Helen and Martha look for T.D., only to find a note saying he went to the North Pole. Then, they see that he's written in the snow, "INTIMIDATED — WENT TO DESERT". Then, they find another note, but then it turns out to all be a guise to introduce the vocabulary.
At breakfast, Mariella serves Danny dog food, and the both of them claim that he's becoming part-dog. He shows a dog's tail, but then it turns out to be an April Fool's prank. After breakfast, Helen tells Martha that they should do an April Fool's prank of their own. Helen sees a magazine and gets an idea.
Then, when Truman comes over, she steps out with a bunch of cardboard boxes and claims she and her family are moving. She tries to trick him into thinking that Martha is the queen an island called Doggia, near Turkey, but Truman isn't fooled since he knows the whole area. However, she manages to convince him when she claims only dogs and turkeys have heard of it, and brings out Martha in a crown and cape. She reveals it's a prank and Truman compliments her.
Helen and Martha then go to the Kennelly house and try the same prank on T.D., but he isn't fooled. Helen asks if he's planning a prank, but he says he hasn't thought about it. This confuses Helen, since T.D. always comes up with the best pranks. T.D. claims he's too busy writing a speech since he was accepted into the "genius society" of Wagstaff City. Then, Truman comes over and tries to prank the others by claiming a nearby bird is a different kind of bird.
Ronald comes over and tells the kids and Martha that they can't prank him. Then, he claims that the aforementioned "genius society" asked him to give out the awards. T.D. apparently believes it and asks if he can put up the balloons for the ceremony, and Ronald lets him. Helen wants to talk to him, but T.D. brushes her off, saying he's too busy, and leaves.
Ronald comes over and talks to Reginald, who reveals that it was indeed a prank. Later, Helen and Martha decide to end their prank, then they see Ronald and Reginald pushing a little red wagon with a trophy full of dirt. Helen and Martha tell T.D., but he refuses to believe that it's a prank. Then, Truman comes in and pranks them by claiming a piece of music is by one guy but really it's by another.
Helen and Martha spy on Ronald and Reginald, who are putting up balloons in the park with the help of O.G. Then, Ronald and Reginald reveal that they plan to have T.D. stand on a trap door, that will collapse when he holds the heavy award. However, Helen and Martha can't hear them; only Martha can make out "I can't wait to see the look on his face", so they only know that they're planning something.
They tell T.D., but he isn't fazed, then Truman pranks everyone else again by claiming a pie he baked has one spoonful of nutmeg when he actually put in two. Then, T.D. says that it's time for his "genius award", and has the others come with him to the park.
There, the teen boys try to do their prank (with Reginald holding the award), but T.D. thanks a lot of people (plus his brain). Then, he notices O.G.'s toolbox and decides to take it to him. Ronald goes to do it instead, then the both of them do their prank... but when T.D. falls, the gazebo starts floating from the balloons. As the teen boys fly away, T.D. reveals that he pranked them.
Ronald and Reginald walk all the way home while Helen, T.D., Truman, and Martha celebrate the prank. T.D. then explains how he did the prank: when he got the invitation, he knew it was fake because (among other things) "genius" was misspelled. Then, he saw Reginald with a dirty spade, spied on him, and saw him digging the hole under the gazebo. O.G. calculated how much helium would lift the gazebo, so they filled the balloons, and filled O.G.'s toolbox with weights so it didn't float away too soon. Then, the rest was history. As he turns to leave, he's revealed to be wearing the fake dog's tail.
This episode provides examples of
- Accessory-Wearing Cartoon Animal:
- Helen dresses Martha in a crown and cape when pretending she's a queen.
- The diploma for the "genius society" depicts an owl in a graduation hat.
- April Fools' Plot: As the title indicates, this episode takes place on April Fool's Day, and several of the characters are shown pranking one another.
- Argument of Contradictions: Ronald refuses to eat crow and says, "Joke's on you — we wanted to go on a balloon ride!". Reginald says, "No, we didn't," and then Ronald says, "Yes, we did," and they start saying, "Did not!" and "Did too!".
- Bait-and-Switch Sentiment: Subverted. Truman says he wouldn't want the Lorraines to move, since he'd miss Danny's grilled cheese sandwiches... and the Lorraines as well.
- Balloonacy: Due to the many balloons on the gazebo, once T.D. falls through it, it flies into the air.
- Buffy Speak: Ronald claims to be "un-April-Foolable". At the end, Helen says, "Well, Ronald, it looks like you were April-Foolable after all."
- Continuity Nod: Truman reveals he knows all the countries and all the islands near Turkey. A previous episode, "Bye Bye Burger Boy", reveals that he once went through a geography phase. Also, his enjoyment of pie first seen in "Martha's Worst Best Day" is seen again here.
- Couldn't Find a Pen: T.D. writes, "INTIMIDATED — WENT TO DESERT" in the snow at the North Pole.
- Dramatic Irony: The audience learns what the teen boys are planning before Helen and Martha do.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: As fitting for an April Fool's episode, the episode ends with T.D. running off with a fake dog's tail, making everyone else laugh.
- Fantasy Sequence: The teen boys briefly imagine T.D. falling through the trap door.
- Flashback: At the end, we see T.D. planning his prank.
- Foreshadowing:
- The prank at the end is foreshadowed when Helen says that T.D. is the biggest prankster on April Fool's Day.
- Ronald finds O.G.'s toolbox heavy. At the end, it's revealed that the Kennelly guys filled it with weights to weigh the gazebo down.
- I've Heard of That — What Is It?: When Helen says that she and Martha think Ronald's "genius society" invention is a ploy, he says, "No way— it's not a ploy! What's a ploy again?".
- Living Toys: Discussed when T.D. apparently pranked everyone into thinking the new mayor was a giant teddy bear named Bob.
- The Moving Experience: Invoked for laughs when Helen pranks Truman into thinking she's moving to an island called Doggia.
- The Owl-Knowing One: The envelope for the "genius society" has a drawing of an owl on it.
- Pie in the Face: Subverted. Truman pranks T.D., Helen, and Martha with a pie... but the prank was that he added two spoonfuls of nutmeg instead of one.
- The Prankster: Apparently, T.D. comes up with the best April Fool's pranks.
- Running Gag: Truman keeps "pranking" Helen, T.D., and Martha, but his idea of a prank is to just claim something is X when it's really Y, and Y is always kind of similar to X.
- Schmuck Bait:
- Subverted. Helen thinks that Truman obviously wants to pie her, T.D., or Martha in the face since it's April Fool's Day and he's offering pie. However, he doesn't.
- The place where Ronald and Reginald want T.D. to stand has a big, red "X" on it.
- Speak in Unison:
- The Lorraine parents say, "April Fools!" in unison.
- When Ronald claims the genius society asked him to give out the awards, Helen and Martha say, "You?!" in unison.
