April Fool’s Day 2019: Best jokes so far, from the McDonald’s ‘McPickle’ to spreadable Yorkshire Tea

April Fool's Day is a time to have your wits about you, as people around the world revel in pranking their friends, family and colleagues.

The origins of the annual celebration can be traced back hundreds of years, yet many are still caught out on the day by believable hoaxes.

In recent years, increasing numbers of brands have joined in the battle to fool as many people as possible.

This year, companies including McDonald's, the British Transport Police and the BBC have joined in the fun by catching out gullible consumers with fabricated marketing campaigns.

Here are some of the best April Fool's pranks so far this year:

For April Fool's Day, McDonald's Australia announced the launch of its new 'McPickle' burger on Instagram, made from "juicy, flavoursome pickles layered between melted cheese, ketchup sauce and toasted sesame seed buns".

While the new addition to the fast food chain's menu may have seemed like an obvious April Fool's joke to some, others were still hopeful that it may turn out to be true.

"Omfg if this is [an] April Fool's joke imma be mad," one person commented on Instagram.

"I'm gonna order 1,000," a pickle aficionado remarked.

However, the news was too good to be true, as McDonald's Australia later commented underneath the Instagram post, saying that the pickle burger was "available until yesterday".

For their April Fool's Day gag, BBC iPlayer announced the addition of a new feature on the on-demand platform: the 'Skip The Sex' button.

The BBC explained that the feature would be ideal for anyone who would rather avoid "awkward sex scenes" while watching television with the family or on public transport.

"Fornication with the family? Skip. Titillation on the train? Skip. Intercourse with the in-laws? Skip," the advert states.

While the feature is evidently not going to actually be made available, some television watchers have said that they think it could actually be a good idea in future.

"I know this is an April Fool's but it would be a good feature," one person tweeted.

"Now if this were real I'd be able to watch Game of Thrones with my husband and son!" another added.

There's nothing worse than sitting down on a train for your daily commute, only for the passenger sitting next to you to start tucking into smelly food.

The British Transport Police agrees, which is why for April Fool's it's announced those that do so could face a £2,000 fine.

The police force stated that those "caught eating offensive food items" on public transport may face a penalty fare, as part of "new anti-social behaviour legislation".

While the announcement was made in jest, several Twitter users said they'd almost been fooled.

"You know it's concerning when I'm actually having to wonder whether this is a joke or not," one person remarked.

While cricket is a popular game among sports fans of all ages, some may think of it as slightly more appealing to older generations.

That's why the International Cricket Council (ICC) joked that players' kits will feature their Instagram handles on their kits from the beginning of the World Test Championship.

"In further changes ahead of the World Test Championship, the tradition of the coin toss will be replaced by a @Twitter poll, allowing fans at home to decide who bats and bowls!" the organisation added.

The ICC also said that when temperatures increase over summer, cricketers will be allowed to depart from cricket sartorial tradition by wearing shorts.

"I know it's a prank, but the idea of including social media handles is pretty good," one cricket fan remarked on Twitter.

Considering the recent launch of Marmite Peanut Butter, many could be forgiven for believing that Yorkshire Tea had created a spreadable tea but sadly, it was only an April Fool's.

Nonetheless, some consumers expressed interest in the concept.

"I know the date but I would still buy this, lads," one person tweeted.

"I know this is a joke but hell I'd buy this perfect combo with a nice mug of Yorkshire tea strong," another commented.

For this year’s April Fool’s, Sainsbury’s announced the launch of the pink avocado, describing it as the “first-of-its-kind”.

Named the “Rosa-vo”, the supermarket claims the rose-hued fruit could prove popular among foodie millennials.

“Whilst we know Sainsbury’s customers are loyal devotees to the iconic brunch dish, we felt it was about time the humble avo-toast was given a bit of a refresh and social-specific makeover,” a Sainsbury’s spokesperson said.

While the concept of the pink avocado has been fabricated, it does look like it could make an appealing addition to any brunch menu.

To stay up-to-date with all the revelry taking place in celebration of April Fool's Day, follow The Independent's live blog here.