Wikipedia:April Fools' Main Page/Featured Article/Archive 2009

Please use this page for discussions surrounding the creation of a Featured Article for April Fool's day 2009

Areas of work needed to complete the front page are:

Ground rules for this activity along with a list or participants may be found on the Main talk page.

Mission

In the past, various unusual articles have been improved to featured article status. These include exploding whale, heavy metal umlaut, Japanese toilet, spoo, Joshua A. Norton, George Washington (inventor), and Ima Hogg. People seeing some of these articles listed on the Main Page sometimes believe that it is a joke, when in fact, these articles are well-written and quite deserving of featured article status.

An unusual article (such as exploding toad or Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch) will be edited up to Featured article status and listed on the Main Page on 1 April, 2009. The "recently featured" sentence could be changed to "other featured", and link to the above-mentioned unusual featured articles.

Given the amount of time it takes to bring an article up to Featured article status, an alternative solution would be to use an article that has already been made a Featured article, but has not yet been listed on the Main Page.

Requirements

Raul is willing to consider any article for April fools day, as long as it meets three requirements:

It must be a featured article by April 1, 2009
It must not have already been used as the main page featured article.
It is not too risqué (more so than any other article that would be used on the front page)

Action items

What are we going to write/promote? We need to pick either a new topic or an existing article to nominate for FA. I think we need half a dozen nominees - then we vote/get consensus on which one is most suitable.
We have to work hard to get it up to featured status. This may be very difficult and might take several attempts.
We have to usher it through all of the phases leading up to FA.
We need to make sure it's on the front page on April 1st. This means starting in on it fairly soon.

Suggestions

Uncyclopedia. Oh, the irony! It's a good article so it shouldn't take real much work to improve it. Idea carried from 2008 discussion. Royalbroil 16:13, 2 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

This article proved to be very difficult last year, as no one would seriously work on it and needed improvements at FAC didn't happen. I see it has gone backwards a bit since it's FAC last year. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:30, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Museum of Bad Art - it's a relatively small article now, but their website has an extensive list of articles about the museum, which could be mined for additional content. And I think I could help get some photos of the pictures in the museum released as free content, if that would help. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 15:32, 22 April 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Museum of Bad Art has been greatly expanded and is curently undergoing the good article nomination process. Jut to let everyone know.--Found5dollar (talk) 02:15, 5 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Now it is a GA.--Found5dollar (talk) 02:08, 6 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, it just made featured!--Found5dollar (talk) 00:24, 16 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

U.S. Route 491 -- This article passed FAC in August 08. This is a serious article, but has lots of urban legand and other items we could have fun with. I have started a blurb at User:Davemeistermoab/U.S. Route 491 - main page blurb, feedback (positive or negative) is welcome.Dave (talk) 03:15, 19 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I'm not seeing the hoax or April Fools in that blurb. (See Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 1, 2008 and Wikipedia:Today's featured article/April 1, 2007.) SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:30, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The irony is that the highway used to be U.S. Route 666 and there are weird things associated with its former designation (666 is known as the Number of the Beast) like devil worshipers stealing its signs. See User:Davemeistermoab/U.S. Route 491 - main page blurb). Royal broil 03:26, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I saw that linked above; I still don't see a hoax or April Fools factor. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 03:29, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Sacred Cod of Massachusetts. If not a featured article, perhaps an expansion for DYK. "In Cod We Trust" needs to be on the Main Page on April 1. —Kevin Myers 13:35, 10 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It's short enough that it could be expanded fivefold to qualify for DYK.---I'm Spartacus! ^PoppaBalloon 20:30, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I just greatly expanded this article. Put it up for DYK.--Found5dollar (talk) 03:45, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Flying Spaghetti Monster. A wonderful irreligion. With some mediumish improvemnts, this article could get FA. BobAmnertiopsis _{ChitChat Me!} 02:03, 19 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo fits the bill, I think. Outstairs (talk) 01:23, 6 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Rickrolling. Do I even need to explain why? jj137 (talk) 02:51, 11 October 2008 (UTC)[reply]
- Already a good article, with lots of untapped sources in the extensive EL section. -- John Broughton (♫♫) 09:33, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  - Hard to "fool" people with something so obvious. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 18:30, 11 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]
    - I honestly think it'd be hilarious that if you clicked on the article's main page link, it took you to the video instead. WesleyDodds (talk) 06:04, 1 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      - I disagree. It's been done so many times in so many venues, I doubt people would think "hahaha!", instead opting with "oh... that's annoying; I thought WP was the last bastion of non-stupidity on the Internet." IMO, there are much better things we could feature than this. -- Mike (Kicking222) 15:32, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
        Not to mention that if we linked to a blatant copyright violation in the most prominent link on the main page, Raul would probably (and appropriately) have kittens. – iridescent 17:11, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
      - Many people reading the article would expect some surprise link somewhere. Having no surprise link at all would probably be frustrating to some and amusing to a few others. Gimmetrow 04:22, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Rhinoceros Party of Canada Think of the main page blurb that could be written! -- Scorpion ⁰⁴²² 23:09, 2 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Thomas Crapper, a man who did some of his best work on the toilet. —Kevin Myers 18:54, 19 November 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Maggot cheese. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 14:18, 28 December 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Too disgusting. Royal broil 03:29, 12 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Lake Titicaca. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 20:16, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

