Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for April 01, 2021

This is not the Rat I have grown to know and despise.

Rat has a heart!

Hey Rocky, watch me pull a habit out of a rat!

good try anyway, Rat

Aww, what did you guys do?

Their motto is, “Why limit yourself to just one day?”

Considering I live alone and will likely not go out til after 12, I guess I’m safe.

OMG! It actually was funny and meaningful. Don’t tell Rat. Or Stephan.

great joke for my wedding anniversary.

I seriously doubt Mr Pastis’ calendar shows other dates then 1st of April. Ever.

This is when they harvest spaghetti from the spaghetti trees!

RAT HAS A HEART????

Who are you? And what did you do with Rat?

That’s true, Rat. You don’t have a heart.

Goat next you will win the Powerball … All The Way ;-)

I think there are two final panels missing – first where Stephen Pastis appears and says “April Fools.” and then where Rat says “April Fools.”

Rat being compassionate? It really is April 1st.

Goat is making an April Fools joke also. He’s never been proud to be in PBS.

I go to my urologist on april fools day. I should have asked for another day, this could be scary not that it isn’t all ready…Just hope he doesn’t use the old " we gotta cut that thing off" line. Just not funny, well, maybe to him..Got to get some hilarious reactions, maybe even a black eye. Some people don’t take kindly to april fools…

This strip being meaningful? I already know he’s kidding.

When did Rat get a heart ?

Rat would not actually hold back.

Oy! Rat is a Rat, is a RAT!

Ain’t no Fool like an April Fool!

A goat can dream, can’t he?

A better April Fool’s joke would’ve been: Mr. Pastis is no longer going to rely on puns as filler…

Actual sincerity; the biggest surprise today!

Even Rat has a limit it seems …

Rat saying that the comic strip would actually be good should have been the first red flag for a prank.

My parents didn’t let me did any good pranks. They said “Stop you can’t hit your brother in the head with a 2 by 4”. They’re so strict.

I can’t tell if Goat was being sincere or sarcastic, maybe the latter since he can always tell what Rat is up to, especially in regards to April Fool’s, so countered back with an April Fool’s joke of his own.

He does have some good in him…..

It’s funny that there’s nothing meaningful today.

I’m so glad you’re in my life. I’ve got your comics on my fridge from years and years and years and years ago. ;)

Two April Fool pranks come to mind. #1. In 1984, I received a call about 5:30 a.m. from a friend who told me to get up and go to the window. Groggily, I wasn’t very nice but he insisted. He roared with laughter when he heard my disbelieving “Oh my God.” It had snowed about 4 inches overnight. It all melted away by about noon, as I recall, but I’m sure Mother Nature had a good laugh all the same.

#2. I was commuting to work on the train on April 1 sometime in the early ’90s when the train inexplicably slowed and stopped between stations. The driver announced over the intercom that the train in front of us had broken down and we would have to wait until the track was cleared before we could get into the city. Groans and cries of dismay arose until the train began to move again. The driver came back on and said, “You folks do remember what day it is, right?” I suppose it was about a 50/50 split between the passengers who were really annoyed and those of us who chuckled the rest of the trip into town.

Well anyway … like I told my wife (RIP) who asked me to quit talking about the past, “The past is what we are.” And, that’s the truth, sptsptsptspt.

If you have “n” number of friends, what is the statistical probability that at least one of them will have their birthday on 1st of April?

We Understand your feelings Rat

Rat has a heart?

That was funny… and meaningful.

Goat is an easy target, so straight-laced. —Kind of an April Fool’s scapegoat….

Well, it is April Fool’s Day, which would explain the atypical Rat behavior.

Wait… Rat has a moral compass?!!!