Whimsy Is Back: The Louvre Heist and Old-Fashioned Crime
We are living in an era filled with nothing but “unprecedented times,” and these past few weeks have been no different. On October 19th, 2025, the coveted Louvre Museum in Paris, France was robbed of some of its most precious jewels. The twist? The thieves carried this out in broad daylight and got away with it for nearly a week before being caught.
How did they do it? The thieves posed as construction workers wearing high visibility vests, and used a basket lift to access one of the museum's windows. They proceeded to grab the jewels and then quickly fled on electric scooters. In a world where security and surveillance have never been more prevalent, the low-tech operation just adds to the shock value and leaves the public with more questions than answers.
This led many people to reflect on the security of the museum and how such a simple crime could be committed against one of the most famous museums in the world. These French Crown Jewels were worth upwards of $102 million USD, and were stolen in less than 8 minutes while the museum was open to the public. It truly seemed unbelievable.
Two of the French Crown Jewels stolen from the Louvre in October 2025 (Pinterest)
The internet went crazy. Many were praising the thieves' creativity and sense of “whimsy” in carrying out such an ambitious old-fashioned crime. In the digital era, most crimes involve hacking or internet heists, so it feels rare to get an international headline with a crime of this nature.
The heist was compared to lots of iconic films such as The Muppets: Most Wanted, Ocean’s Eleven, and even The Pink Panther. The Louvre’s security, or lack thereof, is also facing heavy criticism by people online. This directly contradicts public perception of security in large venues such as the Louvre, but the thieves used simplicity and a busy morning in a public area to their advantage.
The ease of the heist, which included some of the most precious jewels the museum had to offer, makes you wonder: Is high security an illusion? Have all of those jewel heist crime movies skewed our perception of reality?
Let’s take a look at a few of the biggest differences between the thieves’ tactics and our perception of a film-worthy jewel heist:
Hiding In Plain Sight
When we think of crime and heists in particular, we are often inclined to picture ski masks and tiptoeing into the night. The Louvre thieves wanted to be able to blend into society rather than trying to sneak around at night. Their ability to hide in plain sight was actually a huge advantage for them and did not raise any major suspicion amongst the public.
Street Entry
The thieves went in on a busy street and used angle grinders to make their way into the Apollo Gallery through a large window. Film heists typically feature lots of sneaking around the building or maybe even sneakily propelling down from the ceiling. However, this is not what the Louvre thieves were looking for. They wanted to be seen, just not as suspicious.
A Getaway Scooter?
The Louvre thieves escaped the crime scene by darting away on electric scooters. Many found this both hilarious and fascinating, as it was something the majority of us would have never even thought to be an option. In films, the getaway is usually the most tense and exhilarating moment. In our real-life heist however, it was quick and went almost undetected, with no high-speed chase or intense showdown.
The problem was not exclusively a lack of security or high-tech mechanisms, but a lack of situational awareness and the thieves’ ability to take advantage of a flawed system. While not quite as glamorous and exciting as your typical film heist, its “chic” and “whimsical” nature really spoke to people in the age of AI, mass digitization, and the perception of dwindling creativity.
The whimsy of a successful heist is something we are rarely exposed to in the media nowadays. The Louvre heist was the perfect crime, even though they did not manage to flee police for very long. It was creative, nonviolent, and made for a brief moment of hilarity and unification in the media. Everyone came together for a few days to gawk at this silly, jaw-dropping crime and have a good laugh before getting back to our usual news of gloom and despair.
In a world made up of logic and reason, don’t forget to indulge in being whimsical and eccentric every once in a while.
Sources:
Image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/790029959673656836/
Image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/790029959673558251/
(If you want to check out a deep dive into the heist and how it was carried out, check out this video by Hank Green I used for research and inspiration!)
The Genius of the Louvre Heist: https://youtu.be/NIGbQ9NHFEg?si=FdqdHsNQeT9Wc-Uf
About the Author: Sophia Butsch is a senior studying Business Administration and Media Studies. She was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and loves the PNW more than anything. She loves exploring topics surrounding pop culture, feminism, and the film industry.