Fictional summer camps we’d really, really like to attend IRL

Every week, in honor of #ThrowbackThursday, we look back at a trend that we totally forgot about, but totally shouldn’t have. Check out past #TBT columns here.

I’m going to be real with you. I never attended summer camp. But I desperately WANTED to attend summer camp. Except for the fact that I would have had a meltdown at summer camp. See, I used to spend the summers with my grandparents in the Adirondacks—which sounds very fancy, but wasn’t.

One summer I was enrolled in a day camp situation with my friend who was 4 years older than I am. So I spent my days making bracelets with her and her friends who were also 4 years older. And I had a meltdown. I could see my grandparents’ place from across the lake and would just be so bummed I wasn’t there doing my own thing. (My severe anxiety was a contributing factor to this.) So my foray into summer camp was limited – I lasted a week – but the IDEA of summer camp lived on forever.

If anyone wants to do an adult summer camp, I’d be down. So in honor of my sad story here are the best fictional summer camps OF ALL TIME!

Camp Walden – The Parent Trap

There is nothing I could possibly dream up that would be more preferable to me than a summer camp with a cute uniform where Maggie Wheeler, aka Janice from Friends is my camp counselor. NOTHING BETTER. Except maybe meeting your long-lost identical twin AT said summer camp.

Camp Firewood – Wet Hot American Summer

Shoot. Well, now Camp Firewood is my actual dream place because everyone is in this movie. No seriously. Bradley Cooper is in this movie. CHRIS MELONI is in this movie. You know? And you better believe I’ll be wearing this tee shirt when the Netflix series premieres. Eeeeee!

Camp Anawanna – Salute Your Shorts

This was the OG summer camp for me (especially because of the theme song!). I adored Z.Z.’s style and made my own acorn earrings after I saw an episode where SHE made acorn earrings. And I will always know that a giraffe’s tongue is black from the episode where Sponge and Ug are competing at trivia or something? IDK the plot but I know that I know a giraffe’s tongue is black from Salute Your Shorts.

Camp Ivanhoe – Moonrise Kingdom

As soon as I saw Moonrise Kingdom I knew I wanted to be Suzy Bishop. Sure, I’m an adult and she’s a kid, but who cares! I also knew that I’d never be able to exactly replicate her costume and therefore, would not attempt because I’m a stickler for costume accuracy. (Bring me to parties, I’m fun!)

Camp Chippewa – Addams Family Values

Besides my undying love for Wednesday Addams, and her amazing old time-y bathing suit, you also get baby Harmony from Buffy and Angel as the goody two shoes blonde at the summer camp. Perfection.

Camp Krusty – The Simpsons

Does everything go well at Kamp Krusty? No! Nothing goes well there! But it doesn’t mean I had any less love for the camp and its inhabitants when I saw this episode as a kid. Even when they’re literally starving to death I remember thinking, “summer camp looks cool!” So, maybe there’s something wrong with me, of, maybe I just really want to be a cartoon.

(The Parent Trap pic , Salute Your Shorts pic )