Kang and Kodos, Krusty Cloggers, and more: The Simpsons come to Utica for Halloween

This Halloween, Springfield is coming to Utica.

Moe’s Pop-Up Tavern, a fan-made parody business that temporarily brings the world of “The Simpsons” to life, will be setting up shop at 16 Stone Brewpub on Oriskany Street.

From Oct. 20 to Oct. 28, guests can immerse themselves in the longest-running animated program in history, complete with props, sets, themed food and drink and costumed characters.

Ticket packages start at $23.

Popping up at Moe's

Sam Shutter dresses up as Marge at the pop-ups and helps run the business with her partner Joe McCullough, founder and CEO of JMC Pop Ups LLC. Shutter said that the temporary nature of the pop-up creates a singular moment and allows more people to access the Moe’s Tavern experience.

“What makes us special is the fact that we pop up for a short period of time, and you have to get your tickets to come see it, because then we break it down and move on to the next town,” Shutter said. “It's just not something that would actually work as a permanent location. I mean, if you want a permanent Moe’s, Universal [Studios Florida] does that very well, but we bring Springfield to everyone else who can't get there.”

Moe’s Pop-Up began operating, appropriately enough, at Springfield Mall in Pennsylvania during the Covid-19 shutdowns. Shutter said the initial event was very successful and popular, so they took Moe’s on the road.

Bringing Springfield to Utica

16 Stone Brewpub reached out to Moe’s Pop-Up, and since the tavern had recently popped up in nearby Syracuse, Shutter said that they wanted to do something a little different for Halloween.

Eric Constable, co-owner of the brewpub, loves both “The Simpsons” and Halloween.

“We’re huge ‘Simpsons’ fans, and around this time, there’s always a lot going on, a lot of Halloween parties,” Constable said. “I thought this was a very unique event, and ‘The Simpsons’ has name-dropped Utica and mentioned it a few times over the years. I thought it would be just a cool thing for families and people to come to, something new and exciting for the area.”

Shutter and McCullough are, of course, huge “Simpsons” fans too. Shutter said that she remembers watching the animated family since their first appearance in short segments on “The Tracey Ullman Show” in 1987.

“We picked ‘The Simpsons’ because it’s something that brings people together,” Shutter said. “It's something that people of all ages and generations can appreciate, and they find bits and pieces that they enjoy.”

A horrifically good time

The Halloween pop-up will be based on the Treehouse of Horror series, an annual tradition of Halloween-themed anthology episodes with the Simpsons and company in horror- and sci-fi-inspired situations, referencing and parodying pop culture like “The Twilight Zone” and Frankenstein.

“We’ve been having a blast with it,” Shutter said. “We are building new props and displays for it, so it is definitely going to be one of a kind.”

The set will include large displays of Kang and Kodos, a duo of green, tentacled, drooling aliens who appear in every Treehouse of Horror episode. Other features include Krusty the Clown, a children’s entertainer who is reimagined as an evil, murderous doll in “Treehouse of Horror III,” and an electric chair for guests to sit in.

Guests can sip on themed libations like Duff D’oh beer, a Belgian blonde ale that 16 Stone Brewpub is brewing special for the occasion, or a Flaming Moe cocktail or mocktail, which Shutter assures will be made with non-narcotic cough syrup. For dessert, snag a large pink-frosted, sprinkled donut which will encircle a commemorative glass filled with Halloween treats.

A Krusty burger and the Krusty Clogger are also on the menu. Shutter recommends having your cardiologist on speed dial before you attempt to conquer the Clogger. With four half-pound beef patties, six slices of ham, six slices of bacon and six slices of cheese, the sandwich is a force of nature, and anyone who finishes it will be rewarded with a commemorative T-shirt.

“It’s a monstrosity,” Constable laughed.

Drinks with a sideshow

Visit the pop-up between 3 and 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 26, and you’ll catch none other than Kelsey Grammer pouring draft behind the bar. The actor, known for playing Dr. Frasier Crane and for voicing Sideshow Bob on “The Simpsons,” owns Faith American Brewing Company in the Catskills, and 16 Stone will have some of his beers on tap for the occasion.

“It unites the whole thing – ‘The Simpsons,’ beer and Kelsey Grammer,” Constable said. “It’s a fun collaboration.”

Shutter said that Moe’s Pop-Up reached out to Faith American Brewery knowing that Grammer does events to promote his beer, and thought there would be no better place for him to promote it than Moe’s Tavern.

“We are very honored to actually have the voice of Sideshow Bob there,” Shutter said. “We are super excited to have him. I’m going to try not to fangirl too much, but I can’t make any promises.”

The pop-up will culminate with a Halloween party starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. While families are encouraged to attend the rest of the pop-up, the party, which has a separate ticket, will be more adult-oriented. Shutter said that while typical pop-ups are fairly laid-back, the party will have more of a nightclub vibe.

Local up-and-coming DJ Faz Tha God will spin tracks for a dance contest, and guests are encouraged to don their finest Springfield getups for a costume contest.

When worlds collide

Both Shutter and Constable admire the prescient satire of “The Simpsons.” Shutter can’t possibly choose a favorite episode or joke from its 35 years of airtime.

“What really does stand out is how uncannily ‘The Simpsons’ have predicted things that have actually happened,” Shutter said. “I think that’s an overall Simpsons theme – how relevant it is.”

The show’s eerie ability to anticipate future events is legendary in the annals of pop culture. “The Simpsons” presaged the coronavirus pandemic with a 1993 episode called “Marge in Chains,” where Springfield residents contract the “Osaka Flu” from an overseas factory. In the 2000 episode “Bart to the Future,” Bart envisions a future where Lisa is president and makes reference to Donald Trump being her predecessor.

Constable said he thinks this tendency arises out of the writers’ keen attunement to our political and cultural environment.

“I know there's a whole meme and everything about ‘The Simpsons’ always predicting the future, and I think that's just how smart the writers are on the show,” he said. “They just pay attention to current events, and I think it’s really cool. They’re usually pretty on point with current events and things that are going on, and how the world really feels.”

Even though it’s a cartoon, “The Simpsons” cleverly reflects and refracts reality. This Halloween, realities will collide.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Moe's Pop Up Tavern Halloween event in Utica