TED Talks Daily This TED Talk is full of bad ideas | Gabe Whaley
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Sep 30, 2025 
Gabe Whaley, a mischievous artist and founder of the New York City collective Mischief, explores the potential of 'bad' ideas. He discusses his outrageous projects, like selling 5,000 keys to a single car and introducing the world's smallest handbag, blurring the lines between art and absurdity. Whaley shares stories of creative experimentation, including a robot paintball event and a viral oversized red boot. He emphasizes how these unconventional concepts can spark community connections and challenge societal norms.
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Selling 5,000 Keys To One Car
- Gabe Whaley sold 5,000 working keys to one PT Cruiser as an art project that granted shared access.
- The project intentionally created communal ambiguity and unpredictable outcomes among buyers.
World's Smallest Handbag Sells Big
- Mischief made a microscopic handbag that unexpectedly auctioned for $63,000.
- The stunt turned a deliberately absurd object into a viral, high-value artwork.
Robot With A Paintball Gun In A Gallery
- Mischief put a paintball gun on a Boston Dynamics robot and let the public drive it in a gallery.
- The project provoked copyright pushback and public controversy as intended.