We’re all looking for something to do while we’re on lockdown, and luckily, Misha Collins of Supernatural is an expert when it comes to inspiring creativity and kindness at home. For the last seven years, Collins has been the chaotic overlord of Gish (formerly GISHWHES), the international scavenger hunt that involves participants submitting wacky items via video and photo that run the gamut from silly to incredibly weird, to life-changing acts of kindness. It’s the reason I know what it feels like to wear a bikini made of bananas.
Items can be crafts, acts of kindness, public silliness, puzzles or sending items into outer space. Usually, Gish happens in August, but, well, we need a little weirdness right now so to ease the quarantine blues, Collins has created a one-day play-at-home, mini-hunt that you can register right now with the $15 fee going to provide meals for kids who have lost them due to COVID shut-downs. You can do good and have fun! And Collins took a few moments to talk with us all about it.
The Mary Sue: So, a few quick questions on the new mini hunt?
Misha Collins: Sure. Go for it.
What inspired this? I mean, I can guess this one but what was the thought process behind it?
I was feeling powerless, trapped, and bored. One day, as I was hypnotized watching my Roomba, it occurred to me that I’m not the only one feeling this way. I realized if we could channel our collective stay-at-home energy to connect and mobilize, we could use this downtime to have some fun together, and maybe do some good in the process.
How will this hunt be different from the regular Gish? I assume no space-based items?
Well technically, the ISS astronauts are already sheltering in place and I don’t want to leave them out of the Hunt, so I can’t say “no.” But all Items will be things that can be reasonably done in an average home using household supplies. This Hunt is also different in that it’s much shorter — just 24 hours — and it’s a “positive-pressure” Hunt, so it’s going to be much more relaxed and less cut-throat than the annual summer Hunt.
The Play-At-Home Hunt will be especially family-friendly, so you can enlist your kids to help you with your items and get them out of your hair. Finally, we’ll have a livestream event at the end so we can celebrate together and showcase some of the best submissions, with some surprises I won’t spoil here.
Will teams be the same size?
Yes. Teams can range between 9-15 people. But if you don’t have that many people who want to play, you can join by yourself or with just a few friends. After registration closes, I’ll combine your team with other teams to make a full team and introduce you to some of the best friends you’ll ever have. We’ve even had people that met this way during a Hunt fall in love and get married … I’m not guaranteeing a love connection, but I am saying that the possibility exists.
Do you have t0 be an experienced Gisher or crafter to participate?
No! There’s no experience required, and it’s next to impossible to identify a “skill set” that would come in handy anyway. Anyone can play, and everyone should.
The proceeds go to help kids who have lost meals, why did you choose that specifically?
I’ve been pretty vocal in the past about my own experiences with food insecurity growing up — we were poor and often homeless — so childhood hunger is an issue that resonates with me. Kids should never have to go hungry, and especially not because of a global pandemic causing school closures — that’s absolutely outside anyone’s control. So if there’s something we can do to help them, I think we’ve got to step up to the plate (so to speak) and try.
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Register for Gish here and get ready for an incredibly fun 24 hours, starting Saturday, April 25th at 12pm! You can do some good, have some laughs and honestly … do you have any other plans?
(image: Jeff Weddell/The CW)
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