Willy's Chocolate Experience

Last updated

Willy's Chocolate Experience
Willyschocolateexperience.png
Willy's Chocolate Experience advertisement.png
One of the AI-generated advertisements used for the event, with uncorrected spelling errors and nonsensical words
Glasgow UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Box Hub Warehouse
Date24 February 2024 (2024-02-24)
VenueBox Hub Warehouse
Location Glasgow, Scotland
Coordinates 55°52′21″N4°20′26″W / 55.87250°N 4.34056°W / 55.87250; -4.34056
Theme Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Organised byHouse of Illuminati
Website willyschocolateexperience.com

Willy's Chocolate Experience was an unlicensed event based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that took place in Glasgow, Scotland, in February 2024. The event was promoted as an immersive and interactive family experience, illustrated on a promotional website with "dreamlike" AI-generated images. [1] [2] [3] [4] After it was discovered that the event was held in a sparsely decorated warehouse, many customers complained, and the police were called to the venue. The event went viral on the Internet and attracted worldwide media attention. [5]

Contents

The event drew comparisons to the 2008 Lapland New Forest controversy, the 2014 Tumblr fan convention DashCon, and Billy McFarland's 2017 Fyre Festival. [6] [7] [8]

Background

The event was stated to take place over the weekend of 24–25 February 2024. [2] 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". [9] Both the website and promotional material used poor-quality AI-generated images, which included several spelling errors such as "cartchy tuns" and "a pasadise of sweet teats" and nonsensical words such as "catgacating". [10] [11] [12] Tickets cost up to £35 (US$45) per person. [3] [5] While the event was being promoted in early February, a Reddit user who saw Facebook advertisements suspected it to be a scam and was surprised that people were apparently buying tickets based solely on AI-generated images. [12]

The event was organised by House of Illuminati, a company registered to Billy Coull which claims to offer "unparalleled immersive experiences". Rolling Stone concluded that the organisation's websites and event descriptions were likely written by an AI chatbot, such as ChatGPT. Coull had also registered several other companies and claimed to work as a "consultant" for the now-defunct brand Empowerity. In 2021, he co-directed a now-defunct Glasgow food bank, [13] and in the summer of 2023 he independently published 17 AI-generated books on various topics, including vaccine conspiracy theories. [5] [13]

Three actors were hired to portray "Willy McDuff", a character based on Willy Wonka. One of them, Paul Connell, said that the cast were given one day to learn the script. [5] [14] [15] [16] Another actor playing Willy McDuff was 18-year-old Michael Archibald; the experience was his first ever acting job, and he was given the script at 6pm on Friday before the event began on Saturday. [17]

Kirsty Paterson, an actress who played one of the Oompa-Loompas (called "Wonkidoodles" in the script), said that the job offer had been posted on Indeed.com and offered £500 for two days of work. [1] [5] [15] The day before the event, the actors attended a dress rehearsal at the sparsely decorated venue. They were told that others would be working through the night on the production. [1] When they returned on the day of the event, the venue was in the same condition. [5] [18] Paterson was given her costume an hour before the event opened, saying that "We were just handed an Amazon box that probably arrived that morning." [2]

Script

The script for the event is titled Wonkidoodles at McDuff's Chocolate Factory: A Script, and describes McDuff leading an audience through the Garden of Enchantment and the Twilight Tunnel. [19] Once there, they are confronted by a character called The Unknown, described as "an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls" who seeks to steal the magical "Anti-Graffiti Gobstopper" from McDuff's Imagination Lab. The gobstopper is "a sweet so powerful, it can make any room sparkle without lifting a finger". [19] [20] McDuff defeats The Unknown by amplifying the power of the gobstopper and causing his enemy to be "gently swept up by a robotic vacuum, humorously ending the confrontation". [15] [19]

The script was unusual in that it included stage directions for the audience, and descriptions of their reactions. [15] Connell described it as "15 pages of AI-generated gibberish of me just monologuing these mad things", [5] and compared the vacuum cleaner plot point to that of the video game Luigi's Mansion . [15] Interviewed after the event, Coull claimed to have written the script himself, using AI only to "check spelling, grammar, and continuity". [21]

Event

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

The event was held at the Box Hub Warehouse event space in Whiteinch, an industrial area of Glasgow. [2] [4] Customers described the venue as "little more than an abandoned, empty warehouse", [5] with set dressings including a small bouncy castle, AI-generated backdrop images pinned to some of the walls, [22] and props which were "strewn about on bare concrete floors". The venue's windows were dirty and its air conditioning systems were left exposed. [23] Paterson has stated that by the time she saw the venue, she had already signed her contract and "didn't want to disappoint the kids", and thus chose to proceed with the work. [12]

