DOWNTOWN — Chicago’s lovably dorky kissing bandit has found a new way to film himself making out with strangers — and it’s the kind of ridiculous stunt that just might blow up YouTube, again.
Blake Grigsby — the guy whose “Kiss Me I’m Desperate” video got more than 17 million YouTube views — debuted his “Mistletoe Kissing Contraption” at the Christkindlmarket on Monday while his trusty film crew caught the action to share with the world.
“I’ve been sitting on this idea for three years, and it was just time to make it happen,” Grigsby said. “My friend, A.C. Rupe, who creates props for films, made it look exactly the way I thought it up.”
It’s a modern feat of kiss-inducing engineering constructed of PVC pipe, string and mistletoe that dangles over an invisible kissing zone directly in front of Grigsby’s nonthreatening, moderately cute face.
“Of course, I didn’t think the thing would work, or that anyone would kiss me,” Grigsby said. “I never expect anyone to kiss me.”
But boy did the little guy’s lips (and cheeks) get a workout, receiving festive smooches from little babies, an 89-year-old grandma, a couple of feisty guys and more than a few cute ladies.
“Can I kiss you?” a young lady asked.
“Yes, please,” Grigsby said, closing his eyes and puckering his lips.
“This is the oldest one you’re going to get today,” a mature lady said.
“Hey, that’s my wife,” a man howled when he caught Grigsby receiving a kiss on the cheek.
“This is my pool boy,” a rather frisky lady said before letting her lips linger on Grigsby’s cheek. (There’s an entirely separate — and a little creepy — video explaining the “pool boy” reference.)
And there was a couple who used his kissing contraption selfishly to their own benefit.
“I was a little shocked. They just kept going, and I wondered, ‘Am I part of something or should I leave?’” Grigsby said. “We were in a very personal bubble where it was too close not to be in a conversation. I’m sure it was uncomfortable … for them. Not for me. I enjoyed it.”
Grigsby, a DePaul University junior who calls himself a “positive prankster,” hopes the silly holiday-themed stunt adds a smile to the faces of people wasting time at work watching YouTube during the holidays.
“My favorite part is meeting people after the kiss and the conversations we have,” he said. “Some people have interesting stories, and others take pictures and say the mistletoe reminds them of someone they miss.”
Grigsby plans to release a video of additional footage Thursday afternoon, and his team is already hard at work creating a how-to video, explaining how to make your own Mistletoe Kissing Contraption.
And ladies, just in case you're wondering, Grigsby still doesn’t have a girlfriend.
“My Facebook status is still single, but maybe one day it will happen,” he said.
Or, as he says, maybe she's already in the video.
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