Netflix hosted an Arrested Development-themed meet-up in Austin over the weekend that included the show’s famous stair car and a get together for “never nudes.”
Fans gathered at the Texas State Capitol and a parking lot on Brazos Street Saturday to join other Arrested Development fans in “never nude” attire—that is, jean cutoff shorts and not much else. The show’s famous stair car also made an appearance as part of a nationwide tour.
On the show, Dr. Tobias Fünke (David Cross) eases his phobia of being naked by wearing jean cutoff shorts at all times, even in the shower. His insistence on wearing cutoffs became one of the most memorable aspects of Arrested Development.
Fans were joined by marketing staff that “blue themselves,” paying homage to Tobias’ frequent attempts to join The Blue Man Group by covering themselves in blue paint.
Attention Texas Never Nudes: We’re in Austin! There are dozens of us! pic.twitter.com/Yp3D5BiLwt
— Arrested Development (@arresteddev) May 12, 2018
Arrested Development Season 5 debuts on Netflix May 29 with a plot that revolves around politics. As Lindsay campaigns for office, the entire Bluth family is campaigning to award itself “Family of the Year.” The marketing campaign includes a website where fans can stay up to date on the stair car tour, view the show’s character bios and download images to create their own promotional materials.
Those to visit the stair car and never nude meet-ups are given promotional items for the Bluth Family of the Year campaign that include stickers, hats, posters and of course, photo ops. The nationwide faux campaign tour runs through New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago, Austin, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle through May 20.
Netflix previously used experiential marketing for Arrested Development when it aired season 4 in 2013. To promote the show’s comeback after seven years, a replica of the Bluth’s Original Frozen Banana stand was installed in Times Square, complete with an employee in a banana costume.
In addition to giving away real frozen bananas, the campaign invited fans to show up dressed as never nudes, offering six free months of Netflix to the first eight dozen attendees who did.
Netflix released a newly edited version of season 4 called “Fateful Consequences” and has hosted a number of 24-hour contests over Twitter and Instagram under the hashtag #UltimateBluthMaster. For Mother’s Day, the official Arrested Development account asked fans to share photos of dance partners dressed alike to pay homage to the show’s running Mother Boy joke. Additional challenges will be posted every day through May 19, with winners receiving a trophy that looks like a frozen banana.