The sparsely-decorated Willy Wonka Experience in a Glasgow warehouse took the internet by storm last week, with plenty of memes and more bizarre information being unravelled as more days went by. Now, more information about the Willy Wonka Experience has been uncovered by Daniel Ibbertson from Slopes Game Room, revealing other AI-led ventures of the event organiser, as well as interviews with actors and the American artist behind the mushroom images used in the promotional posters.
The House of Illuminati was the company behind The Willy Wonka Experience of “pure imagination”, promising plenty of chocolate to go around, magical characters and huge mushrooms, candy canes, chocolate fountains and more. The images were initially AI-generated and looked promising, showcasing the magical world of Willy Wonka. However, the event did not live up to its promises, as visitors turned up to a half-empty warehouse with tiny posters on the walls like a teenager’s nedroom, a bouncy castle what looks like from uncle Angus’s back garden and a few not-so-huge decorations.
The event was organised by Billy Coull, who has also been selling 17 AI-generated self help books and novels, as well as organising a charity gala event for £95 per ticket without securing the venue first. Daniel called the Hilton, who confirmed no charity event was secured in the hotel. The YouTube video also shows Billy Coull erratically trying to sell his books, and let us tell you, it is just… bizzare.
The author’s biographical information says Billy is an “enigmatic wordsmith from the bustling streets of Glasgow” and a “rising star of the literary world. With each stroke of his pen, Billy Coull crafts narratives that blur the lines between reality and fiction, leaving readers enthralled by the unpredictable twists and turns that lie ahead.”
A reviewer of one of the books was not convinced, describing it as “absolute nonsense” full of “gibberish sentences” which had “all the hallmarks of being written by AI”.
Daniel Ibbertson interviewed Paul Connell and Michael Archibald, both who played Willy Wonka during the experience, who claimed that no one who worked at the experience got paid, including the actors. According to the actors, some staff members even pulled 12-hour shifts for three days setting up the warehouse without any compensation for their hard work. What is more, lots of customers still claim not to have received a refund for the tickets.
What is more, Paul and Michael said that Felicia, the 16-year-old actor who played The Unknown, was left o her own at the event after the “Wonkas” got removed. This means no explanation was given to the guests as to who “The Unknown” was, scaring the children and confusing parents even more. The Unknown was an AI-generated character who was “an evil chocolate maker who lived in the walls”, and is probably the best thing to come out of this whole event.
After the event got shut down, the actors ended up going to the pub, which is the only acceptable thing to do in a situation like this. However, those who stayed behind in the venue witnessed guests throwing glasses and smashing props, with one staff member ending up having a panic attack.
So, while we are just mere spectators on the internet during this whole fiasco, there are real people that were immensely affected by the scam.