As I looked into the eye of the bright pink giant grizzly bear, I knew this wasn't a normal phone launch event.
Google has just taken the wraps off its brand new Pixel 2 phone and new additions to its smart home lineup in San Francisco. (Here's literally everything Google announced.) But I was following the news from a "satellite" event in London.
And it was quite a different experience than what the world was streaming from California.
It started here, in the bright pink room, with bright pink foliage and, yes, a whole menagerie of life-size bright pink animals.
Where do you even get something like this? "OK Google, find me a giant, pink crocodile."
This is completely normal.
A large swing hung from the ceiling in the main event space. Because why wouldn't there be a swing.
Giant wall of foliage? Google's got you covered.
Welcome to Google's gallery of smells.
Shove your face into the fishbowl and take a good whiff. Apparently you might experience certain feelings with different smells. The main feeling I got was one of embarrassment at putting my head in a fishbowl.
At least at the end you get to create your own scent from your favourites from around the gallery. This is totally normal for a phone launch. Totally normal.
Next up: Throwing big silver balls around, for some reason!
Your throw is captured in 'bullet time' (read: that funky Matrix stuff) on a whole set of Pixel 2 handsets.
Demo Google's new VR headsets in this smokey jungle zone.
Tucked away on the floor of a back room; this adorable little tableau of a mouse selling doughnuts. Bottle for scale.
