The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History is adding Eleven’s pink dress from “Stranger Things” to its national collection, the museum’s entertainment curator Ryan Lintelman announced Thursday night at a Netflix For Your Consideration event in Los Angeles. Creators Matt and Ross Duffer and director Shawn Levy signed the deed of gift on stage at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where Netflix held its FYSEE event for the show on May 21.
The piece headed to Washington is the Season 1 outfit built around the pink dress worn by Millie Bobby Brown’s character. According to Deadline, which posted video of the signing, cast and crew on hand included David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Jamie Campbell Bower and Noah Schnapp alongside the Duffers and Levy. “This is amazing, thank you so much,” Matt Duffer said as the three walked out to sign the paperwork.
Lintelman tied the costume to Eleven’s arc across the first season. “This costume so brilliantly illustrates Eleven’s journey to discover herself and claim her power,” he said. He noted that the character had worn only hospital gowns and hand-me-downs up to that point, and that the dress and a blonde wig mark the moment she first calls herself pretty.
The outfit was designed by Kimberly Adams and Malgosia Turzanska. Lintelman also pointed to the dress as one of the most copied looks of the 2016 Halloween season, an early sign of how far the show would push into merchandise. Costumes were the first product category Netflix expanded the brand into, followed by toys, games, apparel and live experiences.
Levy has a prior tie to the institution. He directed and produced the 2009 comedy “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” the Ben Stiller sequel set inside the Washington complex.
