In the days after April Fool’s, we often have to deal with lingering rumours that had initially started off as innocent pranks but escaped the confines of the first of the month and continued to circulate as if they were true.
In 2018, one such prank-turned-hoax is the claim the Disney announced they will be building a $6.5 billion attraction in Toronto Islands, aptly named Disneyland Toronto. The rumours sourced back to TheDailyHive, a Canadian media outlet, of which an excerpt is below. The article was quite elaborate and even included visualisations of what would appear at the attraction.
The $6.5-billion attraction, known as “Toronto Disney Resort,” centres on the construction of Canada’s very own Disneyland theme park – Toronto Disneyland – on the site of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
Other public spaces on the islands beyond the airport site will be maintained as accessible park space and improved through a new parks lands management partnership with Disney.
There will also be hotels on the island, next to Disneyland, and improved transportation links between the island and downtown.
It seems many didn’t stick with the article until the end, or perhaps glossed over the publication date of the article. TheDailyHive is a legitimate news outlet, but right towards the end of the article, the words Happy April Fool’s Day! appear. The entire article was a joke, yet social media users are still circulating the article believing it is true.
Remember, it’s not just April Fool’s Day you need to be especially vigilant of online nonsense, as many hoaxes thrive for days or weeks later. But ideally, you need to be super vigilant all year round!