Wild Goose" centers on another of Walter Denton's April Fool's Day jokes on Mr. Conklin. This time, Walter tricks Conklin into thinking he's won a free television set from Sherry's Department Store. HilarityEnsues when Conklin sends Miss Brooks to pick up the television set.

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'' combines this trope with BirthdayEpisode in "The Lives of Others"; Castle's birthday is April 1. [[spoiler: The whole plot, in which [[RearWindowInvestigation Castle is convinced that a tenant in the apartment across the street is a killer]] is an elaborate birthday surprise staged by Beckett.]]