Were These Illinois Brothers the Ultimate April Fools Day Pranksters?

I've decided I am WAY too gullible for April Fools' Day. Every fake social media post I have seen today has made me second-guess whether or not it is true. I am typically skeptical of things I read on the internet, but for some reason, they catch me off guard on this one tricky holiday.

I did see a post by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office today that is totally true. A fitting story to share about a French immigrant family of prank-playing brothers. When you consider their contributions to society, you may agree that they deserve a crown as kings of April Fools' Day.

In the early 1900s, the DeMoulin brothers of Greenville, Illinois, patented nineteen inventions that were made specifically to scare people. Gadgets to catch their unsuspecting victims off guard. Some include a trick chair, a box that squirted water when someone tried to pick it up, stairs that turned into a slide, and a prank phone that made a loud noise and sent out a poof of colored powder on the user.

According to the post, the oldest brother, Erastus DeMoulin, was a blacksmith who joined his younger siblings, Ed and Ulysses, in creating their contraptions. They kind of remind me of the Weasley twins from Harry Potter!

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These joke machines were used in initiations for fraternal societies like the Oddfellows and Shriners. Eventually, the brothers started making uniforms for these groups as well. That led to the DeMoulin brand becoming the largest manufacturer of uniforms in America. Here is a fun video that shows how some of their quirky inventions work.

As you saw in that video, there is a DeMoulin Museum in Greenville that honors the brothers and their inventions. They shared, "We're often asked what were the DeMoulin brothers like? They were creative and mechanical...with a touch of orneriness." Which is certainly what you need to be the Kings of April Fools' Day. They could even make their own fancy outfits!