You probably shouldn't fall for the viral story about Krispy Kreme's name change (2024)

You might have noticed on your calendars that April Fools' Day -- a.k.a. the worst day of the year -- is fast approaching.

So when Krispy Kreme announced today it would be changing its name to "Krispy Cream" -- a mere matter of days before April 1 -- something didn't seem quite right.

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A statement released by the company today said the company would now trade under the name "Krispy Cream" to avoid any further widespread confusion of the pronunciation of its name. The brand says Brits seem to think that Krispy Kreme is pronounced "Crème" rather than "Cream." Hmm. Really?

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"Krispy Kreme UK is getting a more 'English-friendly' name so people stop mispronouncing it," declared a headline. "Brits Don’t Know How to Pronounce 'Krispy Kreme'," announced another. "Krispy Kreme is changing its name here in the UK to stop people misspellingit," said another.

"The company re-brand is a strategic decision made in acknowledgement that our UK customers have struggled with the pronunciation of ‘Kreme’ (said ‘cream’) since our launch into the UK in 2003. We hope that the re-brand will settle any confusion as to both the pronunciation and spelling of the name for our customers," Charlotte Roberts -- head of marketing -- said in a statement.

"We want to reassure our loyal fans that the quality of our doughnuts will remain of the highest standard and in line with original recipe that our founder Vernon Rudolph made famous almost 80 years ago," Roberts continued.

For a brand whose name is entirely synonymous with doughnuts, this would be a very strange move indeed. And, I think it's safe to say that most Brits definitely know how to pronounce its name.

The Huffington Post reported that the "re-branding" had already begun, and the Shannon Corner store, based in South London, was the first in the UK "to implement the change with a complete store re-brand."

Mashable called the Shannon Corner branch of Krispy Kreme, who said they had been instructed by head office to not speak to journalists, adding that that is company policy.

We then put in a call to Krispy Kreme UK's press office."At this stage we can't confirm or deny whether this is an April Fool. We can't say either way," said the spokesperson.

"Which probably gives you as much information as you need," the spokesperson continued.

When pressed, she reiterated that Krispy Kreme could neither confirm or deny, but to "keep an eye" on social media for the next 48 hours. So, until April 1? Cool.

Make of that what you will.