For decades, Willy Wonka has been one of the most beloved brands in all of children’s fiction. Wonka, the lovable yet demented candy maker, who creates the most amazing confections in the world and occasionally maybe kinda sorta murders kids in his factory. (Look, nobody’s perfect.)
The fictional Wonka is known for surprising his customers with amazing treats. But usually he surprises them in a good way; he always overdelivers. But this real story unfolding over the weekend in Scotland is quite the opposite.
Social media is blowing up with reports of a Willy Wonka live experience that ended in shocked disappointment for customers. Patrons spent $45 a person for “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” in Glasgow, which was sold as a fantastical immersion into the world of Willy Wonka akin to the wondrous sights in the films Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and the recent Wonka.
What they got instead was a big empty warehouse with a couple of shabby decorations. See the images for yourself below.
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According to the New York Post, “police were called… after parents felt scammed by the ‘absolute shambles of an event’ and gathered to demand refunds.”
The Post added…
Parents complained that they waited for more than an hour for an experience, coordinated by an organization named House of Illuminati, which was less than 10 minutes long and did not include the advertised chocolate fountains, decor or handcrafted candy drinks.
Guests were convinced by advertisements featuring photos like the one above on the left — which was reportedly generated by AI, and not an actual picture of the event space. (As if you didn’t have enough to worry about, you can now add “Scammers can use AI to create fake images to sell you things” to the pile.)
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Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky