I became a unicorn last week.

No, I did not drink a magic potion that transformed me into the elusive mythical creature, complete with a glittery horn and shiny mane. Neither am I about to gallop off to the fantastical Land of Equestria. 😛

It all started when a friend of mine had a crazy idea to prance around Singapore in a unicorn mask and a T-shirt emblazoned with #unicornontherun. As part of a social media campaign aptly named Unicorn on the Run, the aim was to generate much buzz around an “average troll unicorn” which would in turn help her earn a spot in a Google ad camp. 😉

When I caught up with her at this year’s Ben & Jerry’s Chunk Fest at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, the Unicorn was in full trolling mode – strumming up a tune on her ukelele, invading the various booths and even playing tag with the event’s mascot, much to the latter’s ire! 😛 

My friend might have had the jitters about showing up in such a public space with her crazy get up, but her Unicorn persona certainly wasn’t! Prancing tirelessly about the muddy fields, she even had a go on the bouncy castle, much to everyone’s amusement.

Of course, no social media campaign is complete without a slew of photos, so the Unicorn photo bombed her way into many a frame. Soon, she had a following of people who were intrigued enough to pose for a photo or two with her. After being told to check out Unicorn on the Run on Facebook and Instagram.

After playing witness to her shenanigans, I wanted nothing more than to play the role of the Unicorn. Maybe wearing a mask ignites the escapist in me, or it could be my lifelong obsession with unicorns that finally culminated in this…

Putting on that mask is no walk in the park – you can barely see or breathe, except through the holes in the mouth and the nose. At one point, I thought I was turning into Darth Vader, what with all the gasping and heaving as a result of the limited ventilation!

I also discovered that when you have the face of a long-adored mythical creature, you can get up to a lot of mischief and get away with it. 😛 People don’t get mad at you for sneaking up on them or photo bombing their photos. Neither do they grouse at your nonexistent ukelele playing skills. 😛

Just don’t get too close to the young ones or they’ll be running away in terror (oops, childhood ruined).

I wonder where the Unicorn will be running to next, though. 😉

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unicornontherun

Instagram: http://instagram.com/unicornontherun

chueonit.