The Unknown was played by a 16-year-old actress named Felicia Dawkins, [24] who wore a silver mask and a black cloak. [25] Young children were frightened by the character, who appeared from behind a large rectangular mirror. [15] [25] [26] Despite the script calling for The Unknown to be defeated with a vacuum cleaner, no such prop was provided, and actors were instead asked to improvise. [15]

Connell said that he and other employees were told to give each child "two jelly beans and a quarter of a cup of lemonade", although the limited supply of jelly beans quickly ran out. [4] [5] [15] [27] Paterson and another "Wonkidoodle" actress, Jenny Fogarty, said that after the first three 45-minute performances, the cast were told to abandon the script and instead let guests walk through the venue, a process that Paterson said took "about two minutes". [1] [18] The character of The Unknown, previously introduced as the main antagonist, was now "scaring children for no reason". [15] One of the actors playing McDuff improvised the idea that children should pull a "silly face" at The Unknown to scare them away, but Dawkins said that, in other cases, she "just had to awkwardly walk back to my corner". [25]

Connell was told he would be given a 15-minute break every 45 minutes, but on the day of the event, he played Willy McDuff for three and a half hours without a break. [27] After returning from a lunch break, Connell encountered a crowd of customers demanding refunds from Coull, and the other actors were unsure what to do next. After being told that the event was now cancelled halfway through its opening day, [4] [13] the actors left and went to a pub. Upon returning to the venue some time later, Connell said that he felt "the threat of violence had become quite high" and that there were two police vans and two squad cars at the scene. [15]

Customer response

Willy's Chocolate Experience was widely criticised by those who attended it, many of whom demanded refunds. [27] One customer, who had driven with his children for two hours to reach the event, described it as an "absolute con". [23] Other visitors who arrived after the event was closed and were not informed of its cancellation requested compensation for wasted rail fares. [4] Following the event's cancellation, Coull offered to refund 850 people, [27] a statement repeated by the event's Facebook page. Some Facebook users stated that they had received their money back. [13] Paterson and Fogarty would later state that they had received half of the £500 due to them. [18]

Box Hub, the organisation that had rented the warehouse to House of Illuminati, issued an apology on House of Illuminati's behalf, stating that they "either have no regards for the families and young children they have disappointed or are too embarrassed to comment", and offered to provide a venue free of charge for those who attended the event. [3] House of Illuminati later stated that they would not host any future events. [15] [18]

Coull deleted his LinkedIn profile, his YouTube channel, and his personal website in response to the controversy. [13] A few days after the event, Connell said he felt that Coull was "probably one of the most disliked people in Glasgow right now". [15] In an interview with The Sunday Times , Coull apologised for how the event turned out, saying he would accept responsibility. [28]

Fundraising

In an interview with Wired magazine, Connell stated that he and the other actors were working with parents to provide a free show for the children who attended. [15]

Some items from the event were later auctioned for charity. The venue auctioned the leftover hand-written "event cancelled" sign, raising £850 for a local children's hospital, [29] while the Monorail Music record store in Glasgow auctioned two of the backdrops "rescued from the bin by a pal of the shop" for £2,250, [30] [31] with the proceeds going to the British charity Medical Aid for Palestinians. [30] [31]

A picture of a dispirited Paterson playing a Wonkidoodle in the "Jellybean Room" (in reality, a table covered in chemistry equipment) became a popular depiction of the event. [1] [5] [15] The image became a meme and was compared to a picture of a "meth lab" [1] [15] and to Édouard Manet's 1882 painting A Bar at the Folies-Bergère , which depicts "an alienated woman at work". [32] The character of "The Unknown" was also featured in several memes. Some Twitter users expressed plans to dress up as the character for Halloween. [33] The event was spoofed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in April 2024 in a skit called "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Part Two", featuring Freddie Highmore, who had played Charlie Bucket in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory . [34]

On 6 March 2024, Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, joked in the House of Commons that it seemed Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, had been taking marketing lessons from the event, in reference to Hunt's promises regarding childcare. [35] Similarly, Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, joked that she was under the impression that the Scottish National Party had organised the Glasgow event given its "high cost, poor return, and the fact that the police were called." [36]

An hour-long documentary about the event, called Wonka: The Scandal that Rocked Britain, [37] was commissioned by Channel 5 on 6 March 2024 [38] and broadcast on 16 March 2024. [21] The programme included interviews with Coull and the actors from the event. It received 2 stars out of 5 from The Guardian , which described it as having "the strong whiff of someone vastly overexplaining the joke" and that the "only real scoop" was the interview with Coull. [21]

