World’s biggest fool to become king of the castle

A Lake District castle will hand its keys over to a modern-day jester on April Fool’s Day to help celebrate the most foolish day of the year.

Maynard Flip-Flap will become king of Muncaster Castle for the day on April 1st, taking centre-stage with his own special brand of madcap antics, acrobatics and comedy.

He is the latest successor to Tom Fool, who was the Castle’s jester more than 400 years ago.  Muncaster is believed to be the only Castle in the world that appoints a modern-day jester.

In one of the highlights of his act, Maynard Flip-Flap, who performed at the Queen’s 80th birthday celebrations last year, catapults eggs high into the air and attempts to catch them in a sieve on his head! 

Muncaster’s Peter Frost-Pennington says,

“As Muncaster was home to the original Tom Fool we mark the most foolish day of the year by handing the Castle over to the biggest fool in the kingdom.  Maynard Flip-Flap’s action-packed performances appeal to all ages and guarantee to be the highlight of a great family day out on April 1st.”

On a day when the natural order of things will be turned upside down, a member of the family who own the Castle will be thrown into the stocks.  Visitors will get the chance to throw a wet sponge at one of the Pennington’s for 50p, which will be donated to charity. 

The Castle’s modern day mascot, Max Meadowvole, will also be putting in a special appearance and challenging visitors to play Foolish Football.  Anyone who can beat Max and put the ball in the back of the net will win a prize.

There will also be a madcap Tom Fool’s Treasure Trail for children.  The ghost of the famous jester has been taking everyday objects like saucepans from the Castle and hiding them in some most unusual places around the gardens.  Find all the objects and you will win a prize.

Tom Fool, aka Thomas Skelton, was Muncaster’s Fool in the 16th century and was the inspiration for the Fool in Shakespeare’s King Lear.  Tom Fool is at the centre of many of the stories about ghosts at Muncaster.  He is rarely seen, but it is said that his spirit continues to play tricks on people who visit the Castle.

Visitors will also be able to see Muncaster’s award winning attractions including the glorious gardens, the World Owl Centre, a Meadowvole Maze and a children’s play area.

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