Andy Warhol Meets Willie Wonka

A couple of weeks ago, Matt brought home an invitation from a friend of his to a "grand opening" for a toy design and product invention company where his friend works.

Lund and Company Invention has been around for a while but they were celebrating a move to their new ultra-hip digs.

The kids were invited, so I'm thinking a cute little kid's birthday party type of affair.

Well...all I can say is that the party was stunning, overwhelming, odd, captivating, trippy.

We walk to the front door and there are two spotlights criss-crossing the sky.

We are greeted first by a fire-eating guy and then a stilt dude.

We enter the building, and the kids are given a password which opens up a bookcase revealing a hidden room.

We walk through the room, greeted by a bunch of characters dressed up in different costumes.

We pass by Tigger as he's assisting brave ones climbing the walls.

A three-piece band plays with great gusto.

A fully stocked bar includes everything for adults and children--even juice boxes.

A server continually passes around highly dangerous Cocktails by Jenn Lemon Drops.

"Oh," I think, "aren't these so cute!" I'm not a drinker and yet proceeded to slurp down three of them in our two-hour stint.

The kids have a field day as they play and draw on helium-filled balloons the size of stability core balls.

People in tailed tuxes with gold ties and cummerbunds circulate. I later find out that these are all the employees of the company--the inventors.

Throughout the entire area are:
*big platters of brownies the size of a cat's head
*plates of chocolate turtles and other rich creations
*Chicago-style hot dogs
*Chicago-style Italian beefs
*a bar of tall cylinder containers filled with candy--jelly beans, chocolate, licorice and little yellow logo bags beckoning to be loaded up

We meet Party Animals:
*Tara the 325-pound Tiger
* Mindy the purple-dress-wearing Monkey
* Max the white ugly freakish Boa Constrictor
* And a wide range of "spirited" men and women

We enter a room that is filled with writings and pictures all over the walls, and the kids add their mark to the collection.

As we leave, the kids are bid farewell by the owner, Bruce Lund, who's dressed like Frazier Thomas the Circus Manager from the Bozo Circus Show.

We get out the door and as we walk down the path to the sidewalk, we are given parting gifts, including some funky pens, by a couple of sparkly fairy ladies.

Whew! It's like having a Super Bowl in your living room. Outrageous and fun!