Halloween Party Theme - Stranger Things

 It's been a hot minute since I posted, but I intend to get caught up with my party theme blogs, starting with this year's theme - Stranger Things!  I was struggling to come up with an idea that would work for a group of tweens and teens, to center the scavenger hunt upon, and a great friend, Kristie, suggested Stranger Things.  It was the perfect mix of the glorious 80s for the adults and pop-culture for the teens.   We did not wander toward the scary side of the show with decor or the hunt, but stuck with the iconic items.

First, the scavenger hunt.  

We have learned from previous years that we can't hide any clues before the party because the kids would look for them.  Therefore, the first clue sent them out of the house and into the neighborhood.  I did give the neighbors a heads up, in case they wondered why kids were taking selfies with their ghosts!

Below is my master list with notes:

1. On the show, Jonathan was a hobbyist photographer.  For your first challenge, you must go about the neighborhood and take photos of your group at certain homes.  Creative posing can gain you extra points, but do not touch the neighbors decorations or step in their yard.   All photos from the sidewalks unless otherwise noted.

1. A photo with one or more ghosts
2. A photo with a spider’s capture
3. A photo with a FLAMINGO skeleton
4. A photo with a lighted pumpkin scene
5. A photo with a cemetery in the background

After all photos are taken, return to an assigned adult for verification and your next challenge.

2. On the show, Mike, Dustin, Will, and Lucas were heavy into D&D. 

Roll the D20 die until it lands on 16 or above. Adult to verify.

3. Eleven discovered there were other people like her who had escaped, and they had tattoos similar to hers.  Roll the D8 die to know who to see next.  [Find the adult with the tattoo that matches the number on the die]

4.  In order to communicate on several occasions, our heroes used Morse code.  Decipher the message below to determine who to see next.  

[Using an online coder, the message simply said "Find [assigned adult]"]

5. In Season 3, Dustin uses his ham radio to contact his girlfriend Suzie for Planck’s constant, but she refuses to tell him unless he sings to her their song.  

“Turn around” and sing the whole Neverending Story theme song for your next clue. 

6. In Season 1, Eleven hides in Mike’s basement in a blanket fort under a table.  Find the blanket “fort” lay on the “table”, and read the next clue upside down. [They will be facing the Big Green Egg - underline letters on clue to spell (assigned adult's name)].

7. One of the greatest things about Stranger Things is all of the iconic 80s references in the show from the hair, to the clothes, and the music.   Your next challenge is to see [assigned adult] and answer 5 80s trivia questions to get your next clue.

8.  In Season 1, Will communicated with his mother using Christmas lights strung on the wall with the alphabet.    Determine from the colors below who you need to see next. [These two people were located in two different bedrooms upstairs]

YL-OR-RD-BU-GN [Team A]     OR-YL-YL-GN-GN [Team B]

9. Magazine Letter Message - Joyce receives a letter made with magazine letters with instructions on how to help rescue Hopper.  Use these supplies to create a message to tell your rescuer where you are.  Put the envelope under the door when you finish.

[Bedroom doors were left 3” open]

10. In Season 4, our hero Eddie does one last song on his beloved guitar.  Return to the living room for an air guitar challenge - Master of Puppets. 

(Youtube Master of Puppets instrumental)

11. In order to save the world, our heroes had to travel to what they called “The Upside Down”.  These gates sometimes were a bit messy to deal with.   Find the gate, reach through, and retrieve your prize!  [Rubik's cubes in a bucket covered with plastic and DIY GAK near one of the gates to our backyard]

There was some strategy to the clues - the first one got them out of the house, so I could explain the rest of the hunt to the adults, give them their envelopes, D&D die, tattoos, trivia cards, and put the prizes outside. Step 9 took them upstairs while we got the last things ready downstairs.  The adults just hung out wherever in the house, visiting and checking on football scores.  Hey - Saturday in the South.  It's a thing. 

Everyone was a good sport and had a good time running around being silly.  Our favorite part had to be watching the kids sing the Neverending Story theme, since none of them had heard it before.  Karaoke at its finest!!

Decor:

We definitely had to do the alphabet wall.  A trip to the discount store for a flower patterned sheet and some battery-operated lights from Amazon did the trick.  As an avid crafter, black paint and a brush are always handy, as well as a drop cloth to put under the sheet.  We hung the sheet using Command velcro, and cut tiny holes for small clear Command hooks to poke through and hang the lights.  

Food:

We did a potluck of favorite party foods, but had a few theme-oriented items such as pizza, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, and of course, an Eggo waffle bar!  I found this cookie recipe on Pinterest which I consider a winner on presentation and taste. 

 

I made them a bit smaller than the recipe called for, but they spread and bake beautifully!  I also put together a relatively low sugar (only 1/4 cup of brown sugar) peanut butter dip to accompany the Nilla Wafers. 

Costume:

Since we live in the South and it was still well over 75 degrees on party day, it was tempting to cut all of my hair off and wear a hospital gown.  I was also tempted to relive my high school years with the big hair and clothes.  My better judgement took over, and I decided to just go with a one of a kind t-shirt that I could use again.  Using my Silhouette cutting machine and software, I designed this shirt to show my support to all of my fellow Gen-X'ers who have been independent since grade school.  Fonts used are Benguiat Std and Kimberley. 

All in all, everyone had a good time and was able to hang out with friends and eat some food, which is really what we all want to do, right?