Inside the Happy Place, a new pop-up at Harbourfront with a giant confetti dome and cookie room

About a year ago, Happy Place founder Jared Paul, an L.A.-based entertainment producer, decided to create a space that could brighten people’s days. He assembled a group of artists in L.A. to brainstorm some ideas. The result was a multi-room exhibit and cafe filled with colours, confetti and candy, visited by more than 100,000 people. “It made us wonder, why not spread the happy?" said Paul. 

After a stop in Chicago this summer, the pop-up has landed in Toronto, occupying 13 rooms and 20,000 square feet in Harbourfront’s 245 Queens Quay W building. The setup took a month to complete: the team painted walls, re-carpeted the floors and created new elements exclusive to the Toronto version, including six murals by local artist Jasmin Pannu. Here’s a look inside.

Seven-foot-tall stilettos made from 1 million M&Ms are front and centre at the confectionery cafe. Everything at the Happy Place was designed to be interactive, so guests can climb inside the shoes to snap a photo:

Visitors can help themselves to custom Happy Place M&Ms:

An entire bedroom suite is bolted to the ceiling of the upside-down room:

And this room features a rubber ducky cubby, complete with a yellow bathtub ideally suited for photo-ops:

These six-foot-tall XO letters are made from thousands of tiny mirrors. The wallpaper features 1,000 red lipstick prints:

For anyone opposed to making snow angels in the cold, there’s always the confetti version:

The chocolate chip cookie room is exclusive to the Toronto exhibit. It smells just like a bakery and everyone gets a bite-sized sample, baked by Toronto-based catering company the Food Studio. The plastic cookie you’re looking at is five-feet tall and the chocolate chips swing open so you can put your head through the holes:

What good is a double rainbow without a giant ball pit of gold?

The food, all prepared by the Food Studio, is as colourful as the space. Here’s a rainbow grilled cheese:

The Happy Place runs until January 1 at Harbourfront Centre.