Is It As Happy As It Seems On Instagram?

A Visit to Happy Place Toronto

If you’re keeping up with Canadian Instagram trends, you’ll notice that every Torontonian (that’s Toronto people for those not from the area) is visiting something called Happy Place.

Happy Place –known as @wearehappyplace on Instagram and Twitter—is described by the creator as a pop-up interactive exhibit, meant to exude happiness to its visitors. When I saw photos of the exhibit flooding my Instagram feed followed by the cleverly targeted ads, I wanted to see Happy Place for myself looking for the answers to this question:

Are people genuinely happy when visiting Happy Place OR are people just putting on the “happy” for Instagram worthy photos?

Oftentimes, people look way happier on social media than they are in their every day life. I try to be as transparent as possible with social media, and I balance my good day posts with my not-so-good day posts. But everyone that visits happy place on Instagram seems pretty darn happy…So is it a real happiness or a front for social media? Let’s talk about the overall experience:

Getting To The Happy Place

This week when I was in Toronto for an advanced screening of The Grinch, I made an early stop at the Happy Place exhibit with my boyfriend to check out the hype. After a 15 minute walk from Union Station to Harbourfront Centre we were greeted by giant yellow inflatable smiley columns (like the ones from car dealerships) outside the yellow doors with the signature Happy Place smile. And in case you miss those, there is a sign that points to the doors that says “This Way To Happy”, with a handy arrow.

When you walk in the doors you’re greeted by Happy Place employees asking if you’d like to purchase a ticket or if you have a prepaid ticket. If you’re not a regular in Toronto I’d recommend getting a ticket in advance for the time you’re hoping to go just in case there is an influx of people!

When you’re ready to go in, the Happy Place employee will let you in through the giant smiley face doors and remind you that you can only go forward in each room—not backwards to check out favourites again. They have to keep people moving to keep up with time slots! So when you’re in each room, make sure you do everything you want to do.

Overall, there are about 8 different sections to the Happy Place. If I’m remembering it all in order it’s like this…

The Candy Room

This room has gumball machines, strangely soft carpeting, giant stilettos made of candy that you can sit in, happy face M&Ms for your eating pleasure, and a glittery tinsel curtain wall to walk through.

The Flowers

This section is really cool to look at! There are tons of fake flowers hanging from the ceiling and there’s a platform with flowers to poke your head through. You’ll find yourself at eye level with a sea of bright yellow flowers.

The Upside Down Room

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to flip a bedroom upside down, you’ll see it for yourself in this section. Furniture floats above your head (and a polar bear) and a small platform is at floor level for you to stand on. If you strike a convincing pose and flip your photo, it’ll look like you’re Spiderman-ing from the ceiling.

Multiples Of Everything

This section of the exhibit has interactive displays of items that come in multiples. There’s a wall with multiple little mirror panes to attract the magpie in all of us, a section of plastic chain links to get lost in, a bright yellow bathtub full of plastic balls and walls and thousands of rubber ducks watching, and then one of my personal favourite areas: the Confetti Angels floor.

While I didn’t get down to make a confetti angel, I made sure to throw it in the air and dance around like a kid. Who doesn’t want to make a mess with confetti and not have to clean it up. I also may or may not have found a souvenir of confetti down my shirt at the end of the night.

The Love Room

This section has a small section full of red-carpet worthy lighting and a red carpet that runs through the room. Optimal place to get a cool selfie! Then there’s a giant X and O with light reflecting mirrors on all sides, and giant lip couches to sit on. And of course, there are lipstick kisses all over the walls. Muah!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Room of Happiness

In case you don’t bake cookies, this room has you covered. The room not only smells like fresh baked cookies, but there’s also cookies painted on the walls and floor. Plus, there’s a giant plastic cookie you can pretend to eat, or stick your head through thanks to the chocolate chip peek-a-boo windows.

Don’t forget to grab your cookie samples on the way out!

The Giant Pot Of Happiness

If you remember jumping into ball pits as a child, then you’ll be thrilled to see a giant pool of bright plastic balls at the bottom of a colourful rainbow. You’ll need to take off shoes and anything that can fly off and get lost in the pit FYI.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Step up on the platform and jump like no one’s watching!! It’s a fun thrill as an adult, until you realize how out of shape you are trying to get out of the pool. Even then, I laughed through it all.

The Confetti Dome of Happiness 

Apparently, this is THE largest confetti dome in the world. I’m not sure if that’s a huge record or not (I mean, who is really making these?) but it’s a minute of colourful fun. The Happy Place employee will let you into the dome, press the button, and confetti will go flying!

Were People Really Happy at Happy Place?

Something my boyfriend and I noticed were the amount of people taking photos in the Happy Place. I definitely had my boyfriend take a few photos for my personal memories and my Instagram, but I tried to be as immersed into the exhibit as possible. The amount of photos I have of me making outrageous faces, eyes half-open-half-closed, me looking like a little blur as I explored, totally outnumber the ones where I actually look at the camera and pose. If you’ve noticed, I’ve added a mix of both in this post.

On the other hand, there were SOOOO many people who were there just to take Insta-worthy photos. I don’t mean taking 20 or so photos until one looks good. I mean people who go there, pose in awkward as hell positions, have multiple outfit changes, bring a photographer with them, and do the same “happy” face as they walk through the same area a few times while getting the shot. It’s a lot of the same Influencers that post smiling photos on Instagram every day, showing how they’re living the best life ever.

Should You Visit For Happiness?

If you’re there to explore the exhibit and be happy while taking a few photos for the memories, then you’ll love Happy Place. Walk around and indulge in everything like you’re a little kid again. Actually, it’s a HUGE relief to be happy and silly like a child all over again, especially with the amount of stress and anxiety we hold.

If you want to be genuinely happy at Happy Place, then let go of the photo-taking for the ‘gram mindset. It’s not worth it to walk around with a plastered on smile, trying to look as cool as possible for a photo on a grid, especially if you realize that Instagram won’t be around forever.

Let your inner child back out. Cheese so damn hard that your cheeks hurt at the end. Be thrilled by the simple things, like throwing confetti at your loved one.

So do I think that people are as happy at Happy Place as they seem on Instagram? The answer is, likely not. But do I think people visiting Happy Place can have a happy experience? Yes—but only if they immerse themselves and tap into their inner child.

PS. If you do go, don’t forget to check out the cafe upstairs. They serve up happiness and a sugar rush! We got a Hot Chocolate and a Funnel Cake, and I definitely felt the sugar hit me on the way out of the exhibit.