Following the popularity of the event, Felicia Dawkins was offered the opportunity to train with the performance team and make a guest appearance acting in the London Dungeon, a haunted house attraction in London. A London Dungeon spokesperson said the aspiring actor who played The Unknown is "clearly a natural when it comes to the art of the scare". [24] In April 2024, Kirsty Paterson appeared at a "Willy's Chocolate Experience LA" cocktail and performance evening. It was staged by a collective of local artists in Los Angeles, unaffiliated with the Glasgow event. Attendees were offered three jelly beans, and proceeds were donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. [39] [40] The Guardian was positive in its review of the event, noting that Paterson was severely jetlagged during her performance but asked, "how can you complain when shoddiness is the point?" [41]

Richard Kraft produced a musical stage reading about the event for the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, [42] including performances from the actress and comedian Riki Lindhome, the actresses Shelley Regner and Cassandra Parker, the actor Eric Petersen, the Broadway songwriters Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, [43] [44] the director Andy Fickman, [44] the Emmy Award winners Tova Litvin and Doug Rockwell, [42] and Kirsty Paterson, who played herself and a narrator. He also recruited cast members from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory , including Paris Themmen, who played Mike Teevee, and Julie Dawn Cole, who played Veruca Salt. [44] The Stage gave it two stars, saying that "the show is self-aware enough to point out that we're watching a crappy, thrown-together piece of entertainment based on a crappy, thrown-together piece of entertainment". [45]

Related Research Articles

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> 1964 childrens novel by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka.

<i>Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory</i> 1971 film by Mel Stuart

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart from a screenplay by Roald Dahl, based on his 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It stars Gene Wilder as chocolatier Willy Wonka. The film tells the story of a poor child named Charlie Bucket who, upon finding a Golden Ticket in a chocolate bar, wins the chance to visit Willy Wonka's chocolate factory along with four other children from around the world.

<i>Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator</i> 1972 book by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is a children's book by British author Roald Dahl. It is the sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, continuing the story of young Charlie Bucket and chocolatier Willy Wonka as they travel in the Great Glass Elevator. The book was published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. in 1972, a year after the release of the film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and in the United Kingdom by George Allen & Unwin in 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willy Wonka</span> Fictional character in Roald Dahl novels

Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, its 1972 sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and several films based on those books. He is the eccentric founder and proprietor of the Wonka Chocolate Factory.

Wonka was a confectionery brand owned and licensed by the Swiss corporation Nestlé. In 2018, the branding and production rights were sold to the Ferrero Group.

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> (film) 2005 film by Tim Burton

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 musical fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and written by John August, based on the 1964 children's novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka and Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket, alongside David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Deep Roy, and Christopher Lee. The storyline follows Charlie as he wins a contest along with four other children and is led by Wonka on a tour of his chocolate factory.

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> (2005 video game) 2005 video game

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 video game which was released on the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows and Xbox platforms. It is based on the film of the same name by Tim Burton. The game was released on the same day of the film's theatrical release in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Seltzer</span> American screenwriter

David Seltzer is an American screenwriter, producer and director, perhaps best known for writing the screenplays for The Omen (1976) and Bird on a Wire (1990). As writer-director, Seltzer's credits include the 1986 teen tragi-comedy Lucas starring Corey Haim, Charlie Sheen and Winona Ryder, the 1988 comedy Punchline starring Sally Field and Tom Hanks, and 1992's Shining Through starring Melanie Griffith and Michael Douglas.

George Claydon was a British actor notable for his dwarfism. His television roles included that of Photographer George in The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour, a television film that initially aired on BBC1 on Boxing Day 1967, Ginaarbrik in the 1967 ITV adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1967), and the miniseries The Last Days of Pompeii (1984). His film appearances included the Joan Crawford horror film Berserk! (1967), as one of the Oompa Loompas in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), and as Hercules in I Don't Want to Be Born (1975). He was "World Cup Willie", the official mascot of the England Football Team in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rusty Goffe</span> British actor (born 1948)

Rusty Goffe is an English actor. He is best known for his appearances in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and the Harry Potter franchise. He played Goober on Stupid!.

The Golden Ticket is an opera based on Roald Dahl's classic 1964 book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by the contemporary American composer Peter Ash, with a libretto by Donald Sturrock. The Golden Ticket was commissioned by American Lyric Theater, Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director; and Felicity Dahl. It premiered at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis on June 13, 2010, in a co-production between OTSL, Ireland's Wexford Festival Opera, and American Lyric Theater.

