My website now has Infrequently Asked Questions

Yes, I am cautiously dipping my toe into the pool of April Fool's Day again, but this year I hope it is not as badly misinterpreted as my Happy Meal toy "joke". I decided, as a counterpoint to my website's FAQ, to put up a list of Infrequently asked questions, with not terribly serious answers. I was a little disappointed in the questions I got. I actually had many others, but they were either way too naughty for this little exercise, or I just couldn't think of a silly enough answer. I hope, however, to get more next year, and can expand the list every year. Anyway, here is my initial list of IAQs.

My Annual April Fools Day Warning

As I type this, it is the waning hours of March 31. In fact, in most of the rest of the world, it's already April 1. So I figured, before I turn in, I'd better give my annual warning about tomorrow being April Fools Day, and to not believe everything you read. I am still, over a decade later, traumatized that so many believed my joke about the McDonald's Happy Meal toys offer being extended, and it then making it into the news section of The Baum Bugle! So please regard anything you may see, Ozzy or otherwise, that sounds too good (or bad or odd or just plain strange) to be true with a grain of salt, and check any sources or citations before diving in too deep.

Why I Don't Do April Fools On This Blog Anymore

The other day, I said I'd tell you more about April Fools Day on this blog, and why I haven't tried to pull one off for ten years. I also said I'd do it yesterday, on the actual day. Well, yesterday was also my first true relaxing day off in ages, and it all just got away from me. So, a day late, the story of April Fools Day 2007! (I did talk about it a bit last year, but I hope this will be the definitive account.)

First, the set-up: in the spring of 2007, McDonald's had Wizard of Oz toys in their Happy Meals for the first time. These were miniature versions of eight Madame Alexander dolls, and they proved to be very popular. The Oz community online at the time was particularly interested, and lamented that there were only eight of them—and the Wizard wasn't one of them. I had plans for another April Fools joke that year, but I ran out of time and resources (I still don't, and the window has passed, so I may tell you about it next year). Then I thought about the McDonald's promotion and the timing of it, and the perfect joke hit me. This entry was the result, and I was pretty proud of it. I even backed it up with pictures from the Madame Alexander website. And like all April Fools jokes I've ever pulled online, I make it pretty clear, if you click on any links, that it is a joke. So if you read the "article" I cite, you'll be in on it pretty quickly. If you take time to think about it, too, it doesn't hold up, as the lead time needed to make, package, and distribute the new figures, as well as the need to alter everything to push the next promotion pack another week, would be a logistical nightmare.

At this time, this blog was so new that I'd only had one previous attempt at an April Fools joke (this one here, as it happens), and it hadn't had much impact; most people saw through it right away. So I was completely unprepared for how much my little jest made. Before long, many Oz websites, message boards, and the like were reporting on it as if it were real news. Clearly, several people were not checking on my "source" article. Further exacerbating things were the ones who did look for more than one source—all of which had got it from me, so that wasn't a lot of help. When I finally got word out to some of the sites, and people finally found the "this is an April Fools joke" disclaimer, there was a lot of negative feedback, and I was in the doghouse with some people for a bit.

After a few days, however, things settled down, and all seemed to go back to normal—that is, until the next issue of The Baum Bugle, the journal of the International Wizard of Oz Club, arrived a few weeks later. There, in an item on the Happy Meal toys, was the news that the promotion had been extended! Whoops! I immediately wrote to the editor (I don't think I even finished reading that issue before I hit my computer), and there was a retraction in the next issue, but that just showed me how much impact the joke had.

After that, I decided my blog was too powerful and influential, and I shouldn't post any more April Fools jokes. And I haven't since then; instead, I try to post a warning every March 31. But some year, if the perfect opportunity presents itself, I just may try again.

About a year and a half later, and nowhere near April 1, McDonald's repeated the promotion, but this time there were twelve, and one of them was indeed the Wizard. No Mayor yet, but I did offer McDonald's and Madame Alexander a few ideas for future promotions right here. I would hope my all-too-successful April Fools joke had something to do with that, but I have my doubts.

A few years ago, thinking the whole thing had finally run its course, it reared its head again at the Winkie Convention (now known as OzCon International, come on over to Portland at the end of June for this year's edition!). I was on a panel about Oz blogs when the moderator posted my Happy Meal joke post and asked for the story. So I had to recount the whole saga again. But now that the definitive story is here, maybe that will be the end of it at last.

But I wouldn't bet on it!

My Friendly Annual Warning

I just want to remind people that tomorrow (well, for most people around the world and now even here in the United States, today) is April Fool's Day. So please, please, I beg of you, be very careful of what you read tomorrow. It may not be true, but if you truly believe you want it to be true, and you are then disappointed, please don't say I didn't warn you.

In case you're wondering if I'm going to pull off a joke tomorrow, I can tell you, in all honesty, that the answer is no. And I will tell you why tomorrow.

Beware…

Just a reminder, tomorrow* is April Fool's Day. That means, of course, that someone is going to try to fool you. Please take everything you see with a grain of salt, and properly investigate the veracity of something before jumping to conclusions.

