Blogger's 'Tsim Sha Tsui tourist plan' tricks many on April Fool's
Chungking Mansions will be transformed into a 17-storey infant formula and Ferrero Rocher emporium; port-a-potties installed along Hankow Road; and a "loud carriage" provided for mainland tourists on the MTR.
These were just some of the tall tales floating around Hong Kong yesterday as the city welcomed the month of April by pranking the gullible.
"No matter how ridiculous I make April fools someone always falls for them," Tom Grundy, who runs the blog Hong Wrong, said. He had created a montage of "changes" planned for Tsim Sha Tsui to cater to mainland tourists.
Global tech giant Google also joined in, with a "shelfie" feature in Gmail and a "Pokemon Master" recruitment video.
"With Shelfies (Shareable Selfies), you can set your own photo as a Gmail custom theme and share it with your friends so they can enjoy looking at you as much as you do," the company wrote.
Google Maps released a recruitment video for the brand new position of Pokemon Master. Anyone with an iPhone or Android phone and the latest Google Maps app was invited to capture 150 Pokemon characters hidden around the world.
"I couldn't believe it actually worked," copywriter Carmen Ip Ka-man, 29, said. She spent an hour or two collecting the cartoon characters. In Hong Kong, one was found on the Dragon's Back hiking trail.
Other "fools" fell victim to fake pregnancies and partners pretending to break up with them. "I tried to remain cool," said Eugene, a marketing executive pranked by his girlfriend who hinted she was pregnant.
"April Fools' jokes are great … Nothing better to lighten up the day," said Baptist University lecturer Kevin Lau, who tried Gmail's "shelfie" feature.
