Brands Get in on April Fool’s Fun

Top brands including Frito-Lay’s Cheetos, Pokémon and American Eagle got up to some mischief yesterday with April Fool’s pranks, which, in some cases, will lead to an actual product.

While Cheetos Cheeteau perfume looks like it will never see the light of day, American Eagle’s hoax canine fashion line, American Beagle, got such a positive response that the apparel retailer is actually producing the line. The limited edition collection will raise money for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and will debut this holiday season.

"We originally felt that April Fools' Day was the perfect opportunity for us to engage with our consumers in a fun, lighthearted way, all while supporting the ASPCA," says Michael Leedy, chief marketing officer, American Eagle Outfitters. "Due to the tremendous positive response and excitement from our customers for the American Beagle Outfitters line, we decided to make a limited edition collection for holiday 2014."

Rovio took the Oculus Rift product one step by announcing (fake) plans for its own virtual reality headset that let’s you play Angry Birds from the point of view of one of the birds.

U.K. publisher DC Thomson released the news that Dennis the Menace’s sidekick Gnasher was on the lam after stealing a rare dinosaur bone from the National Museum of Scotland. Fortunately, this caper tale was a tall one, and Gnasher has not actually given up the comic business for a life of crime.

ThinkGeek unveiled the Nerf Nuke, which simultaneously fires 80 NERF darts in all directions, again, sadly not really available.

Last but not least, Google Maps tantalized Pokémon fans with the offer to a Google Pokemon Master if they could find and collect 150 brand characters around the world in the application–what actually ensued was a fun mini-game, but no Master status.

And check out the hilarious lark ad for Chester Cheeto’s fragrance: