Ever since the day my mom got sick of doing laps around Blockbuster and forced me to rent Sixteen Candles, I’ve been obsessed with all things 80s. And this past weekend Netflix made all my 80s dreams come true with the Starcourt Mall popup in Los Angeles.
You got to put yourself in Eleven’s shoes by having girl talk in her bedroom (featuring props used on the show!), taking fashion photos at Flash Studio, stopping by the Hawkins’s community pool (and getting yelled at by bossy lifeguards), and even venturing in the void to see what you can find (for me just replays of the embarrassing moment when I tripped the other day).
Of course, a trip to Hawkins in the summertime wouldn’t be complete without ice cream from Scoops Ahoy - though I didn’t get a chance to flirt with Steve “The Hair” Harrington. Guess he’s already at his new job at the video store. *shrugs*
To really make me feel like a part of the crew (that I’m much too old to join), the final stage of the mall popup featured a Fourth of July-esque photo op where I did my best Eleven hand gesture. (No New Coke cans were crushed in the striking of that pose.)
To Lucas’s (likely) delight, the popup also featured a New Coke machine, and free New Coke! One of the reps even told me that Coca-Cola struck up a partnership with Netflix to release a limited run of the much-maligned drink to promote the 1985-set third season.
Thankfully, I made it out of the mall alive without facing the Mindflayer, demodogs, or anything scarier than plastic jewelry, Madonna-style gloves, and way too much neon clothing.
The popup may be over now, but you can take a virtual visit to the Starcourt Mall in the third season of Stranger Things, streaming on Netflix now (have the tissues ready!).
Originally published on Creepy Kingdom