Tomorrow Is April Fool’s Day!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Fools!

Did you know April Fool’s Day has been around for centuries?

Turns out there are oodles of wacky stories about its origins. One of the best stories took place in Britain in the 13th century. At the time, royal law stated that any road the king touched became his property. When the town of Gotham got wind of this, they hatched a plan to hang onto their land.

When King John approached Gotham, the residents refused him entry. But he was, after all, the king, and he sent knights to storm the town. So all the Gotham townsfolk pretended to be completely looney tunes by “drowning fish” and “trying to trap birds in roofless cages” (cutting-edge comedy in the 13th century). The king fell for it and declared Gotham “too foolish to punish.” And the people of Gotham kept their hamlet all to themselves!

Much later, in the 20th century, theater owners realized that fools equaled comedy gold!

From vaudeville to movies and, later, television, we’ve fallen in love with bumbling buffoons. The Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, and Abbott and Costello all boast at least 1 to 3 fools. Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show is another fine fool. Bad Boy Benny Hill mixed foolery with saucy hi-jinks for an irresistible combination (you know you watched when your parents weren’t around).

Some of my favorite fools are the cartoon characters I grew up with.I still crack up when Daffy Duck hisses “You’re despicable!” I giggle when Bullwinkle says “Hey Rocky! Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!”

So, this April Fool’s Day pay homage to The Fool with your old friends: Scooby Doo, Johnny Carson, Fred Flintstone, Rodney Dangerfield, Charlie Brown, Bob Hope, Homer Simpson–and more.

And yes: I did just put Bob Hope in the same category as a crime solving dog. Doh!

Happy April Fool’s Day!