- Google relaunches its map service... in the style of retro Nintendo graphics
- Richards Branson takes on latest mission drilling to centre of the earth
- Conan O'Brien takes over Mashable
- Hungry Hungry Hippos makes a comeback as an iPad app
By Pamela Owen and Meghan Keneally
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A voyage into the center of a volcano, double-moused computer scrolling and a self-driving NASCAR bid are just some of the jokes played by pranksters on April Fool's.
While some of the pranks were doctored- including a paparazzi spread of a fake 'bromance' between Simon Cowell and comedian David Walliams- many others created entire programs for their creative dalliances.
With a litany of fake programs, Google has continued their tradition of revelling in the day of mayhem.
The technology giant released its latest feat – a version of Google Maps for the 'long neglected' Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
Best of friends: The two men enjoyed a ride on a Swan shaped pedalo
The game features old school pixelated graphics, synonymous with the original games consoles.
Tatsuo Nomura, a Google software engineer, wrote in a post on Google's official Maps blog: 'With Google Maps 8-bit, you can do all the things you already do on regular Google Maps.
'Search for famous landmarks and sites around the world. Take an epic journey with 8-bit Street View. Get detailed directions to avoid dangerous paths, and battle your way through a world of powerful monsters and mystic treasures.'
United Kingdom, Nintendo style: The British Isles are still recognisable, despite being heavily pixilated, while close-ups of Buckingham Palace have a similarly retro style
Back to the future: Google proved it has a sense of humour with an early April Fools Day joke that puts the fun back into map reading
As he points out, it will be the first NES cartridge to be released in almost 18 years, with a Game Boy version already in the pipeline.
And the fun isn't only for console owners – clicking on a 'Quest' button in the right-hand corner of the Maps homepage will transform even the dullest of landscapes into a fanciful, brightly coloured scene.
Double the ability: Google Chrome 'launched' a fake service today that would allow people to use two mice at one time
In a promotional video Google employees introduced Google Maps Quest, a retro 8-bit version of its mapping tool built for the 'long neglected' Nintendo Entertainment System, advising users to 'blow on the cartridge to fix bugs'. The quirky video is complete 8-bit dragon-warrior music and jerky graphics.
The retro maps was not Google's only April Fool they also created Chrome Multitask Mode.
The system, described as a comical 'ambinavigation revolution', would allow users to surf the web with both hands by using more than once mouse on the same computer or allow two people to use the computer at the same time.
Designer Glen Murphy also gave users a step-by-step guide on how to use the new tool in a tutorial.
No hands! Google announced a partnership between the search ending giant and NASCAR as they work 'to help self-driving vehicles compete in the world of stock car racing'
Playing on their well-publicized foray into self-driving cars, Google announced a partnership between the search ending giant and NASCAR as they work 'to help self-driving vehicles compete in the world of stock car racing'.
The back of the race car has the tagline 'I'm steering lucky' painted on it.
Google has had a long history of April Fool's gags.
In 2007, the company announced TiSP, the Toilet Internet Service Provider, 'a self-installed, ad-supported online service that will be offered entirely free to any consumer with a WiFi-capable PC and a toilet connected to a local municipal sewage system'.
Last year, the search giant released 'Gmail Motion', which allowed users to use hand signals to perform tasks in Gmail. And when users searched for 'Helvetica', Google returned results in Comic Sans.
Internet executive? conan O'Brien announced that he had taken over Mashable and ousted the CEO
NPR put out a joke headline that would scare Twitter addicts, as they said that Tweets would be capped at 133 characters.
Though the admitted their prank in the short text of the blog post, anyone just skimming the the page may have been threatened by the 7-space shortening.
The radio giant also added that among the other options that had been tossed around the office were the prospects of Ford cars being outfitted with air bags for cats and dogs, or the possibility of one of their bloggers winning the Mega Millions jackpot.
Toys for the tech age: The Hungry Hungry Hippos app attaches to an iPad
In hopes of bringing a smile to the faces of LOLcats fans, Adblock replaced its typical ads with pictures of the company's founder's duplicitous cat.
Comedian Conan O'Brien waded into the joke-filled holiday by announcing that he bought technology blog Mashable, and that he fired the company's CEO and founder Pete Cashmore.
'I'm sick and tired of scanning the Internet looking for any news about technology: Devices, gadgets, what's coming up, maybe even a rating system for gadgets that are out there. It doesn't exist on the web and it's high time it did,' O'Brien said in the announcement.
The top of the site was bright orange, like the comedian's trademark ginger hair, and read 'Powered by Conan O'Brien'.
Technology enthusiasts also joked about bringing back the popular '80s game Hungry Hungry Hippos for the iPad generation.
Bringing back the past: A fake iPad version of popular '80s game Hungry Hungry Hippos is being sold today
A website called ThinkGeek.com released a prank gadget which puts a set of the plastic hippos on top of the user's iPad and allows them to go back to their childhood while staying tech-smart.
