April Fools! Prague to bring back horse-drawn trams and more 2023 jokes

Today is April Fools' Day, and even Prague Integrated Transport is getting in on the fun. The Prague public transport authority announced earlier this morning that it would be re-introducing horse-drawn trams to the streets of the Czech capital.

"The City of Prague has approved plans to restore the operation of the horse-drawn trams in the territory of the capital city of Prague," Prague Integrated Transport writes on Facebook today. "By returning to horse power, the Czech metropolis responds not only to the energy crisis and inflation, but also to the need to reduce its carbon footprint."

"In addition to the gradual electrification of bus lines and their transformation into trolleybus lines, the horse is the next step, perhaps even a trot, on Prague's path to becoming a healthy city for people. At the same time, Prague reacts to the interrupted tradition of animal-powered public transport, which began as early as 1875."

While the horse-drawn trams are clearly an April Fool's gag, horses really did power Prague's public transport in the late 19th century.

Prague's very first tram line was created in 1875, and horses led vehicles from the National Theatre to Karlín. Electric vehicles were first introduced in 1891. The original horse-drawn trams can still be seen at Prague's Museum of Public Transport at the Střešovice Depot.

Elsewhere in Prague, city officials aren't big fans of trams on this April Fools' Day. Former Prague Mayor and current Deputy Mayor for Transport Zdeněk Hřib has announced that the city would be introducing "no tram entry" signs to bar access by trams on Prague's streets by popular demand.

"Due to numerous requests, we are introducing a new sign: No tram entry!" Hřib writes on Facebook. "Our patience with the negative impacts of tram transport has run out. Trams take up space on the roads, block the passage of cars and create queues. That will be over now."

Like the horse-drawn trams, Hřib's gag has historical precedent. The city of Prague famously introduced "no Segway" signs across the city, at considerable cost, to ban access by the once-controversial personal transport vehicles in 2016. Currently, the city is weighing options for regulating the use of shared electric scooters on the streets of Prague.

Not to be outdone by Prague's horse drawn trams, Czech Railways writes that they have converted their popular Pendolino train into an airplane. "Thanks to experts from LET Kunovice, the Pendolino will be converted into an airplane - LETolino!" writes Czech Railways. "Thanks to this, we will offer the fastest connection between Prague and Košice, and we will fly through Žilina without stopping."

Žižkov-based soccer club Bohemians 1905, meanwhile, has revealed that due to new FIFA regulations, they will no longer be able to use their beloved kangaroo mascot.

"By July 1, 2025, football clubs must remove images of animals that do not normally occur on the territory of the given state," the club writes on Facebook in a gag that nods to sports teams worldwide changing their names and mascots in recent years.

Prague Zoo, meanwhile, is promising a special April 1 message from one of its resident hippos to callers who dial in to 296 112 300. We got a busy signal after multiple attempts, perhaps due to high demand.