Here is a description I found on the web:
Le 1er avril, la RATP a rebaptisé trois stations de métro, à Paris. La station Parmentier est devenue «Pomme-de-Terre», la station Madeleine a pris le nom de «Marcel-Proust» et la station Reuilly-Diderot celui de «Religieuse». Lors de l'inauguration, les employés de la RATP ont distribué aux voyageurs des chips, des madeleines, des religieuses et des tickets de métro poinçonnés en forme de poissons d'avril!
On April 1st, the RATP renamed three Paris metro stations. "Parmentier" became "pomme de terre", "Madeleine" became "Marcel Proust", and "Reuilly-Diderot" was renamed "Les Religieuses" (presumably after the book by Diderot of that name). At the relevant stations, RATP employees distributed potato chips, madeleines and religieuses (a type of eclair), respectively.
Tickets at those stations were punched using machines that left holes punched in the form of a fish, to signify the poisson d'avril.
As the picture above shows, the traditional schoolkid prank on April Fool's is to stick a paper fish on someone's back while they aren't paying attention, then giggle like a ... schoolgirl.
Sadly, the RATP prank didn't quite go off as planned. Pandemonium ensued, passengers panicked, and the joke was never repeated. A shame, really. But a fun story (merci, Bruno!).
As far as I have been able to ascertain, this all went down in 1994.
Great occupational folklore. And if it's not true, it's a great legend.
ReplyDeleteMarcel Proust is synonymous with potato chips? I'll let my library know, they've been doing it wrong.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a urban légende. Once I was on the metro. It was the line i usually took for work. I was tired.when It stopper at the station Marcel Proust, i work me up suddenly...panic, i lost m'y connections, i was too far and chose to turn back...It was the name of the usual station. So i decided to take another train to go in the first direction. Again the train stopped at Marcel Proust station. Si i got out to understand. Yes It was the Marcel Proust station, written with the normal rato couloirs White on Blue. Buy in a corner, there sere behin a glass Windows a Big Madeleine and inside on a bed a young sleeping man. It was the First of April! Genial
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