Fun Box is not that fun
The Fun Box is a collection of art installations that have a vibrant and youthful aesthetic. Open for just a short time in the Oaks Mall, many people have taken the opportunity to visit the establishment to add photos to their family albums by posing in front of sparkling backdrops or interacting with props.
This is all while supporting local foster care charities, as a portion of the proceeds are donated. As such, the foundation has stirred up quite a buzz, with many members of our community reporting dazzling reviews and giving positive feedback. In the end, I thought I’d check it out myself. It’s too bad I can’t say I was nearly impressed.
My experience did not start off strong. Upon arrival I was greeted by a lady at the front door asking for 17 dollars. I could only think about how the entry cost into some famous art museums, like LACMA, aren’t even that high. Of course, I’m not opposed to supporting charity, as I believe it is worthwhile to help foster care agencies, however, the consequence of the high price was a high expectation that I had for the installations.
The first installation was full of pink, upright, human-sized crayons that carve a path towards the next installation. Along the sides of the path were objects such as a swing set clearly for small children and a teeter totter bench (both of which were areas to take photographs). At first, I thought perhaps my unphotogenic face was the reason why I did not enjoy my experience, but over time I realized that the establishment simply wasn’t appropriate for my age group. This was opposed to the advertising on the foundation’s website, which stated that it makes “adults feel like they are five again.”
Further installations continued to have the same effect. Attempting to create a hip and modern atmosphere, I can’t help but feel that they utterly failed. There was a level of tackiness in the installations, with scaled emojis, a Fortnite reference and a noodle tube tunnel. There was a rainbow throne, a balloon filled cage and a giant cereal ball pit. It just felt corny. The fact that many employees just conversed with each other or were on their phones did not help either.
Overall, the Fun Box simply isn’t my type of fun. However, if you are extroverted and love taking photos to add to the memory books, the Fun Box might be worth seeing before it closes down on Dec. 31, but otherwise the only upside is supporting a good cause.