<i>Willy Wonka</i> (musical) Musical by Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley, and Timothy Allen McDonald

Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka, also known simply as Willy Wonka, is a musical with music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley and a book by Bricusse and Timothy Allen McDonald. It is based on the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. The musical was commissioned by Music Theatre International and is licensed for performance by amateur theatre groups.

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> (musical) 2013 musical

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a musical based on the 1964 children's novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, with book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

<i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i> (franchise) Fantasy media franchise created by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a media franchise based on the 1964 novel of the same name by British author Roald Dahl. It includes two novels, three live-action theatrical films, three video games and miscellaneous other properties, such as touring musicals and theatrical adaptations, various merchandise and defunct amusement park ride.

Malcolm Watson Dixon was an English actor. He is known for having played the role of Strutter in the 1981 film Time Bandits. He had many roles which took advantage of his 124 cm height, such as Ewoks and dwarfs.

<i>Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory</i> 2017 American animated film

Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a 2017 American animated direct-to-video musical comedy film starring the cat-and-mouse duo Tom and Jerry. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Turner Entertainment Co., it is the first Tom and Jerry direct-to-video film to be distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment internationally and is also the final Tom and Jerry direct-to-video film to be involved with Warner Bros. Animation's founder Hal Geer, who died on January 26, 2017. The film is an animated adaptation of the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory with the addition of Tom and Jerry as characters and seen through their point of view.

<i>Wonka</i> (film) 2023 film by Paul King

Wonka is a 2023 musical fantasy comedy film directed by Paul King, who co-wrote the screenplay with Simon Farnaby based on a story by King. It tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a central character in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, depicting his early days as a chocolatier. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as the title character, with an ensemble cast including Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant.

<i>Wonka</i> (soundtrack) 2023 soundtrack album by Neil Hannon and Joby Talbot

Wonka (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2023 musical fantasy film of the same name co-written and directed by Paul King, and co-written by Simon Farnaby. Based on the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, the film stars Timothée Chalamet in the lead role, with an ensemble cast. The album features seven original songs composed by Neil Hannon and written by King and Farnaby, further accompanied by the cues from the original score composed by Joby Talbot. The songs are performed by the cast members, including Chalamet (in his singing debut). The soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music on 8 December 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Feeling (Oompa Loompa)</span> 2023 single by Jagwar Twin

