[Akuehne]

This got me. Thought it was real, busted out laughing when I read the project leads name. It still didn't click.

[throw101010]

Small clue here too, maybe more subtle:

> explained school director, Rosalina Pfirsich, looking up from her storybook

Pfirsich in German means Peach, as in Princess Peach :D

[adrian_b]

Also "project leader Mario Idraulico" (i.e. "hydraulic" in Italian) or "Safety coordinator Luigi Fratello" ("Brother Luigi").

[dasyatidprime]

The noun “idraulico” also means “plumber”.

[TeMPOraL]

Also the schoolteacher Yoshi Kyouryuu which apparently is the dinosaur.

[rmast]

They’ve also got:

> schoolteacher Yoshi Kyouryuu, mid-way through painting spots on eggs

[hapidjus]

There is also ”project leader Mario Idraulico”

[darth_aardvark]

You somehow identified the last possible, most obscure clue. Mario, Luigi, Rosalina, and Yoshi show up before that.

[shdudns]

Man I fell for it until I saw your post. In fact, I was just about to post what the man's name means in Italian.

I was even going to point out how ironic it is that the mans first name and last name fit together so well.

In my defense I only got as far as idraulico and missed the "Mamma mia, they're super!"

[marricks]

Someone was saying "can we just not with April fools" this year because everything is so grim and dire in the world... but I think this is such a perfect level we need. I could go for more whimsy like this.

[Pixelbrick]

I'd of said I had limited appetite for April fools gubbins this year too but this still made me smile :)

[moron4hire]

This one was good. It was pretty low-stakes and not anything that would impact anyone. For a while there, companies like Google were announcing products that sounded like a good idea, but turned out were just them trolling everyone over things people had been requesting for a long time.

[marricks]

Their heyday of good jokes was also when they hadn't produced any ads and seemed like an underdog. "Don't Be Evil" days.

Vibe-wise they all feel closer to Raytheon and I sure as fuck wouldn't want to see an attempt at a whimsical joke from Raytheon.

[charltones]

Also the hat and mustache of the kart driver.

[newsclues]

I read the title and thought CERN + Mario Kart and am giggling.

[shevy-java]

For me it was easier. While I forgot it was first april, the image was too outrageous. Looked like AI-generated slop.

They may have had more success with another image. AI slop made us lazy.

[riffraff]

IMO a made up "artist conception" picture on an article like this would have been perfectly appropriate, we've seen worse (think of the whole NEOM thingy).

[riffraff]

ah! got me too!