Have you ever wondered what makes ghosts fly? Ghosts are assumed to be spooky and frightening souls of the dead, haunting the living with their ghoulish flight. But we were curious about what an alternate ghost story looked like.

We believe there’s more to a ghost’s flight than spiritual propulsion. In October 2018, we had the opportunity to develop a tactile, interactive experience for over 2000 kids attending Brookfield Place’s annual Halloween Bash. Our experience featured three giant ghosts, each exploring an alternative method of flight that kids could interact with to help keep them afloat.

Ghost 1 was kept flying with the power of hot air and featured a ceiling of 300 floating candles. Over time, 4 central candelabras lowered towards the ground and participants had to cast magic spells to raise the candles to the top of the ghost.

Ghost 2 featured wind power. High above attendees’ heads were model airplanes, propellers and a kite which all spun when activated with handheld air pumps that dangled down.

Ghost 3 relied on the power of a full bat colony to keep afloat. Visitors pulled handles to flap the wings of puppet bats.

OUR TOP 5 PROJECT MOMENTS:

1. Our lawyers said flying large objects over childrens’ heads was ill-advised. But we did it anyways because we knew that the scale was integral to excite the crowds. (Don’t worry, we have a great insurance broker.) In the end, walking under these ghosts to see the surprises above evoked feelings of magic and wonder.
2. By placing 3 giant smiling ghosts in the middle of an indoor garden of palm trees, we created a striking image of bizarreness that fascinated children, parents, and even ourselves.
3. From the outside, the ghosts were intriguing. Passerbys could only see the legs and feet of the people under the ghost. Everyone wanted to know what was inside, and queue up to appease their curiosities.
4. This was truly a hand-crafted experience filled with many high-five moments. We put love and care into every handmade bat, candle, chandelier and intricate model plane. We also spent days heat-bending PVC pipes and hand sewing Tyvek to get the perfect friendly ghost shape.
5. We originally named the ghosts after Brookfield Place, naming them the Brooks Brothers: Brook, Brooke and Brooks.