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Saturday, August 16, 2003
They came, and in a flash, they were gone
Seattle adopts latest mob mentality
The small group of happy revelers started blowing and twirling their party noisemakers yesterday at 6:15 p.m. on the dot.
"Surprise!" they screamed for no reason.
"Happy Friday!" shouted one, in apparent euphoria.
As per instructions, this so-called flash mob of mostly twentysomethings was leaning over different railings at swanky Pacific Place mall in downtown Seattle while making their benign mischief.
Four minutes later, the group of about 30 was gone.
A flash mob is an impromptu gathering of people doing (usually) something whimsical, from a massive game of patty-cake to belting out the alphabet.
 | ||
 | Grant M. Haller / P-I | |
| A participant in Friday's "flash mob" blows a noisemaker as she rides down the escalator at Pacific Place mall. Flash mobs have been popping up recently in cities across the nation and in Europe. | ||
These "happenings" -- all organized by online ringleaders -- started popping up in the United States about two months ago, with the first major event taking place at Macy's department store in downtown New York City on June 17.
Dozens of participants discussed a "love rug" in the rug department, leaving onlooking shoppers and employees baffled. No one was arrested, and so far, all that is known is someone named "Bill" organized the mob.
Since then, the flash mobs have popped up all over the United States and Europe, from Minneapolis to San Francisco to London.
Seattle had its first known flash mob on Tuesday, a "protest against protests" with people waving blank signs.
During yesterday's event, shoppers and store employees rushed to the railings to see what the ruckus was about, only to walk away befuddled.
"I thought it was somebody's birthday, or something. What fun," said Sam Hatzenbeler, who was working at Illuminations, a candle shop.
Each flash mob is started out by a different person, via chain e-mails, chat rooms or blog sites with a time and a location and activity for mobbers. There is no one person behind these (almost) performance art-oriented stunts, and organizers are usually anonymous.
Yesterday was no different. Organizers, including those handing out instruction sheets on the street, weren't talking -- even after they handed a sheet to a reporter who asked the right code-question: "Where's the party?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," said a smiling young woman with a green shirt and sandy brown hair.
"What party?"
JOINING THE MOB
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