VIDEO: What's Behind The Secret Door At Chicago's Union Station?
The train station can be a pretty mundane place, where keeping your head down and ignoring the people around you is often the norm. But add a secret door filled with balls from a ball pit, and everything changes.
Blake Grigsby livened up Chicago's Union Station with a viral stunt that made kids and adults alike laugh recently. Placing a door in the middle of the station, accompanied by a sign that read "What is behind the door?" Grisby caught the attention of more than a few commuters and travelers. But did anyone open the door?
Of course people opened the door.
A popular YouTube creator, Blake has found success making comedic, viral videos on the internet before. He first rose to fame in a video stunt that basically featured him eliciting hugs from strangers on the beach, before making Chicago's Daley Plaza an internet sensation last year with his "Mistletoe Kissing Contraption." A student at DePaul, Grisby's already garnered quite a bit of success and attention.
With 1,453,389 views, Grisby's "Mistletoe Kissing Contraption" would be considered quite the hit indeed. But I didn't like it. While the video and Grigsby seemed well intentioned, the increasing number of YouTube videos that rely on comedy through violating the space of women made me uncomfortable with it. So I lampooned it.
What do I think of Grigsby's "Ball Pit Door"?
I'm not a fan. It just reaffirms the patriarchal dominance through plastic, toy balls our society has been subjected to for decades.
Just joking! I like Grigsby's "Ball Pit Door." It's a joy to watch, to be honest. Again, seeing a mundane space turn into an interactive, fun space for kids and adults alike is a positive way for creatives like Grigsby to affect the places around us.
Cool video, Blake!
Mason Johnson is a Web Content Producer for CBS Chicago. You can find him on Twitter.