The Egg House, a pop-up located in the Lower East Side that opened to the public on April 7, celebrates the most versatile and universally delicious food in a dreamy exhibit begging you to tap into your inner child for just $18. The Egg House follows the story of Ellis, an egg with big dreams in the big city, offering a series of whimsical and Instagram-able installations to brighten up your feed. Ellis’ story plays out across their Instagram, and the adventurous character arrived in New York City for its vibrant energy with hopes of a new life. The founder told Bon Appétit that an egg was chosen as their main focus because it’s found in different cuisines and therefore relatable and familiar. She even included that an egg’s role in a hearty breakfast for needed energy represents “everything that is great in the world.” The pop-up itself is a combination of work from former art, design and marketing students from NYU, Parsons School of Design, School of Visual Arts and Pratt Institute.

Upon entering the foyer, you’re greeted by bright springtime colored walls and white fluffy clouds with yellow balloons acting as the yolk floating overhead. Further on you’ll find an egg seat to spin around in, a ball pit decorated like a pool and even a human-sized egg carton to sit in. These are all designed to be backdrops for engaging photos, which is extremely important for the vitality of the pop up. Exhibits like these rely heavily on social media, specifically through their official hashtag #egghousenyc that has garnered 200 posts since its opening, to get the word out and generate buzz. Shania Johnson, a member of Team Eggselent broke down the importance of the exhibit’s internet presence.

“When people share these photos they sometimes they tag us in it so people see you can come here and take cool photos which attracts a lot more people,” Johnson said.

The wildly popular Museum of Ice Cream is another New York City must-see that has made the most of social media’s power. But I had to ask, is The Egg House doing anything that other exhibits, such as the Museum of Ice Cream hasn’t?

On the surface, no. Many of the installations even share similar themes. Bananas hang from the neon pink ceiling of the Museum of Ice Cream, while The Egg House incorporates neon pink spatulas hanging from the ceiling to suit its egg theme. And while the Museum of Ice Cream has a pool filled with sprinkles, The Egg House has a ball pit decorated to look like a pool. Despite these similarities, Ginny Zhang, operations manager, believes that the story sets them apart from their competition.

“We are definitely not like the museum of ice cream because we have a story behind it,” Zhang said referring to Ellis, an ambitious egg that enjoys stopping by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and shopping in SoHo.

However, even with the egg’s narrative, it’s undeniable that the two are remarkably similar. And while the Museum of Ice Cream has been extremely successful and opened up locations in three major cities, The Egg House has no legacy before it. Can The Egg House attract patrons to come pay a hefty $18 for an experience full of food samples, photos and egg merchandise based off of what they’ve seen on Instagram?

Steindhardt first-year Rita Coutinhas was slightly unimpressed by the concept.

“It’s very stupid, but maybe [I’d go],” Coutinhas said.

The Egg House is still a lot fun to visit and has managed to weave in a unique tale of an ambitious egg and its dream house with a message to fearlessly pursue greatness.

“This is New York City and if you have the New York dream, this may be a place for you to share your dreams and inspirations,” Zhang said. “This is a hustle and bustle city and we want to you take a little rest and play.”

The Egg House is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 196 Chrystie St.

Email Scott Hogan at [email protected].