"Looks like she's running a literal meth lab": Glasgow Willy Wonka experience scam pictures go viral, spark hilarious reactions

Willy Wonka is a fictional character created by British author Roald Dahl who first appeared in the children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 1968. Since then, the character has been popular among the youngsters.

On February 25, an event based on Willy Wonka was organized in the Scottish city of Glasgow called “Willy’s Chocolate Experience,” and promised “a day filled with laughter, joy, and the irresistible allure of chocolate” for its young attendees, as per People.

However, the event reportedly turned out to be a flop. As per the now-viral images and videos, the show appeared to be inside a large and decorated warehouse and did not deliver upon its promise, and differed significantly from what organizers, House of Illuminati, promoted on their website as well as social media.

Not only that the event which is now being deemed as a dream-turned nightmare allegedly prompted parents to call Scotland police and now netizens are having hilarious reactions. An X user with the handle @disappoptism posted on the platform that one of the images which looked like a lab setup seemed like Willy Wonka was “running a literal meth lab."

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“Single-handedly the photo of the year”: Internet has wild reactions to Willy Wonka event gone wrong in Glasgow

On Sunday, kids in Glasgow attended a seemingly disappointing Willy Wonka-themed event called Willy’s Chocolate Experience. According to the online advertisements of the event by the London-based House of Illuminati, the event was supposed to be “immersive” and “create lasting memories and redefine what it means to step into a world of pure imagination,” as reported by People.

However, it was nothing like expected. It did not have “whimsical performances” and “surprises at every turn” as promised during promotion, nor was it “a celebration of chocolate in all its delightful forms.” Instead, it showed a sparsely decorated room in the Box Hub warehouse in an industrial area of Whiteinch, which not only disappointed the attendees but also left many of them afraid.

An image from the event has now gone viral showing a woman (Oompa Loompa) with a green hairdo working in a smoke-filled lab. Similarly, a clip of a man dressed in all-black and white makeup perhaps trying to enact the role of a skeleton offers evidence of everything that went wrong.

People even reported that police were called by angry and unhappy parents to the venue as many of the children were “crying” and the atmosphere appeared to be “tense,” making the event get canceled midway.

As per Sky News, one guest said that the organizers “sold a dream and delivered a nightmare.” Likewise, attendee Aileen Butcher told GlasgowLive.com that the experience was “pathetic” and “absolute disgrace,” and took only a minute to cover.

In the wake of this, netizens are now having wild reactions. Here are some of them from X:

House of Illuminati has issued an apology for the “stressful and frustrating day” as per SWNS. They admitted how they “let down” the attendees and “tried our best to continue and push through,” yet failed.

"We planned a fabulous event and it just did not take shape as planned. And for that, we are truly sorry we are devastated at how this has turned out,” the statement added.

The organizers further acknowledged the “anger and frustration” shown by the guests and promised to refund the £35 that people paid to attend the Willy Wonka event, claiming that the process has “already started” and might take up to 10 days. One of the attendees Eva Stewart told the BBC that she was “not very hopeful” about getting a refund.

The Willy Wonka event which was first promoted in mid-December 2023 described the experience on Facebook as something “designed for families and children” to enjoy; and promised attractions including an Enchanted Garden, Imagination Lab, and Twilight Tunnel among others.

It also promised decors filled with “giant mushrooms” and “sweets, colossal lollipops, and candy canes,” but instead got a handful of candies as per reports from the attendees.

Actor Jenny Fogarty who was recruited to play the role of Oompa Loompa told SWNS that she received a 15-page script only the night before and her costume was not kid-friendly. Fellow performer Paul Connell told STV News that his “heart sank” after reaching the venue and seeing the unpreparedness.

Notably, House of Illuminati included a disclaimer during their seeming AI-generated promotion and booking on the website that said, “any resemblance to any character, fictitious or living, is purely coincidental” and that the experience “is in no way related to the Willy Wonka franchise, which is owned by the Warner Bros. company.”