Two months after Glasgow's disastrous Willy Wonka event went viral, a tribute event in Los Angeles aimed to recreate the experience—complete with the sad Oompa Loompa. The original event, held in a bleak Glasgow warehouse, left children crying and parents calling the police after paying £35 for a few jellybeans and poorly costumed actors. Images of the fiasco sparked international headlines, a horror film, and a documentary.
The LA version, titled Willy's Chocolate Experience LA, took place in a nondescript downtown warehouse. Organisers promised an immersive journey, live entertainment, and a chance to meet Kirsty Paterson, the Oompa Loompa from Glasgow. The invitation, partly generated by AI, included typos and a disclaimer: 'YES THIS IS A REAL EVENT.' Attendees received three jellybeans (one more than in Glasgow) and were greeted by a mad scientist and characters in high-school-theatre-grade costumes.
Highlights included a Tiny Cinema inside a van, where Davey B Gravey played silent films with live synthesizer and ukulele accompaniment. A pair of Oompa Loompas from the troupe Clowns of Color stormed in demanding reparations, referencing the enslavement narrative from Roald Dahl's original text. Paterson, described as the 'mother Oompa Loompa with a heart of gold', emceed the event despite jetlag.
Unlike the Glasgow disaster, attendees seemed to enjoy themselves. The event's Willy Wonka character rejected the term 'fiasco', calling it a 'fun time'. A cease-and-desist letter from Nathan Fielder's lawyers was displayed on a wall, complaining about misuse of his name. The planners remain secretive but say they have no ties to the original event.
