The final season of Stranger Things saw Eleven, Hopper, Mike and co. make their final stand against the villainous Vecna, who took on an alternate form throughout the season. Using his former human appearance as Henry Creel, Vecna created an alter ego, Mr. Whatsit, through which he got close to Holly Wheeler, Derek Turnbow and the other kids he needed for his plans. Even in that form, there’s still a sinister edge to Creel, though I’m looking at him in a different way after learning of the TV star who partially inspired his fit.
As Mr. Whatsit, Vecna dons a brown suit jacket with matching pants as well as a fedora that sets off the look. The costume designers for Stranger Things put a lot of time and effort into developing each character’s outfits throughout the show’s five-season run. One of those designers, Amy Parris spoke with SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend for its latest issue, and spilled some sweet BTS tidbits. When talking about Whatsit (who’s played by Jamie Campbell Bower), Parris revealed a beloved TV personality was an influence for the look:
It’s very iconic, I hope. Our inspiration was a little bit of Mr. Rogers, like he’s meant to present so friendly to these children, because these children need to find him warm and comforting, so I went with the brown tones.
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of Netflix subscription holders picked up on this, but I honestly didn’t consider the late Fred Rogers having influenced Mr. Whatsit’s outfit. It does make sense on paper, of course, considering that series creators Matt and Ross Duffer needed the character to be someone who could endear himself to youngsters. On that note, Rogers is one of the prime examples of a TV host who could connect with kids, and that remains a part of his sweet legacy.
Of course, Henry is far less friendly than the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood creator, as his machinations only unfold further as the season goes on. Rogers also wasn’t the only person the costume designers drew from when designing the Whatsit look. Those threads were meant to mirror another notable Stranger Things antagonist:
I also connected that to early Brenner in season four, when we see Dr. Brenner in brown suits in the ’70s. I definitely feel like there’s some kind of Stockholm Syndrome there, where Henry would have felt that connection to Dr Brenner.
Between Brenner and Whatsit’s looks, I’d have to say the latter’s outfit comes off as slightly more unnerving. Let’s be real, Bower’s Vecna is creepy in almost all of his forms, and even Eleven actress Millie Bobby Brown admitted to being unsettled by the character’s mutated form. Aside from that, Bower himself took in the hype that accompanied the fifth and final season, teasing fans about Whatsit details and reflecting on the online rabbit holes he fell down amid filming.
Jamie Campbell Bower deserves a lot of credit for the way in which he portrayed all of Vecna’s forms. Of course, it’s also been said that the suit makes the man, and Amy Parris and co. also deserve their flowers for the stellar costume work they did. The bittersweet part of knowing this BTS knowledge about Mr. Whatsit, though, is moving forward, I may or may not imagine him as a sweater-wearing man seeing off a trolley headed for the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
Watch all of Stranger Things on Netflix now and, if you feel so inclined, why not learn more about Mr. Rogers by checking out the documentary Won’t You Be My Neighbor? with a Prime Video subscription.
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