Age of The Nerd
It wasn’t long till the FRIENDS New York City Pop Up sold out, as fans quickly grabbed their tickets to get inside to see some of their favorite props from the FRIENDS tv-series. The four-week exhibit is located at 76 Mercer Street in New York City’s SoHo area with a gift shop on 505 Broadway.
“The One with the Pop-Up” FRIENDS exhibit, a title which is a nod to the series’ episode title themes opened up on Saturday, Sept. 7th in celebration of their 25th anniversary of the fan-favorite sitcom’s 1994 premiere. Bringing more than 50 original set props to Manhattan, New York including the 18-page letter Rachel wrote to Ross, the gold “best buds” bracelet that Joey gave Chandler, the Geller Cup, Phoebe’s “Glynnis” and more.
“Stick a turkey on your head, peek through Rachel and Monica’s purple door, relax on Chandler and Joey’s recliner after playing some foosball or help Ross with the infamous sofa pivot,” the press release says. The folks over at Superfly, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, and Warner Bros. Television Group have truly outdone themselves with the immersive pop-up experience, as we had the best time exploring the space grabbing many Instagram worthy snapshots and interacting with the various items and set pieces that were on display.
“The One with the Pop-Up” FRIENDS exhibit is a must-see for all super-fans of the hit series, as we ourselves were filled with nostalgia reliving some of our favorite moments that defined 25 years of Ross, Rachel, Joey, Monica, Chandler, and Phoebe.
We were able to catch up with FRIENDS cast members James Michael Tyler who played Gunthar and Maggie Wheeler who played Janice while touring the pop-up exhibit. See what they had to say below:
Video by: Rebecca Daring
The New York City FRIENDS 25 pop-up is certainly not the only way to celebrate this huge milestone for the series, as there are a ton of additional events taking place! The iconic orange “Central Perk” couch will be going on a world tour, The third edition of the Tribeca TV Festival is joining in on the “Friends” 25th-anniversary celebration with a special screening, as well!
The screening will include two of the show’s most memorable episodes — “The One with the Embryos” which features Monica, Rachel, Joey, and Chandler battling it out in a high-stakes game of trivia and “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” which shows Rachel and Phoebe playing mind games with Chandler and Monica when they discover their secret relationship.
The episodes are being shown for the first time in 4K digital restoration and were chosen by the show’s creators and executive producers Kevin Bright, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who will also be on hand for a conversation about the iconic series. The screening takes place on Friday, September 13 at New York’s Regal Battery Park theater. Information about tickets can be found on the festival’s website.
Some lucky fans will also be able to get their hands on a very special “Friends” themed LEGO set featuring a detailed replica of the “Central Perk” set, complete with Gunther behind the counter! The set is on sale for $59.99 on the Lego website, but right now is completely out of stock. As part of “Friends 25th: The One With the Anniversary,” Fathom Events will be showing 12 fan-favorite episodes in 1,000 theaters across the United States.
For three nights — Monday, September 23; Saturday, September 28; and Wednesday, October 2 — viewers will be treated to four remastered episodes with never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews with the cast and producers. The lineup includes episodes like “The One Where No One’s Ready,” “The One Where Ross Got High,” and “The One With Chandler in a Box.”
To celebrate the series, “Friends” fans can tune in to the TBS network to watch “The One Where Fans Take Over TBS.” For this marathon, which runs from September 16 to 21, viewers can watch all of the most beloved episodes of the series that were selected by a fan vote. Giphy recently announced it is releasing an entire GIF channel dedicated to the series with over 2,300 new GIFs pulled from every episode being added to the channel.
Finally, the chain Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf joined forces with Warner Bros. to introduce a limited-edition line of coffees and teas available on its website and on Amazon. A 12-ounce bag will cost around $10.
The three flavors available are Central Perk Medium Roast with a walnut aroma and a sweet, smooth finish; Central Perk Dark Roast that’s made from Brazilian and Colombian coffee and is described as having a cocoa flavor; and Central Perk Tea, which is freshly steeped black tea with bright citrus.
Specialty mugs are also available and they feature cafe-themed plays on well-known catchphrases from the show like “We were on a coffee break” and “How you brewin’?”
