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| location = [[Glasgow]], Scotland
| location = [[Glasgow]], Scotland
| coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|region:XXXX_type:event|display=inline,title}} -->
| coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|region:XXXX_type:event|display=inline,title}} -->
| map = {{Location map|United Kingdom Glasgow |lat_deg=55.872 |lon_deg=-4.340 |label=Box Hub Warehouse |border=none |float=center|caption=}}
| map = {{Location map|Scotland Glasgow |lat_deg=55.872 |lon_deg=-4.340 |label=Box Hub Warehouse |border=none |float=center|caption=}}
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Revision as of 09:18, 2 March 2024

Not to be confused with Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Willy's Chocolate Experience
File:Enchanting-entertainment.png
One of the AI-generated advertisements used for the event
Box Hub Warehouse is located in Glasgow council area
Box Hub Warehouse
Box Hub Warehouse
Date24 February 2024 (2024-02-24)
VenueBox Hub Warehouse
StandortGlasgow, Scotland
Organised byBilly Coull
Websitewww.willyschocolateexperience.com

Willy's Chocolate Experience was an unlicensed event based on the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise, held in Glasgow, United Kingdom, in February 2024. The event was promoted as an immersive and interactive family experience, illustrated on its website with "dreamlike" AI-generated images.[1][2][3] When customers discovered that the event was held in a sparsely decorated warehouse, many complained and the police were called to the venue. The event went viral on the internet, garnering international media attention.[3][4][5][6][7]

The event drew comparisons to the Tumblr fan convention DashCon in 2014 and Billy McFarland's Fyre Festival in 2017.[8][9][10]

Background

On the website dedicated to the event, the event was stated to take place between 24–25 February 2024.[2] The promotional material advertised "stunning and intricately designed settings inspired by Roald Dahl's timeless tale" and "an array of delectable treats scattered throughout the experience".[11] The website for the event used AI-generated imagery which included several uncorrected spelling errors.[12][13] Tickets cost £35.[3]

The event was organised by House of Illuminati, a company registered to Billy Coull which claims to offer "unparalleled immersive experiences". Rolling Stone magazine concluded that its websites and event descriptions were likely written by an AI chatbot. Coull had also registered a number of other companies, and he had claimed to work as a "consultant" for a now-defunct brand called Empowerity. In 2021, he had co-directed an also now-defunct Glasgow food bank. He had published 17 books, for each of which the text and the cover illustrations were AI-generated, on topics including vaccine conspiracy theories, right-wing politics, and the "deep state".[14]

Actor Kirsty Paterson, who played one of the Oompa-Loompas, said that the job offer had been posted on Indeed.com and offered £500 for two days of work.[1] One of the actors who portrayed Willy said that they had been given a single day to learn a script that was "15 pages of AI-generated gibberish of me just monologuing these mad things".[15][16] Additionally, a Reddit user in the Glasgow subreddit had accurately predicted the whole event was false advertising several weeks before the event had started.[17]

Event

The building of which the Box Hub Warehouse is a part, on the Clydeside Industrial Estate (photo from 2019)

The event took place at the Box Hub Warehouse event space in Whiteinch, an industrial area of Glasgow.[2][6] Set dressings inside the warehouse included a small bouncy castle, backdrop images pinned to some of the walls and a few plastic props (such as a few novelty-sized candy canes and lollipops), which were "strewn about on bare concrete floors". The venue's windows were dirty and its air conditioning systems were left exposed.[18]

Paul Connell was one of three actors hired to portray "Willy McDuff", a character based on Willy Wonka. The script included references to an original character called "The Unknown", who was described as "an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls", and was played by an actor wearing a silver mask, a black cloak and with thick black hair. Some children were brought to tears by the character, who appeared from behind a large rectangular mirror.[19] Connell was tasked to "defeat" The Unknown using a vacuum cleaner—a prop that was not provided. Connell was told he would be given a 15-minute break every 45 minutes, but on the day of the event he played his character for 3.5 hours without a break.[20]

Paterson said that after the first run-through of the performance, the cast were told to abandon the script and instead let guests walk through the venue, a process that she said took "about two minutes".[1] Contrary to the event's title and publicity stating that there would be "chocolate fountains",[11] it featured no actual chocolate; instead, Connell later stated that he and other employees were told to give the children "one jelly bean and a quarter cup of lemonade", although the limited supply of jelly beans quickly ran out.[6][20][21] Some of the actors wrote on social media that they were asked to improvise with props that were not present.[18]

The event was abruptly cancelled by organiser Coull midway through its opening day.[6][14] Police attended the venue after customers called to complain.[6]

Reactions

The event was widely criticised by those who attended it, with many demanding refunds,[20] one customer who had driven for two hours to reach the event with his children describing it as an "absolute con".[18] Other visitors who only arrived after the event had already been closed, and who had not been informed of its cancellation, requested compensation for wasted rail fares.[6] Upon cancelling the event, Coull offered to refund 850 people,[20] a statement repeated by the event's Facebook page, with some Facebook users stating that they had received their money back.[14]

Box Hub, the organisation that rented the warehouse to House of Illuminati, issued an apology and offered to provide a venue free of charge for those who attended the event. Box Hub also apologised on behalf of House of Illuminati, stating that they "either have no regards for the families and young children they have disappointed or are too embarrassed to comment".[3]

Coull deleted his LinkedIn profile, YouTube channel and personal website in response to the controversy.[14]

A photograph of a dispirited Paterson playing an Oompa-Loompa at a table covered in scientific equipment became a significant depiction of the event. The image became a meme and was compared to a picture of a "meth lab".[1] Furthermore, "The Unknown" character was also featured in several memes. Some Twitter users expressed plans to dress up as the characters for Halloween.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Mack, David (28 February 2024). "Glasgow's Sad Oompa Loompa Isn't Gonna Sugarcoat This". Vulture. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Holpuch, Amanda (27 February 2024). "A Few Jelly Beans and a World of Disappointment at Willy Wonka Event". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Yang, Angela (28 February 2024). "A Willy Wonka-inspired experience 'scam' was so bad that people called the cops". NBC News. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  4. ^ Hibberd, James (27 February 2024). "Willy Wonka Immersive Event Leaves Kids in Tears: "It Looks Like a Meth Lab"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  5. ^ Edwards, Benj (27 February 2024). "Cops called after parents get tricked by AI-generated images of Wonka-like event". Ars Technica. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Brooks, Libby (27 February 2024). "Glasgow Willy Wonka experience called a 'farce' as tickets refunded". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  7. ^ Mckinnon, Morven (26 February 2024). "Police called to Glasgow Willy Wonka event after families demand refunds". BBC News. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  8. ^ Colbert, Isaiah (27 February 2024). "Willy Wonka Experience Promoted Using Suspected AI Art Was So Bad That Customers Called the Police". IGN. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  9. ^ Stenzel, Wesley (27 February 2024). "Chocolate Fyre Festival? Inside the Willy Wonka event that had infuriated guests calling the cops". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  10. ^ Cohen, Danielle (28 February 2024). "Welcome to Fyre Fest: Wonka Edition". The Cut. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Willy Wonka Experience". What's On Glasgow. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Willys Chocolate Experience Glasgow. Get your Tickets!". willyschocolateexperience.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  13. ^ Fear, Natalie (28 February 2024). "This disastrous Wonka event is the worst case of AI art catfishing I've seen". Creative Bloq. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d Klee, Miles (28 February 2024). "Huckster Behind 'Willy Wonka' Event Also Sells AI-Written Vaccine Conspiracy Books". Rolling Stone.
  15. ^ Moody, Jasmine (28 February 2024). "'The script was 15 pages of AI-generated gibberish': Willy Wonka actor breaks silence on disastrous event". LBC. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  16. ^ Actor who played Willy Wonka at mocked 'immersive' experience speaks | CNN, 28 February 2024, retrieved 1 March 2024
  17. ^ Murphy, Chris (29 February 2024). ""Willy's Chocolate Experience" Nightmare: What Went Wrong?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  18. ^ a b c "Cops Called to 'Willy Wonka Experience' as Crying Children Realize AI Ads Were Lies". Gizmodo. 27 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  19. ^ Notopoulos, Katie. "'The Unknown' is the best part of the disastrous Willy Wonka house". Business Insider. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d Davis, Barney (29 February 2024). "Willy Wonka actor breaks silence on disastrous Willy's Chocolate Experience". The Independent. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  21. ^ a b Singh, Olivia (29 February 2024). "Memes about a disastrous Willy Wonka-themed event are taking over the internet". Business Insider. Retrieved 1 March 2024.

55°52′19″N 4°20′24″W / 55.872°N 4.340°W / 55.872; -4.340

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