{"id":35079,"date":"2016-04-20T10:14:14","date_gmt":"2016-04-20T17:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/?p=35079"},"modified":"2016-04-20T10:14:14","modified_gmt":"2016-04-20T17:14:14","slug":"when-fools-rush-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/when-fools-rush-in\/","title":{"rendered":"When Fools Rush In"},"content":{"rendered":"

Article by Reid Kuennen<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Imagine this: It\u2019s January in Seattle. It\u2019s a dark, rainy Monday and you roll into work at Geocaching HQ. On your desk is a mysterious letter, addressed to you:<\/p>\n

\"2016-04-20_9-50-26\"<\/p>\n

Intrigued, you neglect your first sip of coffee to immediately inquire about the contents within. You discover a simple note:<\/p>\n

You are receiving this message because we think you are funny. As in, a good joke maker.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is January. Which means April 1st is basically tomorrow. This is a big deal as Geocaching HQ has come to be known around the globe for its April Fools shenanigans. From geocaching workouts, to T.I.N.Y. caches, to being DNFing awesome – we\u2019ve made an impact on our Gross National Hilarious (GNH).<\/em><\/p>\n

This is where you come in. We need you to help make this year\u2019s Geocaching April Fools joke even more epic than the rest. If you choose to accept, you will send us an email that says something like, \u201cDuh,\u201d or \u201cI laugh in the face of laughs,\u201d etc. Then, you will patiently await further instructions.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And this is how April Fools begins at Geocaching HQ.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later, the 10-15 envelope-receiving comedians have a meeting to get down to some serious funny business. Each person is tasked to prepare two pitches for an April Fools story that will:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Delight the geocaching community<\/li>\n
  2. Be informative and\/or drive the game forward<\/li>\n
  3. Be funny<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Sometimes being funny is hard\u2026 and vulnerable, so we start the meeting off with setting a safe and playful tone by playing improv games.*<\/p>\n

    Next, everyone takes turns confidently pitching their ideas as if they are the best April Fools jokes the world has ever seen. Let\u2019s just say the 2016 pitches were\u2026 varied:<\/p>\n

    \"143d140b-590a-47e2-970c-c8501850c51c\"<\/p>\n

    \"6866aeeb-e61e-4dfd-8203-43ab17da0b7c\"<\/p>\n

    \"catsdolls
    Here is a photo-op I couldn\u2019t resist during someone\u2019s pitch.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    We narrowed down the stories to pick the most funny yet feasible theme. And #spoilernotspoiler alert, we went with Galaxy Search, caching in the new frontier. You can learn more about how it all played out here.<\/p>\n

    \"AprilFools_2016_GalaxyCaches_SocialMedia_vFINAL_Blog<\/p>\n

    Serendipitously, we were able to tie-in this award-winning piece from the 2013 Geocaching International Film Festival:<\/p>\n