Picnic & Play: Laughter, Longevity, and the Power of Ridiculous Fun

Picnic & Play Participants

It started with an unlikely study in the British Medical Journal, revealing that just 11 minutes a day of Mr. Teabag’s famously inefficient “silly walk” (from Monty Python’s Ministry of Silly Walks) could significantly improve cardiovascular health and boost daily energy expenditure. A joyful alternative to traditional exercise.

For Los Angeles movement facilitator Lynn Jordan, the study sparked an idea: What if people came together to share their own silly walks—in the name of intergenerational fun, laughter, and connection?

So she made a flyer and planned a gathering:

It's PICNIC & PLAY.Share food with friends and strangers. Play ridiculous games (never played before—and everyone wins!).

Held in a local park, over a dozen people ages 7 to 60+ laughed, played invented games, and performed silly walk relays. Paired in teams, each group created a walk that had to: 1) move forward, 2) repeat in a pattern, and 3) be teachable.

Lynn shares, “What I loved most was people who aren’t performers—an engineer, a lawyer—jumped in wholeheartedly. We weren’t just playing. We were connecting, accessing joy, and engaging in conscious longevity.”

The longevity field includes food, exercise, purpose, community and outlook on life as the proven pillars for a balanced and healthy long life. Lynn would like to add another important one: Laughter and play.

BONUS: A prize was awarded to anyone who could perform all 19 steps of Mr. Teabag’s original silly walk.

Watch the classic sketch here: Monty Python – Ministry of Silly Walks

Here's a link to a hilarious 1 minute video of participants doing silly walks.