My idea!!! Ceran^→//forge 20:32, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I dunno... a bit juvenile? I think we can be a little more clever. It'd be a good cheap laugh, but there are better options I think. -kotra (talk) 04:56, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Christina the Astonishing. One of our best article titles ever, and as the patron saint of insanity (in some churches, anyway), there's a "fool" link. Besides, that article really needs cleaning up. Or, you could always get one of the people who write the endless stream of wrestling articles to clean up and expand Big Dick. Or is there anyone in Scotland can wring out enough information to turn Tongue of Gangsta into a bluelink? (Yes, it's a real placename.) – iridescent 20:48, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Icelandic Phallological Museum. Still a stub but I'm sure it's expandable. And it has the single best line on Wikipedia ("[he] has donated his penis, presumably posthumously"). – iridescent 23:02, 4 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
If it's strange scottish names you fancy - how about Spittal of Glenshee or Spittal of Glenmuick, both in the Highlands?--DavidCane (talk) 00:29, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Julian's Typhoon Longwang, though I don't support it over Titicaca! Ceran^→//forge 21:39, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
How about I Not Stupid? It's already a GA so presumably could be built up relatively easily. (Not speaking a word of Chinese, I do not propose to do this myself.) – iridescent 22:04, 5 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Fountain (Duchamp) Ling.Nut ^{(talk—WP:3IAR)} 05:33, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Spaghetti harvest, this early TV documentary about the failure of the 1957 spaghetti harvest is a BBC classic. By coincidence it was first broadcast on April 1st 1957. Were Spiel Chequers 22:16, 6 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Dancing mania, this was something I was interested in bringing to FA for April's Fools Day. I think it'd be an excellent choice. Nishkid64 _{(Make articles, not wikidrama)} 22:41, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
George Bush, I do have all the sources required to rewrite this article, so I might work on this article over a matter of convenience. Nishkid64 _{(Make articles, not wikidrama)} 22:41, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- This is a great Choice. Many People will think it is a Hoax, espical if you use his full name.--Found5dollar (talk) 16:37, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Clearly in the tradition of past April 1st FAs. I love it! Wickethewok (talk) 17:28, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- "George W. Bush" would even work for the main page. If true statements that look like common vandalism can be found, it's a perfect choice. -kotra (talk) 18:22, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Awesome. Leave a note on my talk page if you'd like a ce.-- EA Swyer ^Talk _{Contributions} 00:47, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- Yeah, I have to say this one has caught my eye. Would it possible to use a photo of the more famous Bush alongside it on the Main Page or would that be considered misleading? --➨♀♂Candlewicke _S^T_# :) 14:35, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
- I'd say that's an excellent choice for April Fools, if it became a featured article in time. Besides, it's so misleading, with seemingly 'false' facts about George W Bush. :D Quanyails (talk) 19:03, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Kopi Luwak. Thoroughly disgusting, and absolutely true. :) Who then was a gentleman? (talk) 23:58, 9 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Mafia (Mafia Island) and this is not even close to Italy or Chicago.--Stone (talk) 11:22, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Exploding head syndrome - its just got a great name. Remember (talk) 14:36, 11 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
A little more subtle, everybody knows that Peter Parker is really Spiderman, but did you know that he has a number of alternative identities? You could work on one of the other Peter Parker's...---I'm Spartacus! ^{The artist formerly known as Balloonman} 15:26, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Encyclopedia Galactica. I can't believe we have an article on this. – iridescent 15:43, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Oh, and I know it's been on the main page way-back-when (2004), but Toilets in Japan still has its yellow star. – iridescent 15:58, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Requirement bullet #2 says that it can't have been used on the main page already. Royal broil 03:13, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Inedia - the alleged ability to live without food. People have already accused parts of the article of being a joke or a hoax, for example Wiley Brooks' hilarious statements like "The secret in the diet coke is the "LIQUID LIGHT" Duh!!!!". -kotra (talk) 18:27, 12 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Striptease - This one could be fun, and it is a Good Article, so it has potential to be a featured before April 1st.--Dukeruckley (talk) 01:55, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Extraterrestrial real estate. Ceran^→//forge 12:33, 13 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
List of premature obituaries could form the basis of a blurb that reads like a hoax, and it even has a date connection (one of the items happened on April 1). Other featured lists with potential include List of English words containing Q not followed by U and List of unmade Doctor Who serials and films. Gimmetrow 04:48, 15 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Muggletonianism is the article which I would most like to see featured on April Fool's. It is a real religion dating back 300 years but with the right sort of hook can be made to seem like some bored Harry Potter fans' creation. The greatest problem I see is that the article needs a lot of copy-editing, and material on Muggletonianism seems hard to find, but I think it could be done. Soap ^Talk/_{Contributions} 23:19, 22 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Jean Desbouvrie: puts the fool back into April Fool's; an article that's really for the birds. Started this on a lark for DYK; ended up laughing at the thought of a drunken middle aged man chasing cockroaches to feed his swallow collection for the good of France. Located enough material to expand to a respectable size. Source material is fairly limited, so a few more French sources and a German source ought to round it out with just about everything that can be said on the subject. Might survive FAC with a little more work. Worth the extra effort? Durova^Charge! 00:03, 2 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]
Louis of England possibly the least known English King of the last thousand years, the story already gives you a little known French invasion of England and a link to bad King John Were Spiel Chequers 15:34, 2 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]