So April 2009 has just about drawn to a close, and this year must have surely yielded the most April fools pranks via the ever-zealous Internet community.

One such recent gag was The National Skirt Extension Project (NSEP) website which received widespread viral coverage online and offline – and even internationally.

The project called for the extension of skirts in our country’s restroom iconography, poking fun while over-exaggerating the flaws in our moral fabric by placing the blame of the nation’s problems on the excessive ankle and leg exposure – this had many in a huff and some in hysterics!

Here’s the video which unmasks the brand behind the viral hoax, Mrs. Balls Chutney (South Africa’s chutney of choice), but take a look at the NSEP campaign website first…

”Nobody Changes Our Chutney”

Millions heard of the project (they even took out advertising in the Sunday Times and on streetlamp posts), thousands were duped while many just waited for the brand behind the viral campaign to reveal themselves.

The payoff line of “Uncompromised, since 1856” ties everything together, but in my personal opinion it’s a bit a stretch. Was there ever any fear of Mrs. Balls being subjected to pressure to change her recipe? Political or otherwise. It certainly got them noticed though:

• NSEP Website Visitors: 360 000
• In The News: 13 Times
• Petition: Signed by Thousands
• Calls Received: 6000
• Blogs: 300 in 23 countries
• Seen By: millions
• Googled: More than Joost