What is April Fools' Day?
Practical jokes and tricks are played on the unaware on April Fools' Day. It's a time when children tell their parents that they've broken a bone. Parents participate in the planning process as well. Classic April Fools' parody jokes include caramel coated onions or fake doggy doo-doo in inconvenient locations. Businesses introduce innovative or extraordinary items for the enjoyment of the day, and newspapers publish dazzling headlines that keep readers off guard.
Planning is, of course, the key to a good April Fools' prank is planning. To get it off, you'll also need to be the first to get it off. There's no point in pursuing your prank if someone else beats you to it. Once the joker has been activated, everyone else will be on alert, and the element of surprise will be lost.
Any practical jokers go to whatever extent to hide their ruse. The more people involved, the greater the chance of being discovered before the great plan can be implemented.