Over the past week and a half, New York residents and internet users moreover have been the unwitting victims of a trio of high-concept pranks orchestrated by a mysterious Instagram account called HiHi. Adding to the confusion and virality, prominent pop-culture figures such as Tyra Banks and comedian Mark Normand have been entangled in the pandemonium as well. But to what end? Who is HiHi and why are they pulling these benign stunts? Are they performance artists? Are they dedicated chaos agents? Are they elaborately disguised marketers? In the event HiHi strikes again, we want you to be prepared for what is coming. Thus, here’s a little crash course breaking down the entire HiHi saga thus far, how Donald Glover is involved, and everything we know about the mystery enshrouding it.
The Case of the “Stolen†Shoes
On January 19, an alleged “art heist†took place at an exhibit put on by designer and illustrator Timothy Goodman. Midway through the evening, the lights went on in the gallery, and a pair of sneakers were stolen from their display case. Influencers on Instagram and TikTok began posting widely about the incident, sparking intrigue about what happened in the comments. Several of these posts were labeled as “Paid Partnerships,†though it wasn’t clear what product they were promoting. Hmmm. Something fishy seemed afoot.
Tyra Banks’s Furry Surprise
While seated courtside at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, taking in a Brooklyn Nets versus New York Knicks NBA game, Banks was seemingly ambushed by a pair of furries seated on either side of her. Video of the January 24 incident quickly went viral, and Banks can apparently be seen mouthing “This is crazy!†Some of the initial posts about this incident were also labeled as advertisements, though once again, there did not seem to be an immediately apparent product that viewers could purchase.
So What Happened at NY Comedy Club?
Things started to really get confusing on January 25 with a video of what appeared to be a strange disruption of a show at New York Comedy Club. In it, Normand is performing when a pair of people he appears not to recognize crash the stage. They are immediately escorted out of the venue by people acting like security guards. Normand tries to soldier on with live commentary from the stage, but he, too, is escorted out of the building by security. Eventually, the show’s hosts retake the stage, and in a state of confusion and panic, they tell the audience to evacuate the building as well. People online couldn’t figure out what to make of the events of the video: Was it real? Was it staged? Eventually, New York Comedy Club put out a statement explaining that the disturbance had been part of a “filming by @Hi_HI_.â€
Okay, But Who Is HiHi?
Once people began rushing to the HiHi Instagram Page to demystify what happened at Normand’s show, a number of mysteries began unraveling their secrets. Instagram Story collections on the page indicated that the mysterious shadow organization had been responsible for staging not just the comedy club incident but the “furry ambush†and the “art heist†as well. The page contains no information about who HiHi is, but the bio reads, “Would you risk it all to have it all? Then DM us ‘HiHi,’†and features yet another story collection rounding up “applicants†explaining what they’d be willing to give up to live out their dream life. Soon, Donald Glover began reposting several of HiHi’s stories to his own Instagram account, indicating that he had some sort of connection to these events.
What’s G(love)r Got to Do With It?
As it turns out, this was all guerrilla marketing for Glover’s upcoming Mr. & Mrs. Smith reboot on Amazon’s Prime Video, hence all the mysterious social-media spon-con. On January 25, Vanity Fair ran an interview with Glover and co-star Maya Erskine, in which they explained that, in the show, the pair are “partnered up by a mysterious entity they nickname ‘HiHi.’†Gothamist investigated this marketing campaign further, locating a submission call in December placed by L.A.-based marketing company Verb for something called the “HiHi Mission Contest,†which stated that “Winning participants would be selected to carry out various ‘missions’ taking place at a ‘culture event in New York City.’†The posting explicitly stated “Amazon employees and affiliates were not eligible to participate.â€
Why Is Glover Like This?
As in, why is Gambino so childish? Unclear. Just a few weeks ago, he also caused a manufactured stir online by starring in a fake biopic trailer to promote 21 Savage’s most recent album, American Dream. At least for now, it appears the HiHi saga has come to an end, and we’ll be spared the pain of doing involuntary marketing for Amazon going forward. Let’s all wave a grateful farewell. Bye-bye.