While some people thought this year's April Fools prank on BZP was weak, I would disagree. And not just because I thought of it. But I think it worked for several reasons.

1. It wasn't expected. Everybody's grown used to huge, forum-wide pranks. This was just a simple little story.
2. It was plausible at first, then increasingly unbelievable toward the end. You've got to set the hook before you reel them in.
3. It was a gentle type of humor - it wasn't mean, it didn't promise anything and then yank it back, it didn't set up unrealistic expectations. For example, a news story that said, "LEGO plans to give away free solid gold kanohi in every other canister" would set an unrealistic expectation that would disappoint people when it was announced it was a joke.
4. Not everything was incorrect in the story, but you won't find out about exactly what for a while yet.
5. A lot of people started their reply post with, "You got me at first", or "You almost had me". That's the hallmark of a good prank.

So, because many people commented on the Photoshop work, I present below the stages in building a prank. And I coincidentally get to show off my mad Photoshop skilz.

Step 1: Get the idea. My youngest son is a huge fan of the Food Network, and watches altogether too much of it. That kid knows more about how to get the most out of your food dollar than anyone I know, and Alton Brown is his hero. (Well, why not.) After getting an Antroz set last week, he started dreaming up weird Food Network shows, including "Cooking With Makuta". Step 1: Complete.

Step 2: Find a suitable picture on the Internet of an unsuspecting celebrity. I looked for Alton Brown first, but there were surprisingly few embarrasing images of him. So I settled for the lovely Rachael Ray.

Step 3: As appealing as Teri Hatcher's butt is (to some of us), it had to go. A quick clone job in Photoshop got rid of most of the offending appendage.

Step 4: Insert the Makuta of your choice. I liked this pose from Antroz, and the colors blended in with the background very well, so in he went. (Handy tip: When placing artwork into another photo, you can either spend countless hours outlining the object with Photoshop's pen tool; or, preferably, get yourself hired by LEGO and simply download the full-resolution, pre-outlined artwork from the image bank.)

Step 5: Add ridiculous apron with rude motto, just small enough so nobody can read it and complain.

Step 6: Take some parts of the table, sauce, and bowl from behind Antroz and his spiffy apron, cut it out, and then paste it back over on top of the subject.

Voila, you have a picture good enough to eat.