WDTCF – Springfield Mall

Well hello there tapperinos and tappettes.  How’s everybody doing?  Is everyone’s real-life holidays everything they hoped for?  What’s that?  You haven’t had time to enjoy them because you’ve been glued to your device playing the TSTO Holiday update?  Well, me too.  Who needs real life when you can be stuck inside your very own Springfield anyways.

All the holiday prep is so overwhelming sometimes.  You gotta go brave the masses at all the local stores and malls just to buy the little ones something cool only to find them playing more with the box.  My one year old showed me last night that spinning a stroller wheel is way more fun than any toy he has.  Speaking of wheels, how’s everyone doing with their Holiday Wheels?

I hope by now that folks are getting more than one spin a day and al the prizes they desire.  I know it’s frustrating to try and get all those prizes.  I swear that Ice God sculpture is mocking me every time I flick my screen.  Oh well though, we got lots of free stuff and one of my favorites free items is the Springfield Mall.  It is the 3^rd community prize and is something every tapper playing this update should have by now.

This has to be one of the most requested buildings I’ve seen on the TSTO blogs since I started this whole experience.  Everyone has their personal favorite they want added but over and over I saw this one.  The great imagining of it of course involved another mini-game where people could go inside the mall and check out all the stores, but I think EA dodged a bullet by not doing that.  It’s more than enough in my opinion to take care of my town, Squidport and Krustyland.  When was the last time you did anything in KL besides plunk down the Elves Ride or Twirl N Hurl?

Anywho… the mall may be smaller than I imagined but that’s actually a mixed blessing.  Considering the space limitations one can run up against, making the mall actual size would end up in frustration down the line.  In the meantime, if you really want it bigger, you could try an option like this one.

Since Mr. Costington owns the mall, seemed only natural to connect the two and added some buildings I felt fit right in.

Of course this is a WDTCF so I have to mention the first appearance of the Springfield Mall.  It actually is one of the few buildings to be featured all the way back in the very first episode of the Simpsons (Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire).  (Nerd note: the other ones are The Simpson House, Springfield Elementary and Springfield Downs.)

The Mall features in so many episodes whether the outside is shown or not.  While not a complete list, some of them that immediately come to mind are “Life on the Fast Lane (S1:E9), “Simpson and Delilah (S2:E2)” and “Bart’s Dog Gets an F (S2:E10)”.  Before you think I’m cool, I just re-watched those episodes so these references were easy for me lol.  My family got me Seasons 1-4 on DVD so I’ve been going through them slowly, if the word slowly describes a marathon session of watching the premiere up to the 10^th episode of Season 2.

For me, the best part of the mall is the shops inside.  From a tattoo shop to the Leftorium, the mall has it all.

Here are some of the shops that have appeared: All Creatures Great and Cheap, The Boob Toobery, The China Syndrome, Cookie Collossus, Crazy E.T.’s Phone Home, Dingo Junction, Eye Carumba, Girdles N’ Such, Goody New Shoes, The Happy Sailor Tattoo Parlor, The Leftorium, J.R.R. Toykin’s, The Mapple Store, Martial Arts Academy, Rock Bottom Remainders, Something Wicker This Way Comes, Sweet Home Alabama, Tommy Hillclimber, and The Vast Waistband.

There are quite a bit more that have appeared but I picked the ones that make me chuckle inside.  Is there one of your favorites I didn’t list?  If you look up Simpsons Springfield Mall Directory on Oogle, you can find a really sweet directory that was created by a fan.

Everyone loves a mall and now our towns have one.  I bet we have at least one reader who probably used to be a Mall Rat like yours truly.  Now that’s a good movie I need to re-watch.  Definitely hit it up after the last episode of Season 4. Hopefully y’all dig the new FREE building.  We could have gotten the Old Springfield Mall which would have been a totally different story and an easier WDTCF (Mypods and Broomsticks, S20:E7).

I’d love to see any of your designs if you want to show them off.  Hope every one is having a blessed holiday season.  TTFN… Wookiee out!