Sydney Sweeney has taken a humorous dig at the unfortunate chocolate-themed “experience” in Glasgow, inspired by Wonka, that made headlines last week. The event, called Willy’s Chocolate Experience, caused outrage among parents who dubbed it a “farce” run by “cowboys,” and it was pulled by its organisers, House of Illuminati, just hours after opening. Sweeney, in one of her skits on Saturday Night Live, made a reference to the event in a fake advert for Airbnb Design Commercial in which she and her co-star claim to be responsible for several “bland, generic, downright uninviting” interiors. “You may know our work from cozy casita steps from LAX,” they said in the skit, “And the Wonka Experience in Glasgow,” before showing images from the failed event.
One of the actors hired to impersonate Willy Wonka spoke out about the “dangerous” and “heartbreaking” event. Paul Connell claimed the script was 15 pages of AI-generated “mad things” and gave him very little room for creative improvisation. “The bit that got me was where I had to say, ‘There is a man we don’t know his name. We know him as the Unknown. This Unknown is an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls,'” he said. Connell added that he was instructed to give visitors one jelly bean and a quarter cup of lemonade but there was no chocolate at the chocolate-themed event, which was advertised as “a celebration of sweetness and imagination.”
The Willy’s Chocolate Experience in Glasgow was widely criticised by visitors who complained that the warehouse venue, advertised with witty lines such as, “Get lost in a world of pure imagination,” had been sparsely decorated and poorly organised. Social media was suddenly awash with photos of an empty room with a few plastic mushrooms and pictures attached to the walls. House of Illuminati apologised, adding the experience had been cancelled just hours into its opening day and that refunds were being actively issued.
Sweeney’s quick but subtle jab at the failed event received plenty of laughs and positive feedback from viewers and serves as a strong reminder for event organisers to be thoroughly prepared and loyal to the advertised promises. Otherwise, it may leave customers feeling bitter and unhappy and end up providing a viral subject matter for laughter.
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