We’ve opened a ‘Museum of Mischief’ in Dublin this week to mark a big birthday for us.
The super-charged pop-up, which opens on Tuesday, is located at the top of Grafton Street, and offers members of the public a jaunt through our back-catalogue of irreverent marketing every afternoon this week.
Each evening, Ireland’s premier interviewer Eamon Dunphy will be going head-to-head with leading sports personalities in front of an invited audience and a camera crew – starting with record Boys In Green record goal-scorer Robbie Keane on Tuesday night.
On subsequent evenings, Dunphy will interview champion jockey Ruby Walsh, legendary footballer and pundit Graeme Souness, former Ireland manager Mick McCarthy, and GAA legend Tomás Ó Sé.
The exhibition itself will consist of various elements, including:
• An Amazon-themed petting zoo, featuring animals rescued from the Amazon during the ‘shave the rainforest’ stunt around the 2014 World Cup, including a real crocodile, python, and a skink.
• A ‘Ruby Rejuvenator’, revealing the secret to how Paddy Power have helped keep the record- and bone-breaking jockey Ruby Walsh healthy despite his many injuries over the years. To cover the costs of this expensive yet unreliable machine, Paddy Power sell slots to the rich and famous – Donatella Versace has since requested a refund.
• A ‘Lucky Pants’ lab, marking the various versions of Paddy Power’s iconic underwear, from Nicklas Bendtner to Floyd Mayweather, via Daft Punk and Brighton Pride.
• A Polar (Bear) Bar serving tranquiliser dart shots, inspired by the bookie’s campaign around the Russia World Cup – as well as an area dedicated to their Rainbow Russians charity drive, where Russian footballers inadvertently raised £170,000 for LGBT+ causes every time they scored.
• And a ‘Department of Complaints’, housing the brand’s most complained-about adverts and stunts of all time.
Ruby Walsh, who is the star guest on Wednesday evening, said: “Paddy Power is an Irish institution – up there with Mrs Brown’s Boys, in my esteem.
And almost as funny.
“I’m delighted to be able to reveal their mystical contraption that keeps me coming back to both them and to racing. And, no, it’s not just my contract, although it does mean I’m legally obliged to say that the Paddy Power Museum of Mischief will be a lot of fun.”
Host Eamon Dunphy said: “As a brand which matches my inherent sense of mischief, I’m delighted to be hosting Paddy Power’s event this week.
“And we’ve got some line-up of guests. I’m looking forward to interviewing each of the guys at the Museum of Mischief, as they’re all fascinating subjects with great achievements to their name.”
Spokesman Paddy Power said: “Guess who’s making an exhibition of themselves again? But the last 30 years have been a wild ride for Paddy Power – we’ve gone from seeing off the invasion of English bookies to taking on Russia’s ridiculous stance on LGBT+ rights.
“There have, of course, been some divisive things along the way, and we think it’s only fair to showcase those, too, to tell the full story of Paddy Power – and give an insight into what the future might hold.”
Paddy Power’s Museum of Mischief is open all week. Free general Admission (Over 18s only) is available between 12 and 2pm, between September 18th and 22nd.
Check out our ten most cunning stunts from down the years