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April Fool's Day roundup 2019

Eight of the best April Fools' Day pranks from architecture and design

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Did we fool you with our spoof story? Here are eight of this year's best architecture and design April fools including plans for a gondola in Edinburgh, a dog-walking drone and Swiss Army sunglasses.

Every year on the first of April people traditionally play tricks on each other, and the media loves to get involved. Here are eight of the best stories from around the internet this April Fools' Day.

Shutterstock to build "world's largest" library

Stock photo stalwart Shutterstock announced it was poised to put the Great Library of Alexandra to shame by building a brick and mortar library to house a hard copy of every one of its 250 million pictures and videos.

Shutterstock estimated its library, designed by world-renowned Belgian architect Alexandria VonPixel would be the largest in the world. Instead of librarians, the catalogue would be managed by an army of AI-powered robots called Cyanotypes.

Drones that can take your dog for a walk

The Times reported that a £200 drone had been released that can walk your dog. Called the Drone Dog Walker, the newspaper claimed the drone came with "leash control technology" to keep a firm robot-hand on unruly labradors, but warned that smaller breeds could end up literally getting carried away.

An advanced version of the drone would freeze dry your dog's poop and scoop it into a bag.

April Fool's Day roundup 2019
The Grasshopper gondala was designed for Edinburgh Castle. Photo courtesy of ISA

Edinburgh gets its own arial gondola to ease congestion

Scottish architecture practice ISA revealed plans to build a gondola route through Edinburgh. Called the Apex Grasshopper, the cable car would stretch from a hotel to the historic Edinburgh Castle.

ISA promised the new transport system would help ease congestion and allow visitors with only a short time in the city to make the most of their stay.

Britain's Royal Mint releases a poop emoji coin

UK tabloid newspaper The Sun announced that the Royal Mint was releasing a special edition 50p coin emblazoned with the poop emoji.

Also set to go into circulation were coins embossed with other emojis that have somewhat-rude connotations, including aubergines and peaches.

April Fool's Day roundup 2019

Pink fluffy chair promises to bring wellness to sitter

Cornish contemporary furniture brand MARK Product advertised a re-upholstered version of their Loops chair that promised to improve the user's life.

As part of a fake study with the fictional "University of Cornwall" the chair-makers promised the pink and fluffy fabric would bring the owner a wealth of wellness benefits.

FinTech startup unveils a debit card made of lead

Chip, a FinTech startup that allows users to automatically save money digitally via an app, promised users it was bringing out a physical bank card made of lead.

Weighing in 33 times heavier than your average card, ChipLead promised to help users feel important, work on their biceps, and even slow down a would-be thief.

Swiss Army sunglasses come with a built-in knife

Glasses USA announced a tongue-in-cheek partnership with Victorianox Swiss Army, showing off the design for a pair of spectacles with tools that flick out of the frame.

The glasses would come equipped with everything from a corkscrew to a knife, reported High Snobriety.

Summer Norman
Norman Foster loves unicorns, so why not build a tower like one'? Photo courtesy of Norman Foster's Instagram

Norman Foster designs The Unicorn

Did you fall for our fool? We made up a spoof announcement that Norman Foster designed a tower to rival the proposed The Tulip viewpoint in London.

Called The Unicorn, we imagined a 307-metre spire with office spaces and sleeping pods for hard-pressed urban millennials to rent, wrapped with a helter skelter slide.

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