Born in a Flash Trivia Quiz

Answer: All of these could comprise a flash mob

There is no complete, definitive amount of people that can create a flash mob though, to make sense, you would need at least a small handful of people to perform. In other words, one or two people does not make a mob and three or four would be on the low end.

There are instances in which four to ten people have performed in flash mobs in public places for the sake of being stealthy until the right moment, but they are far less popular than grand-scale mobs, particularly because some can require great amounts of planning and choreography and seem more unbelievable by sheer size.

Answer: Grand Central Station

Possibly Improv Everywhere's most popular stunt, "Frozen in Grand Central" was performed in 2010 in none other than New York's bustling Grand Central Station. Midday, two hundred people walked into the landmark and, at a predetermined point, froze in place for approximately five minutes, baffling commuters and tourists. Some of these people were simply walking or talking, but others were stuck in more ornate (albeit realistic) poses for the entire time. After the five minutes ended, everyone went on their way.

This marked the start of Improv Everywhere's popularity. They've since gone on to make numerous other flash mob performances and inspired countless others.

Answer: Liverpool Street Station

Capitalizing on the popularity of the flash mob early on, a London-based advertizing firm used the scheme to promote T-Mobile phones in the UK in mid-2009. The plan was simple-- head to Liverpool Station and start the music ("Shout" by Lulu to begin).

It would start with one or two people but, as the melody progressed and changed to eight different songs (including The Pussycat Dolls' "Don't Cha", Millie's "My Boy Lollipop", and The Contours' "Do You Love Me?"), it would escalate to a point where over three hundred fifty people would be singing and dancing in unison in the main hall.

The video was an instant success taking in tens of millions of viewers online. It aired on TV two days after it was filmed.

Answer: London Heathrow Airport

Released in late 2010, T-Mobile capitalized on the success of their first flash mob outing by welcoming returning Brits to the UK in Heathrow's Terminal 5. Waiting outside the gate, people waited to perform appropriate a Capella hits, much to the delight of those in the spotlight.

In some cases, the passengers were in on it-- one sang Iggy Pop's "The Passenger"; another group of men were chased down by women singing Thin Lizzy's "Boys are Back In Town". The mob ended their performance with Peters and Lee's "Welcome Home".

Although it didn't achieve as much widespread success as the Liverpool Station video, it showed the flash mob's induction into modern performance pieces.

Answer: Glee

In "Glee's" first season, the nineteenth episode, "Dream On", featured a dream sequence in which wheelchair-bound club member Artie (played by Kevin McHale) got out of his wheelchair, cured of paralysis, and started a flash mob in the middle of a shopping mall to the tune of "The Safety Dance" (by Men Without Hats).

The sequence was a hit in the show's debut season and helped solidify it as a ratings winner. The episode in particular was directed by cult director Joss Whedon. In the second season, "Glee" tried to emulate their prior successes in the flash mob field by having another sequence in the mall, this time to Duck Sauce's "Barbra Streisand".

The episode had the lowest ratings of the season despite being praised for other musical numbers.

Answer: Haitian earthquake

In early 2010, a flash mob formed in a busy Los Angeles plaza at Hollywood and Highland to pay tribute not only to the recently deceased Michael Jackson, but raise money for survivors of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010. The earthquake struck on January 12, 2010 while Jackson passed away June 29 the prior year.

This particular mob was organized by Flash Mob America, a group which quickly rose in the ranks to be the top collective of people creating flash mobs in North America. Songs used for this mob were "Bad" and "They Don't Really Care About Us".

Answer: Oprah Winfrey

Appearing onstage in Chicago for the twenty-fourth season premiere of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2009, the Black Eyed Peas launched into their song with the Queen of Talk standing onstage. To her shock, the entire crowd of over twenty thousand spectators danced in sync on Michigan Avenue; they'd managed to keep the event a secret (a sign of a true flash mob) until the date.

This particular stunt was performed to their popular summer hit "I Gotta Feeling" from their fifth album, "The E.N.D".

Answer: Pants

A subway is certainly the place to be if you want to be forced to look at something major. Beginning in 2002, the No Pants Subway rides became an annual thing after great reception in New York City's transit system and, soon after it was discovered by riders around the world, it spread to dozens of other subway systems around the world. The only rule: no pants; you have to hop onto the train and act as normal. The funny thing is, the annual date is usually in January, so most people in the northern hemisphere are going to be a bit chilly.

Improv Everywhere, in their attempt to make scenes, have also done the 'Mirrored Subway Car' flash mob trick; they set up twins to sit on opposite sides of a subway car and act in sync as mirror images to freak out other riders.

Answer: Best Buy

Upon a recommendation from a fan of their flash mob work, Improv Everywhere opted to perform a little prank on the employees at a large Manhattan Best Buy location in 2006. Bringing eighty people along in blue polo shirts and khakis (the typical uniform of a Best Buy employee), they said not to be workers there-- instead they would be courteous and helpful if asked, but otherwise do little else other than shop. It didn't take long before management panicked. Several people were escorted out of the store; others were confronted by police officers (fortunately, there was nothing they could do). For the most part, the trick confused shoppers and employees but caused a fair bit of hilarity.

Improv Everywhere, on top of performing the typical 'song and dance' flash mob antics seen on Youtube, also specialize in a more hilarious, insidious mob style-- as shown in their Best Buy prank, their subway rides, and their spontaneous, original musical numbers in major locations, they know how to make scenes.

Answer: Steve

The 'MP3 Experiments' started in 2004 with only a few dozen people but in less than a decade, the numbers joining in expanded to well over several thousand. The pitch: gather people in a single spot, make them follow the same set of unknown instructions (sometimes with prescribed items like balloons or foam instruments), and make them confuse passers-by. Since everyone has their headphones in and no one without the MP3 can join in, it's especially odd to see four thousand people waving at the sky shouting "Goodbye, Steve!" Some of the tasks involved are more elaborate than others, some are simply friendly things to do (like hugging someone you don't know). Sometimes, different people receive different instructions.

It always ends up quite successful and silly.