15 brands that prove April Fools' Day is an awkward, embarrassing mess

From Charmin's bathroom noise-canceling device to Target's #FannyBasket, here's our round-up:

Published April 1, 2015 6:00PM (EDT)

  (Miz Mooz)
(Miz Mooz)

What, you thought brands would merely watch from the sidelines while the rest of the web had all the fun this April Fools' Day? Of course not. If there's one day brands love to misbehave on -- other than 9/11, that is -- it's the first of April. It's a great time for corporations to prove to society at large that they're just like us!: sassy and slangy and totally current. Like, for example, "this whole 'selfie stick thing' -- weird, huh?"

While most of these brands managed to steer clear of any explicitly offensive content, we can say that the biggest crime committed here today was being just plain corny. Have a look at some of the worst April Fools' joke-instigators that we've caught red-handed so far:

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By Colin Gorenstein

Colin Gorenstein is Salon's assistant editor of internet and viral content. Follow @colingorenstein or email cgorenstein@salon.com.

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