Ground rules for this activity along with a list of participants may be found on the Main talk page.
Rules
April Fools Did You Know items should present some trivia that can be presented in a manner that is possibly unbelievable to the reader. This can be done through words or names that mean two different things, shortened names, unbelievable facts, unrelated facts, etc. The normal written and unwritten rules for Did You Know (DYK) are followed, with these exceptions...
April Fools DYKs are subject to the usual exclusions regarding prior Main Page appearance, but the normal rules for special occasions do not apply: the article need only have been created/expanded/brought to GA in the year immediately preceding the April1 on which it will appear.
All other Wikipedia rules and guidelines still apply. Pay special attention to Wikipedia's Biographies of living persons guidelines if your hook relates to a living person.
Remember, we are trying to confuse and mislead Wikipedians and visitors, not lie to them. Keep all hooks and articles completely truthful, but outrageous. (examples from 2010: A hook claiming Dmitry Medvedev died in 2005 is ok, saying Mikheil Saakashvili died is not.)
How to review a nomination
Any editor who was not involved in writing/expanding or nominating an article may review it by checking to see that the article meets the DYK criteria except, per above, the normal new enough rule (long enough, no serious editorial or content issues) and the hook is cited. Editors may also alter the suggested hook to improve it, suggest new hooks, or even lend a hand and make edits to the article which the hook applies so that the hook is supported and accurate. For a more detailed discussion of the DYK rules and review process see the guidelines.
If you want to confirm that an article is ready to be placed on a later update, or note that there is an issue with the article or hook, please use the following symbols to point the issues out:
Amazon.com is unsuitable as a source and needs to be replaced in all usages. It's possible the publisher's site could be cited instead, some review site that contains the info, or even the book itself as a primary source. The first two hooks are unsuitably WP:SURPRISE. ALT3 seems fine, but I'd add "to be dark, damaged, and troubled, unlike books such as Bridget Jones's Diary", or something along those lines, as what it means isn't obvious. ᴢxᴄᴠʙɴᴍ (ᴛ) 17:17, 9 October 2026 (UTC)
Hi, Zxcvbnm. Thanks for the review! ALT0 and ALT1 are intended for WP:DYKAFD, which states that hooks may be presented in a manner that is possibly unbelievable to the reader. This can be done through words or names that mean two different things, shortened names, unbelievable facts, unrelated facts, etc.... Proper capitalization, title formatting, and linking standards may be disregarded only if adhering to them will tend to give away the joke. I've never made an AFD nomination before, but I believe what I've proposed would be acceptable for that (though I will admit, my sense of humour is pretty bad, so maybe these hooks aren't very good.........). I'm not sure WP:SURPRISE applies here, since these are hooks, not articles. I've removed Amazon. Pamzeis (talk) 06:44, 12 October 2026 (UTC)
I figured as much, I just wasn't really sure when applications for that started being accepted, but it seems they are, so belay what I said. It seems to be ready for DYK. ᴢxᴄᴠʙɴᴍ (ᴛ) 10:17, 12 October 2026 (UTC)
I couldn't resist reviewing this in return. The article is long enough, new enough and well-written. QPQ is done and the pic has an appropriate licence tag. The hook is supported by reliable inline citations. Is the hook good? No, it's magnificent. Good to go. Yakikaki (talk) 21:13, 5 April 2026 (UTC)
Source: * Hershatter, Gail (1999). Dangerous Pleasures: Prostitution and Modernity in Twentieth-Century Shanghai. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp.165–169. ISBN978-0-520-20439-3.
ALT1: ... that one winner of a courtesan election became the "milk president"? Source: * Hershatter, Gail (1999). Dangerous Pleasures: Prostitution and Modernity in Twentieth-Century Shanghai. Berkeley: University of California Press. p.198. ISBN978-0-520-20439-3. The winning courtesans received elegant sets of Western-style furniture; the first-place winner was thenceforth known throughout Shanghai as the "milk president," after the main ingredient in the sponsor's product.
ALT2: ... that patrons reportedly bought thousands of ballots so their favourite courtesans could be elected? Source: * He, Qiliang (2018). Newspapers and the Journalistic Public in Republican China: 1917 as a Significant Year for Journalism. New York, London: Routledge. ISBN978-0-429-79669-2. In one report in the Eastern Times, for example, a certain Mr. Yuan, the fourth son of Yuan Shuxun (1847–1915), intendant of Shanghai from 1891 to 1892, was said to have created a sensation in the courtesan circles for buying over 20,000 voting slips for his beloved courtesan, Judi. ... In a separate report regarding two male patrons' subscriptions, one of 10,000 and the other of 3,000 pieces of newspapers, to acquire the voting slips,
ALT3: ... that the winners of courtesan elections could see their value increase tenfold? Source: Henriot, Christian (2001). Prostitution and Sexuality in Shanghai: A Social History, 1849–1949. Translated by Castelino, Noel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN978-0-521-57165-4. Wang Tao says that being ranked had the effect of making a girl immediately famous and of increasing her value tenfold. Conversely, those who were not selected saw it as a form of disgrace or discredit.
Overall: All look good. For an ordinary hook, I approve ALT2 as it appears the more interesting of them all. If chosen for April's fools hook, then ALT0 is also good. A.Cython(talk) 00:19, 18 April 2026 (UTC)
Overall: Nice work on the expansion. All hooks are interesting, but if ALT0/1 are used, I would put quotes around "knows better than to stick his head against a buzz-saw" and "...to run up against a stone wall" if it doesn't run on April 1. Epicgenius (talk) 15:38, 26 March 2026 (UTC)
Yeah I'm okay with using quotes for it. Roast (talk) 15:47, 26 March 2026 (UTC)
Overall: Bordering on the line of newness, but I think it's close enough. Correct me if the 7-day period is absolutely strict and doesn't have wiggle room. Long enough, every paragraph has a source, neutral, passes Earwig, QPQ done. Hook verified. As it is right now, I think it would work great for an April Fools hook, but I would suggest ALT1 for a non-April Fools hook.
Boldly moving this nomination to the April Fool's section as ALT0 is far superior and an excellent AFD hook. Dclemens1971 (talk) 20:36, 14 May 2026 (UTC)
Source: Coe, Jonathan (4 June 2004). Like a Fiery Elephant: The Story of B S Johnson. Picador (imprint). p. 29-32.
ALT1: ... that novelist B. S. Johnson planned to write a trilogy whose titles would read as: "See the old lady decently buried although amongst those left are you"? Source: [Source 1: https://www.ndbooks.com/author/b.-s.-johnson/]. Source 2: Coe, Jonathan (4 June 2004). Like a Fiery Elephant: The Story of B S Johnson. Picador (imprint). p. 29-32.
Overall: @ISD: Sorry that you had to wait so long for a review. Looks good except for just one concern that needs to be resolved above. Epicgenius (talk) 13:46, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
User:Epicgenius I've now added that missing reference (it is mentioned in the print Jonathan Coe source I used, but on an earlier page so I've expanded that reference to include that page). ISD (talk) 14:38, 6 May 2026 (UTC)
Comment: I think ALT0 is terrific for April Fool's Day and have moved this nomination to that section. Dclemens1971 (talk) 00:08, 15 May 2026 (UTC)
OK, while I have no problem with this going up on April Fools, I just want to make sure the hook doesn't cause too much offensive, in that the reason why Johnson never completed his Matrix Trilogy of books is because he took his own life. I don't want anyone to get into trouble if this is an issue. ISD (talk) 07:26, 15 May 2026 (UTC)
Comment: Proposing as an April Fools hook (so not subject to time limit), though I could write a regular one. Idris elba is a species of wasps, named after the actor. Needs to be a piped link to hide the disambiguator.
Moved to mainspace by EmergentAnarchy(talk).
Number of QPQs required: 0. Nominator has fewer than 5 past nominations.
I've taken the liberty of tweaking the hooks to comply with WP:DYKAPRIL.--Launchballer 16:07, 9 June 2026 (UTC)
New enough, long enough, sourced, neutral, and clean on an Earwig check (I added a pair of quotes). ALT1 is verified and interesting, not sure about the other three but won't address those in this review. No QPQ needed, no image provided. Good for April Fools' Day only – nice work! theleekycauldron (talk • she/her) 23:32, 10 June 2026 (UTC)
Also approving ALT2 and ALT3 for WP:DYKAPRIL.--Launchballer 21:05, 20 June 2026 (UTC)
New enough, long enough at 3440 characters. Two QPQs done. Sources are all in Ukrainian, as a random spot check, could you provide the quote and source that supports "while also criticising it for its trivial plot"? The lead states that the film was acquired from the Russian State Film Fund, but the body does not make this connection. The Cast section does not have a source. Some parts of the infobox are not in the body and without a source, including the writer, the director's editing credit, the release dates, the mention of the All-Ukrainian Photo Cinema Administration, and the run time. Ideally these would all be present and sourced in the body.Both hooks seem supported, as far as I can tell. Tempted to agree ALT1 could work for the April Fools set. No other issues identified, so with some source work this should be fine. CMD (talk) 16:05, 21 June 2026 (UTC)
@Chipmunkdavis: I checked the source, and it seems the bit about the "trivial plot" was more of a statement than a criticism, so I cut this. That it was "acquired" from the Russian Film Fund seemed obvious to me, seeing as that was where it was held and rediscovered, but I've rewritten just in case. Per the Manual of Style on films, the cast list and the production information in the infobox is taken directly from the opening credits of the film, so it doesn't need to cite a separate source. Added premiere date to prose. Let me know if there's anything else I can do. --Grnrchst (talk) 16:36, 21 June 2026 (UTC)
The only exception I'm reading in MOSFILMCAST is about Plot ("basic descriptions of their plots do not need references to an outside source"), also surprised the runtime is in the opening credits but I have not seen this film. The use of acquired is not an issue in itself (source [4] seems to heavily imply it), it's the presence of the information in the lead but not in the body which I raised. CMD (talk) 02:04, 22 June 2026 (UTC)
@Chipmunkdavis: It seems like overkill to me, for information that is all verified by the film itself, but I've loaded the infobox and cast list up with citations now. Are there any further issues I need to fix? --Grnrchst (talk) 08:50, 22 June 2026 (UTC)
I think that covers everything I raised. Regarding the film itself, I was wondering what its copyright status might be given a 1930 publishing date, but it may still be protected under Ukrainian law. I will add this to the April Fools' Day list once the bot shifts it to approved. CMD (talk) 09:09, 22 June 2026 (UTC)
@Chipmunkdavis: The Soviet Union had a life+25 copyright term, which as Shpykovskyi died in 1977, should have made it public domain in 2002; however, Ukraine joined the Bern convention in 1996 and retroactively extended copyright terms to life+70 in 2001, so it seems this film won't be PD until 2047. Shame. --Grnrchst (talk) 09:22, 22 June 2026 (UTC)
Source: "those early endorsers: Desis Rising Up & Moving (DRUM Beats)... His support and hunger strike for taxi medallion debt relief in 2021" (link), "Over the next two weeks, 78 people joined the hunger strike at various points.... The others included... DRUM (Desis Rising Up & Moving)." (link)
Reviewed:
Moved to mainspace by Sumanah(talk) and Jessamyn(talk).
Number of QPQs required: 0. Nominator has fewer than 5 past nominations.
– Moved to main space on 26 June. The sources are okay, although not many citations are known publications or newspapers, at least outside the US. But they are reliable anyway. Earwig shows normal levels of copyvio issues, and no QPQ was required for the nominator. The hook is interesting and within the hook range (it is 178 characters long). I am approving of both hooks; I guess that you Bremps and Sumanah will have to decide because that day is way too far in time, Bremps, LOL. Oh, small detail, can you please unbold that word in the first header? Thx. CoryGlee 02:25, 28 June 2026 (UTC)
Note for promoter: If ALT1 is used, it will have to be reserved for DYKAPRIL, as the hook is otherwise misleading (the subject's abbreviation is capitalized). Epicgenius (talk) 14:06, 28 June 2026 (UTC)
I apologize for not being clear. Both are okay and yes of course that the second one is clickbait. But can I approve two hooks still? Reserving the second one to next year? CoryGlee 17:12, 28 June 2026 (UTC)
@CoryGlee:, per WP:DYKCRIT, "An article is ineligible for DYK if it has in the past five years appeared on the Main Page as a bold link at DYK." Since hooks can't be reserved for more than six weeks except for April Fool's noms (which run on the following April Fool's Day), this would unfortunately preclude running both at DYK. Epicgenius (talk) 15:57, 29 June 2026 (UTC)
@Epicgenius:, thanks for that, I didn't know about it. Okay, do I need to decide it myself as reviewer? Can I leave it up to Bremps and Sumanah? CoryGlee 16:09, 29 June 2026 (UTC)
@CoryGlee: I'd leave it up to the promoter. Per AirshipJungleman29's comment above, it looks like he's moved it to the DYKAPRIL section. However, whoever promotes this nomination will choose whether to accept the April Fool's hook, or whether to accept ALT0 instead and move it to a regular prep area. Epicgenius (talk) 16:33, 29 June 2026 (UTC)
Under review, thank you! M.Billoo 05:45, 19 June 2026 (UTC)
@HalfHazard98 and Launchballer: Hi. I now see no major problems in the article, would appreciate if this also be a GAN candidate. Long and new enough, well-written and well-sourced. Earwig comes green. QPQ presented. Images in the article are licensed. Hook is verified by this source and should work for the DYKAPRIL (however, it is more than 9 months away). Thank you and all the best. M.Billoo 13:30, 25 June 2026 (UTC)
@M.Billoo2000: Thanks, Billoo! Pleasure working with you again! Do you actually want me to nominate the Enid and Wednesday articles for GA? Would you be willing to review them if I did? -HalfHazard
If WT:DYK are fine with a four-month-old hook, then I am too. Pinging @HalfHazard98:.--Launchballer 22:06, 8 September 2026 (UTC)
@Thriley: Idea is not bad. But may need a suitable hook to comply, because this one was intended for DYKAPRIL. Also, that it has been some time since last reviewed, and the page has been updated pretty much, therefore it needs another review before passing... So it may not fall under DYK's newness criteria, until it is 5x or a GA. I may be posting new comments on the talk page. Thank you! M.Billoo 01:29, 9 September 2026 (UTC)
Actually, the original might work with a bit more context. ALT0a: ... that the character of Wednesday Addams(cosplayer pictured) has been criticized for not being deadly enough?. We may need to put this through GA, depending on whether WT:DYK IARs.--Launchballer 14:03, 9 September 2026 (UTC)
@Launchballer: Was there any progress on your query at the WT:DYK? M.Billoo 18:46, 14 September 2026 (UTC)
I asked, but got no response. There'll be another post about it nearer the time, I suggest waiting for that.--Launchballer 00:11, 15 September 2026 (UTC)
ALT1 ... that Wednesday Addams was called "the embodiment of a zeitgeist in which dark aesthetics have become a form of self-expression for an entire generation"? Thriley (talk) 19:06, 22 October 2026 (UTC)
Maybe? ALT0a's punchier but less macabre. I'll let a promoter opine. (I'll note that all the facts of ALT0a were approved as part of ALT0, so as far as I'm concerned, that hook is approved.)--Launchballer 04:31, 23 October 2026 (UTC)
Original hook was approved, but now the page needed a new review due to expansion which I was unable to perform. And then there was no response whether it should go at the Halloween set or wait until DYKAPRIL. I am not sure... M.Billoo 17:32, 23 October 2026 (UTC)
That's annoying. @Thriley:, do you mind?--Launchballer 07:27, 24 October 2026 (UTC)
New enough, long enough, sourced (mostly minor and a few marginal publications but eh), neutral, and clean on an Earwig check. ALTs 0 and 1 are verified and interesting; I'll let someone else review ALT2, though. No image provided, no QPQ needed. Nice work! (Maybe explain what "rutted" means in this context?) theleekycauldron (talk • she/her) 23:25, 10 June 2026 (UTC)
ALT0 won't work because Sonic is a fictional character and can always be brought back. There is one exception to that and that's WP:DYKAPRIL, for which I suggest ALT2: ... that the murder of Sonic the Hedgehog was received positively by fans of his series?--Launchballer 14:26, 2 June 2026 (UTC)
@Laun I am good with ALT2 or ALT1, but it may need to be reworded, otherwise it may look odd that "the murder" isn't capitalized as it is in the game title. Perhaps ALT3: ... that the death of Sonic the Hedgehog was received positively by fans of his series? IngeniousPachyderm (talk) 21:22, 2 June 2026 (UTC)
@Launchballer Just took a look and you're right, I see that is the case with multiple DYK submissions there. I am good to go with ALT2. Thank you. IngeniousPachyderm (talk) 01:09, 3 June 2026 (UTC)
I'll review this. ミラP@Miraclepine 18:41, 28 June 2026 (UTC)
Overall: Promoted to GA on nom day, size 11kB, this is the nom's fourth DYK so no QPQ needed. Prefer ALT2 over ALT3 over ALT0 over ALT1. @IngeniousPachyderm: address the issues and you're good to go. ミラP@Miraclepine 21:01, 28 June 2026 (UTC)
ミラP@Miraclepine Thanks for your review. I have added the following sentences to the Reception section of the article. Please let me know if you have any further feedback.
"Sega stated that their attempt to "surprise and delight" series fans with the game proved to be successful.[30] Lauren Bergin of PCGamesN, a self-described "avid fan of all things Sonic", expressed her delight in seeing a game in the series perform well after recent games in the series failed to impress her.[31]"
@IngeniousPachyderm: A bit late in responding since the ping didn't work (you may wanna look at WP:PINGFIX), but these two check out. ミラP@Miraclepine 02:23, 14 July 2026 (UTC)
Saw people talking about this article, but I was suprised this hadn't gotten reviewed yet. I think this is a great hook,and it checks out with the Stereogum source. It's just long enough, eligible from newness, and I can't detect any copyvio or uncited statements. Seems we're good to go here; I would support the original hook the most. ALT1 works if the first is deemed unfeasible somehow, but for that one I would insert an "album's" after the artist and delink iTunes to avoid a sea of blue issue. Generalissima (talk) (it/she) 02:37, 22 July 2026 (UTC)
... that when Argentina(pictured) was unveiled, its designer and his wife slept in the cab to prevent others from stealing its parts?
Source: Glancey 2004: "Gawked at and clambered over by thousands of visitors, Porta and his wife, Ana, slept on the locomotive's footplate to keep Argentina safe from souvenir-seekers."
ALT1: ... that the locomotive Argentina(pictured) was compared to "a bantamweight boxer packing the punch of Mike Tyson"? Source: Glancey 2004.
ALT2: ... that Argentina is inaccessible to the public? Source: Lazzari 2026: "Después se fue haciendo toda una zona de eh viviendas precarias y hoy están los pocos restos que quedan que son inaccesibles. [Then a whole area of precarious housing was made (in Tucumán) and today there are the few remains (of the locomotive) that are inaccessible.]"
ALT2, which I just renumbered, is an excellent hook.--Launchballer 09:05, 19 July 2026 (UTC)
Article is new enough, long enough, and well sourced. Earwig brought back only properly-attributed quotes, and no copyvio concerns were noticed during a spot check. All three hooks are interesting and cited in the article. ALT2 is cited to a YouTube video, but the podcast shown appears to be reliable (owned by a radio station) and the info it supports is not terribly controversial, so I think it's fine. Image is properly licensed but on the grainy side – it's approved, but as I don't have a lot of experience with DYKIMG I'll leave it up to the promoter whether to use it. All hooks are approved with a preference for ALT2 for DYKAPRIL, though I believe omitting the italic formatting is misleading. Fortunately I don't think the hookiness is lost if the proper formatting is used. So to be clear, my preference is for
ALT2a: ... that Argentina is inaccessible to the public?
ideally sans image, if chosen for DYKAPRIL. Either way, this is good to go. Kudos to JudeHalley for the article and the DYK. DrOrinScrivello (talk) 21:38, 5 August 2026 (UTC)
Sure, bet! This is so funny! Very ironic for a government to violate their own laws they police closely... Unsurprising📝🗣️💬 01:24, 23 September 2026 (UTC)
It's called "Project Happy Days" as well! (The government is "happy" to violate their own laws for their own sake? Imagine...) From a personal perspective, I agree this is wild enough for April Fools day without any embellishment.
Overall: Article was created on Sept 22, moved to mainspace on Sept 23 and nominated on Sept 23. QPQ done. No copyvio detected. Neutrally written and fully cited. Hook is very interesting & cited. Definitely suitable for April Fool's day (given how wild it is). I approve ALT0 (more succinct is better for this, in my opinion) — Chao Garden 🌱 ~ say hello 23:36, 23 September 2026 (UTC)
Thanks muchly. Will move to the staging area for AF.—Chris Woodrich (talk) 23:39, 23 September 2026 (UTC)
... that previous owners of Shakespeare's head include a tavern keeper, a church pastor, and a New England railroad?
Source: Tavern keeper is cited to sources 20, 25, and 26 in the article; church pastor is cited to source 31, and New England railroad is cited to source 5.
Overall: Good work. No blatant issues. This works well as a april fools day dyk. GTG Warm Regards, Miminity (Talk?) (me contribs) 12:38, 26 September 2026 (UTC)
Moving over to the AFD staging area then. Thank you! Beta Beta Beta - talk 17:39, 26 September 2026 (UTC)
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