New York orthodontist turns office into ‘Toy Story' experience for Halloween
To Invisalign and beyond!
Buzz Lightyear has transformed from space ranger to orthodontist. And Dr. Scott Mateer has traded in his scrubs for the iconic white, neon and purple Pulsar-400 Enviro-Suit and Battle Armor.
“It does have a jet pack, too,” he said while dressed in a custom-made, foam Buzz costume. “I just can’t get around the office with it on my back.”
Mateer Orthodontics in Commack, New York became a “Toy Story” set for Halloween week, with the staff continuing its annual tradition of an elaborately themed office takeover. Patients who arrived entered, not into the waiting room, but a recreation of Andy’s bedroom featuring the same wallpaper, bedding, posters and, of course, toys.
Woody and Jessie were taking phone calls and on their computers at the front desk.
A three-eyed alien that escaped the claw machine was roaming the hallways.
And Buzz Lightyear was treating patients in the dental chair while wearing arm guards, chest plates and space boots.
“I figured it had to either be Buzz or Woody,” Mateer said of his costume choice. “And in typical me fashion, I had to go with the more uncomfortable, bulky costume.”
Some unfamiliar with Mateer’s annual themed office takeover for Halloween may have arrived for their appointment and said something like, “I don’t believe that man has ever been to dental school.”
But he most certainly has – and for past Halloweens at the office has also dressed as Voldemort, Beetlejuice, Jack Skellington, Vecna and other characters requiring uncomfortable wardrobes and masks.
“I love to watch patients and parents come in and enjoy this,” he said. “That makes it all worth it to me. It makes all the work, all the costs, everything well worth it. And I hope that’s another reason that they love the office and feel comfortable here.”
You’ve got a friend in Mateer.
This year, the staff opted for a “Toy Story” takeover, with the fifth installment of the beloved Disney franchise having been released in June.
“We thought that it was kind of on theme with the new Toy Story coming out and thought that it would kind of be popular,” insurance coordinator Dakota Duffy said through the white beard of her character the Prospector. “And there’s a lot of different movies that we could work with.”
Each area of the office was dedicated to a specific “Toy Story” movie.
The waiting room, which normally has cushioned bench seating and wall-to-wall windows, became the most iconic of all “Toy Story” settings: Andy’s room from the original film where the world was first introduced to Woody, Buzz and the gang.
Mateer installed foam boards to cover the office windows and initially covered them with wallpaper resembling Andy’s blue walls with white clouds.
“Once I wallpapered every sheet of foam and put them up, I realized that it didn’t look the way I wanted it to, and there were a lot of air bubbles,” he said. “So, I took all the wallpaper off, painted them all, and then put clouds on the paint. That essentially cost me a full day right there. But if it doesn’t look right, I can’t go with it.”
He redid the flooring, bought an area rug like the one in Andy’s room, and glued tiny green army men in a line across the floor. He hung the same posters, framed the same pictures, brought in similar furniture – including a bed with a Buzz Lightyear blanket.
The front reception desk was turned into Andy’s toy chest, making visitors feel less like a patient and more like…well, a toy.
“They feel like they’re walking into the wrong office and walking into Disney World,” said Sonia Lopez, the front desk receptionist who was dressed as Woody.
Beyond Andy’s room door was a hallway that was turned into Al’s Toy Barn with a wall stacked with Buzz Lightyear dolls from the second movie. The opposite hallway was Sunnyside Daycare from “Toy Story 3.” The back desk area was turned into a carnival with a merry-go-round from part four. Nearby stood an oversized Lilypad from the fifth and newest movie – with its screen displaying a slideshow of pictures from the office’s previous Halloween themes.
The open bay area with multiple dental chairs was transformed into Pizza Planet. Stacks of pizza boxes were piled at each station, planets floated from the ceiling, and tiny alien dolls surrounded a handmade “Space Crane” claw machine that patients could step into to take photos and say “The clawwwww!”
The walls of the main hallway featured oversized toys like board games, playing cards, Jenga pieces, crayons an Etch A Sketch and a barrel of monkeys that hung from the ceiling – all of which were hand made by the staff.
“They’re a super, super creative bunch,” Mateer said. “They never cease to amaze me when it comes to the ideas and the level that they’re willing to go to really make this come together.”
And they always reach for the sky.
Brainstorming began in August, with materials and props quickly filling Mateer’s garage and basement. Much of the staff’s lunch breaks through September and October were spent planning and designing. The office was closed on the Friday before Halloween week for a three-day weekend to assemble their “Toy Story” universe.
“We’re always trying to just do bigger and better,” Duffy said.
And they always dress the part.
Other toys roaming the office included Bo Peep, Zurg, Gabby Gabby and Wheezy. All stood clear of toy-destroyer Sid, portrayed by dental assistant Felicia Cook in a black wig and black t-shirt with a skull on it.
The costumes can make for a fun but slightly more challenging workday.
“It’s difficult because it does, like, block my vision sometimes,” dental assistant Kyra Howell said with a laugh as the beak from her Wheezy the penguin costume partially blocked her eyes during her first Halloween at Mateer Orthodontics. “It’s definitely surprising to see an orthodontist office do so much. It’s amazing. Especially the smiles that the patients, and even the parents, have with seeing everything.”
Veteran staff members have seen the office transform from Hogwarts to the Upside Down and many other universes. That includes treatment coordinator Kristy Roocke, who on Wednesday dressed as Bo Peep in what was a very fitting but emotional last day after working at the office for seven years.
“Dr. Mateer’s Halloweens have been an experience and brought out all of our artistic abilities from the building to the coloring, cutting and pasting,” she said. “The staff are a great group of incredible girls who I will miss so much.”
Added Mateer: “We’re going to really be sad that she’s not here anymore,” Mateer said. “She’s always been a big part of the office and Halloween, and we wish her the best in the future.”
So long, partner.
Mateer briefly left the office in costume Wednesday, creating a potential viral social media moment. In full costume on his lunch break, he walked across a busy street holding a parking cone over his head, recreating the famous “Toy Story” scene.
“A lot of people were actually stopping in the middle of the road to let me pass and videoing it,” he said. “So, I’m assuming I’m on someone’s social media feed somewhere.”
He and the staff are on many social media feeds, with patients and parents posting photos and videos of their orthodontist appointment with Buzz, Woody and the rest of the toys.
“I stress about this for a couple of weeks beforehand, always wondering, ‘Are we going to have time? Is it going to be enough? Are people going to think it’s as good as the previous year?’” Mateer said. “So, I think we all kind of put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do the best we can and take it to the next level.”
They take it to infinity and beyond.
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