'All four hippos are present and hungry, except this time, the hippos fit over your iPad and the game board is an app!' they said in the press release for the supposed $29.99 app.
YouTube also showed yearnings for an earlier time, as they launched The YouTube Collection, taking the site off the internet and bringing it into users' living rooms.
'Our latest innovation gives you a way to literally hold YouTube in your hand,' the gag promo reel says.
The internet offline: The YouTube Collection puts all of the website's videos on DVD for your viewing pleaasure
Large shipment: All of the DVDs would be sent in 175 trucks and shrink-wrapped boxes
In the scheme, users would be shipped shrink-wrapped boxes of all of the DVDs that it takes store the information held by the video-sharing website. The first instalment would come via 175 moving vans, and then get additional updates every week as more videos are posted to the site.
'It's the complete YouTube experience completely offline.'
They even came up with a way to keep the interactivity alive in the old-school version, though snail mail goes a bit slower than the click of a button.
Richard Branson also proved he has a sense of humor by announcing the launch of Virgin Volcanic, in which he plans to journey to the core of an active volcano.
But with quests like Virgin Galactic, a service operating space flights, and planned trips into the depths of the ocean, the revelation by the businessman does not seem all that far-fetched.
Richard Branson announced Virgin Volcanic and said he plans to take Hollywood actor Tom Hanks along for the ride for deep space exploration by three people into the molten lava core of an active volcano
On his website he said he would be taking Hollywood actor Tom Hanks along for the ride as a specially-made drill makes its way down.
'Only 500 people have been to space, only three people have been to the bottom of the ocean, but no one has ever attempted to journey to the core of an active volcano. Until now,' he said.
'Using patented carbon-carbon materials pioneered for deep space exploration, Virgin is proud to announce a revolutionary new vehicle, VVS1, which will be capable of plunging three people into the molten lava core of an active volcano.'
Showing that politicians do sometimes have a sense of humor, Chicago Mayor and former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanual played on his public perception as a foul-mouthed egomaniac releasing a statement that he would be filing a number of Freedom Of Information Act requests to learn more about himself.
'The only four-letter F-word I use now is FOIA,' he said in a press release.
Jokester: Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel had his office send out a fake press release saying that he was going to spend time researching the 'extremely relevant' of himself
The Mayor's office sent out the dummy release on Sunday and said that Mr Emanuel thought the inquiry into himself was 'a topic that he considers to be extremely relevant and interesting to Chicagoans.'
'Given the scope of the documents, the FOIA response will create up to 500 jobs.'
Holiday cards, lunch receipts and discarded chewing gum are among the items he hopes to use in his research.
British newspaper The Sunday Mirror had some fun of their own, showing a budding 'bromance' by fake fuedsters Simon Cowell and Little Britain comedian David Walliams.
Pictures of the two Britain's Got Talent judges supposedly frolicking in a London park were released.
There have been rumours music mogul Cowell is less than impressed with Walliams who has made a number of homosexual jibes towards him in recent weeks.
But the pictures show how the pair managed to put their differences aside while spending an afternoon chatting, drinking champagne and taking a ride in a giant swan-shaped pedalo.
Full on bromance: Simon Cowell and David Walliams frolick in a London park
Just the two of us: Walliams has been teasing Cowell about his sexuality of late but this proves how far the friendship has gone
Italian photographer Aprile Sciocco told the Sunday Mirror: 'They had a great heart-to-heart about women, cars, clothes and how they like their steaks cooked - it was a proper blokey afternoon out.'
'It was so good to see the chemistry between them works just as well off screen.'
Two other British jokes translate across the Atlantic as well, with one online grocery store offering an extremely fresh alternative to standard food shopping.
'Proving that fresh really is best' the company, named Ocado, said they would launch 'Livestock-Shop' as a new delivery service would provide customers with live farm animals to produce their own milk and eggs, all available to order on April 1.
Livestock shipped to your door: Ocada announced the launch of their new online venture
Green tax on chilled bubbly? The average bottle of champers would have risen by more than 3
The retailer joked that it was offering chickens for 25 and cows for up to 2,000. People buying them would of course have the animals delivered to their doors.
Another prank that surely startled foodies was a report that the government planned to add an extra tax to champagne.
Written by reporter Pru Cremier, it explained how the average price of a bottle sold in a restaurant would rise from 37.50 to 40.86 if introduced.
'A Green Paper leaked today proposes a 'Thermal Reduction Initiative (Champagne)' that would add a nine per cent duty to all chilled champagne sold in public places,' said the paper.
But fear not bubbly lovers, it was all an elaborate joke and you will not have to fork out the extra for a chilled bottle of your favourite champers.
A more sinister threat by hacking group Anonymous may have been a long-planned hoax, as they announced 'Operation Global Blackout' which was scheduled to take place on April 1.
Though they announced the plan six weeks ago, they said their attack on the domain name system that controls website names would take place today.
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