Cooking Diary x Stranger Things

Steve Harrington

In 2020, Cooking Diary collaborated with the Netflix series Stranger Things for a Halloween update. Steve Harrington was available as an assistant for players, and since he’s one of my favorite characters from the show, animating him was an absolute delight.

For the victory animation, I drew inspiration from a scene in the series where Dustin Henderson visits Steve at work. I loved Steve's cheerful reaction in that moment, so I incorporated his "air trumpet" gesture into the animation. It was a fun way to capture the show’s charm and bring it to life in the game.

Demogorgon pet

The game also featured a pet Demogorgon. Players could feed, wash, and play with it. In the Cooking Diary universe, the Demogorgon isn’t dangerous—instead, it’s a cute, chubby baby version of the creature. Its iconic flower-like head with sharp teeth was preserved, but its overall design was softened to make it more appealing to the target audience.

To ensure the pet felt friendly and relatable, I gave it behaviors inspired by common household pets like cats, dogs, and even small rodents like hamsters. However, to keep a hint of its original nature, I added a playful touch: in the "play" animation, the Demogorgon eats the ball at the end, staying true to its character while fitting the game’s tone.