Parents Call Police After “Willy Wonka-Inspired Experience” Turned Out To Be A Scam

Parents Call Police After “Willy Wonka-Inspired Experience” Turned Out To Be A Scam

Some parents in Scotland called the police after they were left feeling bamboozled over what was supposed to be a “Willy Wonka experience.”

The parents spent hundreds of dollars to take their children and were promised “extraordinary props, oversized lollipops, and a paradise of sweet treats” — all promoted with dreamlike, candy-colored images.

However, when parents arrived, they quickly realized that they had been hoodwinked! The set up was a sparsely decorated warehouse. It featured a bouncy house, that looked like it was borrowed from a kids party of 5. There were no large lollipops! Instead, there were print outs of lollipops that were thumb-tacked to the wall.

 

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One of the actors involved told NBC News that he felt “sad” participating because he knew so many kids were coming. The only candy the kids received were a few jelly beans and a cup of lemonade.

“For the sake of my children, we were trying to be happy and smiley so that they wouldn’t pick up on the disappointment and just tried to make the best of a bad situation,” said Alana Lockens.

Local police confirmed to NBC News that they were called to the scene after attendees who felt conned began demanding refunds. Many of them compared the scene to the Frye Festival.

It is believed the organizers used AI to generate its promotional images and character scripts, but the company hasn’t addressed the allegations.