"Bad Feeling (Oompa Loompa)" is a 2023 alternative rock song released by Jagwar Twin (Roy English) under the Big Loud Rock label. The song utilizes the lyrics and melody from the refrain of the Oompa Loompa songs in the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. It was produced by Ryan Daly and Roy English, and written by English, Daly, and Sean Van Vleet, with credit to the original composers of the 1971 work.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mack, David (28 February 2024). "Glasgow's Sad Oompa Loompa Isn't Gonna Sugarcoat This". Vulture. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Holpuch, Amanda (27 February 2024). "A Few Jelly Beans and a World of Disappointment at Willy Wonka Event". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Yang, Angela (28 February 2024). "A Willy Wonka-inspired experience 'scam' was so bad that people called the cops". NBC News . Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Brooks, Libby (27 February 2024). "Glasgow Willy Wonka experience called a 'farce' as tickets refunded". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Watson, Calum; Mckinnon, Morven; Bonar, Megan (1 March 2024). "Willy Wonka experience: How did the viral sensation go so wrong?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  6. ↑ Colbert, Isaiah (27 February 2024). "Willy Wonka Experience Promoted Using Suspected AI Art Was So Bad That Customers Called the Police". IGN. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  7. ↑ Stenzel, Wesley (27 February 2024). "Chocolate Fyre Festival? Inside the Willy Wonka event that had infuriated guests calling the cops". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  8. ↑ Cohen, Danielle (28 February 2024). "Welcome to Fyre Fest: Wonka Edition". The Cut. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "Willy Wonka Experience". What's On Glasgow. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "Willys Chocolate Experience Glasgow. Get your Tickets!". willyschocolateexperience.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  11. ↑ Fear, Natalie (28 February 2024). "This disastrous Wonka event is the worst case of AI art catfishing I've seen". Creative Bloq. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 Murphy, Chris (29 February 2024). ""Willy's Chocolate Experience" Nightmare: What Went Wrong?". Vanity Fair . Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Klee, Miles (28 February 2024). "Huckster Behind 'Willy Wonka' Event Also Sells AI-Written Vaccine Conspiracy Books". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  14. ↑ Moody, Jasmine (28 February 2024). "'The script was 15 pages of AI-generated gibberish': Willy Wonka actor breaks silence on disastrous event". LBC. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Farokhmanesh, Megan (29 February 2024). "The Willy Wonka Event's Lead Actor Speaks Out: 'It Was Just Gibberish'" . Wired. ISSN   1059-1028. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  16. ↑ "Actor who played Willy Wonka at mocked 'immersive' experience speaks". CNN. 28 February 2024. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  17. ↑ Davis, Barney (2 March 2024). "'Where dreams went to die': Wonka actor reveals chaos behind Glasgow experience". The Independent . Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  18. 1 2 3 4 Bonar, Megan (1 March 2024). "'We went viral as Oompa Loompas but we're just normal people'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  19. 1 2 3 Germain, Thomas (29 February 2024). "Here's the Full AI-Generated Script From the Willy Wonka Disaster". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  20. ↑ Klee, Miles (29 February 2024). "Justice for 'The Unknown,' the Roald Dahl Character That Wasn't". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  21. 1 2 3 Nicholson, Rebecca (16 March 2024). "Wonka: The Scandal that Rocked Britain review – a whole hour of TV on the chocolate disaster that went viral". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 March 2024. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  22. ↑ Williams, Craig (29 February 2024). "'We survived the beautiful nightmare that was Willy's Chocolate Experience'". The Herald. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  23. 1 2 Germain, Thomas (27 February 2024). "Cops Called to 'Willy Wonka Experience' as Crying Children Realize AI Ads Were Lies". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  24. 1 2 Cottrell, Hannah (13 March 2024). "Viral Willy Wonka experience star The Unknown lands new gig". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  25. 1 2 3 Scott, Katy (3 March 2024). "Willy Wonka: The Unknown star of viral chocolate experience unmasked". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  26. ↑ Notopoulos, Katie (29 February 2024). "'The Unknown' is the best part of the disastrous Willy Wonka house". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  27. 1 2 3 4 Davis, Barney (29 February 2024). "Willy Wonka actor breaks silence on disastrous Willy's Chocolate Experience". The Independent . Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  28. ↑ Adams, Abigail (7 March 2024). "Creator of Willy Wonka-Themed Experience Apologizes for Failed Event: 'It All Looked Good on Paper'". People Magazine . Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  29. ↑ Pease, Victoria (12 March 2024). "Willy Wonka 'event cancelled' sign raises hundreds for charity". STV News. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  30. 1 2 Boucher, Brian (12 March 2024). "Backdrops From Disastrous Willy Wonka Experience Are Up for Auction". Artnet News. Archived from the original on 12 March 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  31. 1 2 Roberts, Lizzie (14 March 2024). "Willy Wonka Glasgow experience props net £2,000 for Gaza charity". The Times . Archived from the original on 18 March 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  32. ↑ Greenberger, Alex (29 February 2024). "Sad Oompa Loompa from Viral Wonka Experience Draws Comparisons to Manet Painting". ARTnews. Archived from the original on 3 March 2024. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
  33. ↑ Singh, Olivia (29 February 2024). "Memes about a disastrous Willy Wonka-themed event are taking over the internet". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  34. ↑ Thomas, Carly (10 April 2024). "Freddie Highmore Spoofs Infamous Willy Wonka Immersive Fan Event on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'". Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  35. ↑ Patrick, Holly (6 March 2024). "Jeremy Hunt 'taking lessons from Glasgow Willy Wonka experience', jokes Starmer". The Independent . Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  36. ↑ Jackson, Russell (7 March 2024). "Penny Mordaunt jokes she believed SNP were behind Glasgow's Willy Wonka experience due to 'high cost', 'poor return'". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 9 March 2024. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  37. ↑ "Wonka: The Scandal That Rocked Britain | Preview (Channel 5)". www.tvzoneuk.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  38. ↑ "Willy Wonka Scam: Channel 5 Explore Viral Event in New Documentary". www.tvzoneuk.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  39. ↑ Yang, Angela (29 April 2024). "Viral Glasgow Willy Wonka 'Chocolate Experience' inspires Los Angeles event". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  40. ↑ "Wonka-inspired chocolate experience in Los Angeles that mimics Glasgow event attracts dozens". Sky News. 29 April 2024. Archived from the original on 2 May 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  41. ↑ Cantor, Matthew (1 May 2024). "'Yes, this is real': LA recreates Glasgow's Willy Wonka disaster – sad Oompa Loompa included". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  42. 1 2 "Willy's Candy Spectacular: A Musical Parody". Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  43. ↑ "Viral Willy Wonka Glasgow event to be turned into musical". BBC News. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  44. 1 2 3 "Willy Wonka disaster leads to Fringe Golden Ticket". BBC News. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
  45. ↑ Bano, Tim (20 August 2024). "Willy's Candy Spectacular review at Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh". The Stage. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.