With the release of the highly anticipated season three of “Stranger Things,” installations of Hawkins, Indiana have been popping up all over Los Angeles. Bringing the “Stranger Things” universe to real life, Baskin Robbins transformed it’s flagship store, located in Burbank, into one of the major social hotspots within the show: the Starcourt Mall ice cream spot, Scoops Ahoy. For a two week period, this nautical-themed ice cream parlor opened its doors in Los Angeles.
From the glowing Scoops Ahoy sign above the store, to the iconic employee sailor uniforms that Steve and Robin wear in the show, to an identical overhead menu, customers will immediately be transported back to the summer of 1985 the moment they step into the parlor.
Though the Burbank pop-up was only a two week installation, Baskin Robbins is still serving numerous specialty items at select stores throughout July.
These sweet treats pay homage to elements in the series, such as The Upside Down sundae. This sundae speaks for itself: the toppings go in first, then a scoop of Upside Down Pralines ice cream tops it off.
U.S.S. Butterscotch Sundae
Directly taken from Scoops Ahoy in the show, there’s the fan-favorite U.S.S. Butterscotch Sundae. This nautical take on the classic banana split features a scoop of the flavor of the month, U.S.S. Butterscotch ice cream, and is topped with waffle cone sails.
The Demogorgon sundae contains a waffle cone, a scoop of ice cream, and is topped with strawberry sauce; the whole thing being made to resemble the Demogorgon’s mouth. Named after one of the main protagonists in the show, Eleven, there’s the Elevenade Freeze and the stand-alone flavor, Eleven’s Heaven.
As a big “Stranger Things” fan myself, I was super excited to hear about the Scoops Ahoy installation…so, of course, I had to go. Driving by the shop, the line seemed to wrap around the block. In line, I overheard that it was going to be a three-hour wait…they weren’t too far off. For the next two and a half hours my friends and I stood waiting in the mid-summer-Los Angeles heat.
From a father and son who lived in Georgia, to Burbank locals, “Stranger Things” fans from all over came to visit this attraction. There were even multiple people who came cosplaying as Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), and Scoops Ahoy employees.
U.S.S. Butterscotch ice cream
In the moment, I was shocked about how many people were there. But when Netflix reported that within four days of the season’s global launch on July 4, 40.7 million accounts were watching the show and 18.2 million accounts had already finished the entire season, the pop-up’s crazy-high attendance wasn’t too surprising after all.
Soon enough, we were inside and immediately welcomed with a gleeful “Ahoy!” from the employees. Inside, you could hear the faint hum of the Scoops Ahoy parlor tune. Though the wait was quite long, I definitely thought it was worth it.
From the vibrant blue tiles on the floor to the popcorn ceiling, there was no trace of the “usual” Baskin Robbins store. Everyone who entered the parlor seemed to be blown away by how similar it looked to the Scoops Ahoy in the show. Although Steve and Robin were not on the clock, the experience was extremely fun nonetheless.
To see the full transformation of the Scoops Ahoy pop-up, check out Baskin Robin’s Youtube video that shows the transformation process from start to finish. Most importantly, don’t forget to check out season three of “Stranger Things,” now streaming on Netflix.