Did you think the viral event planning disaster that was “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” couldn’t get any better? It did after all provide at least a full week of entertainment for social media users. Well, turns out it could get better because now props from the iconic fiasco have been auctioned off for a good cause.
The money is going to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). This UK-based charity is working to provide food and aid to Gazans displaced by the Israel-Hamas war. According to its website, the organization works “in partnership with Palestinian communities to uphold their rights to health and dignity.”
The props—garish, candy-themed backdrops from the event that you might have spotted in the infamous photos that circulated—were discovered in a dumpster by a friend of Michael Kasparis, the online manager of record shop Monorail Music. The friend passed them along, and Kasparis decided to use that bit of good fortune to help others. After all, he had a built-in audience.
Willy’s Chocolate Experience got the whole internet’s attention
Such was the “success” of the Glasgow-set Willy Wonka-themed children’s event that people have already been auctioning off props to raise money for charity. According to CNN, a mere handmade sign from the event (nope, the event organizers didn’t print their signs, just quickly scribbled them on the day) sold for £840 ($1,070) last week, and 80% of the profit went to the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
But this new auction has the added benefit of drawing attention to the war and the plight of Palestinians. After all, Willy’s Chocolate Experience was a viral sensation and people are keen to get hold of mementos from it.
“I personally was a little bit worried that the auction was a bit silly for the cause, but we thought, if it raises money, that’s the most important thing,” Michael Kasparis told The Guardian. “It’s a charity we’ve all donated to and that we all care deeply about, and it was kind of a no-brainer when we thought to auction it for charity.”
He was delighted at the amount of money raised by selling the backdrops—£2,250 ($2,866) in all. “We’d thought if it goes into four figures we’d be very happy, so it was a pretty amazing result,” he said.
Monorail Music posted a screenshot of their success on X, along with the words “Ceasefire Now.” So far, over 30,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the war, so every condemnation and every contribution helps.
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