I say this because of this post I made back in 2007. (Has it really been that long?) This was the first time McDonald's had Oz toys in their Happy Meals, and they were a big hit. The timing of the promotion worked out so well that when the idea struck me, I couldn't resist. I know the Wizard would have to be one of them, since he wasn't in that first wave for some reason, and the Mayor was just a logical addition as well. I even found pictures of Mayor and Wizard dolls (the expensive full-size ones they are best known for) from Madame Alexander's website for the graphic. Being the responsible prankster that I am, I set the link to the "original source" so that it would explain it was a joke. Sadly, too many people didn't do that, and reported it as news. As more and more people spread it, it took on a life of its own. Let's just say that I got a lot of backlash for it, even with the disclaimer. After a few days, I thought it had died down, only to find it reported again as news in The Baum Bugle a few months later! I immediately sent off a note to the editor explaining the situation, and there was a correction in the next issue, but that is, frankly, not a situation I want to see repeated again. Hence, my annual warning. So, you have been warned!

* Actually, as I write this, it's already April 1 in some parts of the world, and I know some Australians are already trying to fool us.

Just a Friendly Reminder About Tomorrow

Tomorrow (well, even today now, as I post this, in some parts of the world) is April Fool's Day. That means you should take any news you see that may be too good to be true with a grain of salt. I don't plan to post tomorrow, as I don't want a repeat of my McDonald's Happy Meal toys news going so viral, it got written up in The Baum Bugle.

My Annual Warning

Hey, everybody, did you change your calendars this morning? (I have four of them to change this year just in my room, three of them Oz related! That was a job and a half.) When you did, did you notice today's date? Yes, it's April 1st. April Fool's Day. The day for jokes. That means some Oz fan out there might say something that's not true, and if you're not paying attention, you might believe it. I'm still traumatized by the reaction I got one year to an April Fool's joke I posted here that just went wild, and was even published in The Baum Bugle as fact, even though I had a link to the "original source" that indicated it was actually a joke. So please don't believe everything you read online (or anywhere else) today without a healthy dose of skepticism and checking out the source. Come to think of it, that's not a bad plan to follow every day anyway.

I do have plans to post here today, but no April Fool jokes. I do have something in mind that I may pull some year, but it won't be today.

My Annual Friendly Warning

Tomorrow is April 1st — April Fool's Day. Please take anything you read on the Internet with at least a couple of dashes of salt, and check out its veracity before spreading the word around.

Beware of tomorrow...

I just want to remind everyone that tomorrow is April 1. Yes, April Fool's Day. So be wary and skeptical of anything you hear that may be too good/bad/weird to be true. I don't want to have a repeat of my joke from 2007, which people believed so wholeheartedly that it took on a life of its own. It even went so far as to be reported as fact in the next issue of The Baum Bugle. Please verify and reconfirm anything you may hear before passing it along.

It's April 1st

And so James Cameron To Remake "The Wizard of Oz" in 3D is only as funny as you may find it...

A spokesman for Cameron, Guy Weiss, explained that the criteria for his next project included, "The opportunity to use a colorful palate," and, "an element of escapist fantasy." Several projects were considered, including a movie version of the 70's cartoon Thundarr the Barbarian, the life story of Paris Hilton, and a series of films based on all of Piers Anthony's Xanth novels. However, the famed producer finally settled on a remake of "The Wizard of Oz."

Weiss explained, "Wizard of Oz has a gorgeous use of colors. The Yellow Brick Road, the Emerald City, the Ruby Slippers -- man, they'll all look stunning when they fly off an IMAX screen. Additionally, it's a property that has attracted us some name brand stars. Megan Fox has already signed on as Dorothy, and we're talking to Robin Williams to play the Scarecrow. It's probable that Sean Connery will play Toto, since he's a Scottie dog. We're also casting Jerry Seinfeld as the Tin Man and Danny DeVito as the Cowardly Lion. And America Ferrara will be the Wicked Witch of the West."

Beware of tomorrow...

As I type this, it's already past midnight on the east coast, which means it's April 1. April Fool's Day. Do I really need to give everyone my little warning to take anything you may hear about sudden discoveries of lost manuscripts or new film projects or the like with a grain of salt? Well, if I do, I think I've already said it. I really don't want a repeat of that April Fool's joke I put out a couple of years ago that found its way into The Baum Bugle as a news item!

Just a friendly warning

April Fool's Day is coming up on us very quickly.

Anything you read online that day, or dated April 1, should be taken with a very liberal pinch of salt. Be sure to check out all sources, and if you still have doubts, check out those sources again, then wait a couple of days and check yet again.

I mention this because quite a few people fell for last year's joke pretty hard, and believed it hook, line, and sinker, even though I linked to the "source" which was actually an April Fool's Day disclaimer. It even got so far as to get published in The Baum Bugle as a fact!

And this year, I have no joke. I'm taking the year off, after what happened last year. But be careful about 2009...