Companies in Singapore come up with April Fool's Day pranks to brighten your day

If you ask me, the start of 2020 feels like a bad joke gone south, what with the coronavirus that has since become a full-blown pandemic. 

So people are cancelling April Fool's Day, but still, some companies in Singapore are attempting to lift our spirits with little harmless pranks on our social media feeds so we can take a break from all the bad news.

Subway Durian Delite

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The king of fruits in a sub? Yes, count me in! Most of my colleagues hated the idea of it, though. We even took virtual bets to see if it was really going to be on the fast food chain's menu today, and sadly, I lost.

The PR representatives were kind enough to send a Roast Chicken sub to us while revealing the heartbreaking truth that there will be no Durian Delite after all. Cue Backstreet Boys' Quit Playing Games With My Heart.

But, they told us to keep our eyes peeled for new menu items that are in the pipeline. Still, nothing that involves durians.

4Fingers Chickaboba

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Boba taco softie, sure! But I don't think anyone loves it enough to be on fried chicken, besides 4Fingers. They apparently loved the idea so much and was overly eager to share their creation that they accidentally posted it on Facebook a day earlier than it was supposed to — yes, we saw that. 

These aren't just your regular milk tea boba pearls, the people behind 4Fingers let their imaginations run a little too wild by coming up with soy garlic ikura pearls (yuck!). You can even suck it up with their "seaweed fatty fries straws"; at least they get an "A" for being environmentally conscious.

On the other hand, the "kimslaw cheese creamer" and "special ooh-long sauce" sound palatable enough that they can consider dishing it out for real.

Ichiban Sushi Coriander Maki

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You're either for or against coriander, there's no in between. So, it's unsurprising that the idea of coriander maki is splitting fans of Ichiban Sushi into two camps. 

I, for one, dig this creation and wouldn't mind giving it a try, especially since coriander adds a refreshing taste to the dishes. Fight me!

Tuk Tuk Cha Coriander Thai Milk Tea

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Tuk Tuk Cha is also using the herb as part of its April Fool's prank. What exactly did coriander do to you people for so many to have such a vendetta against it? 

Although coriander maki is still somewhat acceptable, but in milk tea? This one is just a wee bit offensive to the tastebuds and thankfully, it's just a joke. 

Yet, some people actually wouldn't mind giving the drink a go. Perhaps Tuk Tuk Cha could really make it a reality in "April 2030" or even earlier, to appease its coriander-loving customers. 

Ooh Mala Marshmallow

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"Ooh...Mala Marshmallow" was indeed the thought that went through my mind.

All kinds of questions are just popping up in my head now, particularly "what would sweet and spicy taste like together?", I guess I'll never know.

[Updated, April 6]

Apparently, our eyes weren't playing tricks on us and the Ohh Mala Marshmallows are now available exclusively on Shopee when you purchase a Mala Trio Snacks Bundle from April 3.

A part of the sales will go into showing appreciation for our frontline workers in healthcare.

• For every set purchased, Ooh will donate $1 to Singapore General Hospital (SGH).

• For every entry on Instagram or Facebook for the #MalaChubbyBunny challenge, Ooh will donate an additional $1 to SGH.

NAFA Diploma in TikTok

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Always on TikTok but not sure how to create quality content that will draw in more followers? Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts jokes that it is launching a new Diploma in Content Creation (TikTok)⁣ course. 

You may laugh now, but who knows, maybe it'll become a module in the near future for aspiring content creators. Companies these days are already hiring social media managers; someday there may be specialised job scopes focusing on growing the various social media platforms. You'll see.

melissagoh@asiaone.com