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Here's the Story Behind K18's Giant Hairball That's Been Rolling Around NYC
A massive mix of human and synthetic strands. The thing's 10 feet high!
A 10-foot-tall hairball’s been rolling through Midtown Manhattan, Chinatown and other NYC neighborhoods this week.
Wags might shrug and say that’s just another day in Gotham. But of course, it’s an ad campaign, devised by haircare brand K18 and Uncommon Creative Studio. We’re told the enormous “Tumblehair” represents the 161 billion strands New Yorkers could retain each year by using K18’s FutureIQ longevity serum.
The project concludes Aug. 12 at Sephora in the Meatpacking District, near Gansevoort Plaza. Product reps will roll in with the furball for pics, scalp evaluations and more.
In a world of non-stop digital enhancement, this feels like a truly special tactile effort. K18 rolled big, as the kids say. The imagery’s mega-memorable. It’s sure to spark social sharing, hyping the brand far beyond New York’s five boroughs.
Below, the project’s creators take Muse along for the shaggy ride.
MUSE: What inspired this idea?
K18 x Uncommon: We wanted to bring the science behind hair longevity to life in a way people couldn’t just scroll past and ignore. When we looked at the amount of hair New Yorkers could collectively retain with FutureIQ, the number came out to 161 billion strands. We thought, what better way to visualize that than with a giant, rolling ball of hair? It felt unexpected. Maybe a little gross, but undeniably eye-catching.
Where’d you get so much hair? How did you shape it into a ball?
It measures approximately 10 feet in diameter and weighs around 150 pounds—likely more. It’s made of real and synthetic hair sourced from all over New York City, including from K18 partner stylists’ salons. We went through many rounds of R&D for the fabrication of the Tumblehair to settle on its final look to ensure it’s representative of every color and texture of New Yorkers’ hair. [And to make sure] it could actually roll through the city. It was hand-styled, sewn and constructed by prop stylists CAD Industries and Decimated Designs.
What goes into rolling hair around NYC? You must need so many permits.
There’s definitely more involved than simply pushing a giant hairball down the street! Beyond the feat of fabrication, getting a ball to roll around New York City requires a deep crew of on-the-ground production experts who tackle everything from location permitting, communications with the Mayor’s office, route planning and local police. Plus there’s a dedicated team of PAs who chase down every single person who shows up on our cameras for a release.
Explain how it rolls around town. How is this achieved?
It’s definitely not as simple as giving it a push and letting it roll! We explored every possible way to make this thing seamlessly roll. At one point, there was even a remote controlled car inside it. In the end, the simplest solution was the right one. We had a team of five of our strongest production crew physically pushing, directing and rolling the ball through the city’s streets, avenues, parks and alleys.
Who gets custody of the thing post-campaign?
After the installation is complete, our fabrication partners who regularly build props for horror and sci-fi activations and haunted houses have asked to keep it part of their permanent collection. They haven’t told us how they’re going to use it. But we imagine perhaps a disgusting disco ball in their warehouse.
You must’ve gotten a range of reactions from NYers. Do tell.
This was honestly our favorite part of the stunt. New Yorkers have seen it all and have learned to expect the unexpected. So watching people stop mid-walk, do a double take and pull out their phones to record has been very rewarding. We’ve gotten everything from “What IS that?” to people assuming it had to be AI. Seeing people debate whether a giant hairball could actually be rolling through New York was a conversation we were not expecting, but find very impactful for the future of how we market to consumers.
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