The Pickled Mushroom

Chaos out of Nowhere…

So. Today was the big “Banana Bang” flashmob in Düsseldorf – and it was MASSIVE. The whole square (which is admittedly not sooo big, but it still was around 70 people or more) was crammed with mobbers, and everyone had a blast. For your information, here the instructions: (translated from German)

Date: 30.05.2009 Time: 3.15pm

Where?: Düsseldorf, around the main entrance of Schadow-Arkaden (like a mall)

What?: Banana-Bang!

What’s that?: Inspired by this ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNuRQmvykwk
a flashmob with bananas has evolved, like here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekApFi9g68A

We’re doing this!: We’ll meet at the time named generously around the main entrance area of Schadow-Arkaden in the inner city of Düsseldorf. Keep the bananas hidden! There’ll be two initiators that will encounter and draw the bananas. Wait for that moment, then pull out your bananas and aim at each other (just aim, don’t shoot!). Be creative, make something out of it. 😉 We’ll stay like that for a few moments and then one of the two initiators will let loose the first banana shot. Now you can start shooting. Of course everyone doesn’t have to go down immediately, but it shouldn’t take much too long. When everyone is “shot” lying on the ground, wait 30 seconds (count to 30 slowly) and then stand up and act like nothing happened! Scatter in different directions and enjoy the banana. 😉

A few more “suggestions”:

1. Please DON’T stand around in attention-drawing little groups. Walk along normally, go into shops, whatever. You can also stand aside a bit and come running at the right moment.
2. Please pay attention to the bordering streets. Don’t block them!
3. Please try to stay serious during the mob. A banana shooting is not funny. 😉
4. DON’T CLAP, DON’T LAUGH, DON’T TALK ABOUT IT at the end! The flashmob is supposed to disperse as quickly as it appeared. If the “audience” claps, that’s okay of course.

Sooo. It was realllly good, there were so many people! It was hard not to look suspicious somehow, seeing that there just wasn’t enough space to casually linger around. I had a hard time trying to find a shop front to look at inconspicuously.

There were several videos recorded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIigwynxY08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFwKUefPdOo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgHtQ9fSJH0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnffJy9VUl0

So far I haven’t spotted myself in it, but I wasn’t right in the middle of the throng.

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