That Time the Mall of America Turned Upside Down for Stranger Things

David Harbour with the Log Chute’s Paul Bunyan statue, all dressed up in a Chief Hopper costume. Courtesy Mall of America

This summer, to celebrate the third season of Stranger Things, the city of Hawkins, Indiana, came to the Mall of America. The celebrations kicked off with a takeover of the Log Chute at Nickelodeon Universe, which from June 21 to June 23, 2019, welcomed guests to “The best small town in America” and featured references to the Stranger Things world—the alphabet Christmas-light wall made an appearance, and Paul Bunyan became a larger-than-life version of Jim Hopper for the weekend. To add to the excitement, Chief Hopper himself, David Harbour, stopped by to check out the ride and surprise a few fans.

The most detailed Joyce costume in attendance. Madeleine Vasaly

The highlight of the weekend was a Stranger Things‒themed costume contest and Q&A with Harbour in the Mall of America Rotunda. I had the pleasure of being one of the judges of the costume contest, and all of the contestants looked amazing. Their dedication to their fandom was apparent, with several costumes featuring characters or outfits from season 3 despite it not having been released yet, using the trailers as references. Another, pictured above, featured Joyce Byers from season 1—complete with the alphabet wall and Christmas lights, displaying an amazing attention to detail and full of references from the show.

Madeleine Vasaly

During the Q&A, hosted by 101.3 KDWB’s Falen, Harbour answered a number of questions fans asked via Twitter. In one memorable moment, on the topic of Steve Harrington, he remarked, “If Hopper’s the ultimate dad, then Steve is the ultimate mom, and they really should get together and raise the children of Hawkins together.” He also spoke briefly about his past connections to Minnesota (including his best Minnesotan accent), adding in that he attended the Minnesota State Fair years ago and remembers the food very fondly. While he was in the Twin Cities on this visit, he also made a stop at the Science Museum of Minnesota to take a quick photo with the notorious purple hoodie.

Madeleine Vasaly

At the end of the Q&A, the contestants for the costume contest were brought up on stage for a final round of judging, emceed by Harbour. He announced each of the costumes while adding in some Chief Hopper flair, making it a memorable moment for fans of the show. After the winners were announced, Harbour exited to a loud applause from the crowd as a trailer for season 3 started on the large screen above the stage.

The three winners of the costume contest. Courtesy Mall of America

The final event of the day was a private afterparty at the Hard Rock Cafe for the costume contest contestants and other invited guests, who got the chance for a quick meet and greet with the actor. I was dressed as Steve Harrington, and as I approached, Harbour greeted me in character to exchange some banter. We shook hands, said a few words, and took a photo. It was short, sweet, and very memorable. From both my brief interaction and and the Q&A, Harbour seems like a very down-to-earth person who takes pride in his work, speaks highly of his fellow cast, and cares about his fans.

Moments from the Hard Rock party. Power Up Props

I also learned an important lesson that day: it turns out not everything is a Tide commercial.

Stranger Things is streaming now on Netflix. Click here for Zach Svoboda’s thoughts on season, and click here for Mark McPherson’s interview with David Harbour about his experiences creating the show.

David Harbour surprises fans at Nickelodeon Universe. Courtesy Mall of America

Falen leads the Q&A. Courtesy Mall of America

Eleven and Joyce: season 3 edition. Madeleine Vasaly

Casual Hopper. Madeleine Vasaly

Who ya gonna call? Madeleine Vasaly

Jonathan and Dustin. Madeleine Vasaly

Eleven and Joyce: season 1 edition. Madeleine Vasaly

Seasons collide. Madeleine Vasaly

Scoops Ahoy! Madeleine Vasaly

Seeing double. Madeleine Vasaly

RIP Barb. Madeleine Vasaly