If you were a kid who grew up in the 90s or early 2000s, you probably owned one or more Goosebumps books. And none other than horror icon R. L. Stine brought us the scary masterpieces that haunted us as children. With his stories even making their way to the big screen, now he’s a household name for everybody, sharing so many scares. This October, R. L. Stine visited his hometown, Columbus, Ohio, so that he could attend a meetup at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Everybody was feeling the terror-filled nostalgia and having the time of their lives – including Stine himself!
A TikTok video of the experience was posted by @experiencecolumbus. They hosted the Columbus for Authors event, which honored R. L. Stine as he made his way back to his beloved hometown. In the video, you can see Stine unveiling a sign that reads “R. L. Stine Way,” a street named after himself. He has the biggest smile on his face as he’s being honored. The event is complete with scary-themed drinks, green lights adorning buildings, and slime covering surfaces. It reminds us of something straight out of a Goosebumps novel. And, as an avid reader of his books, this is just what I needed in my life today.
R. L. Stine was completely humbled by the author talk in his honor. He was quoted as saying, “Everything’s a surprise to me. I think no one’s more amazed by all this than I am.” Stine spoke with his audience about how the area he grew up in really inspired him in his writing. This was something that appealed to the people of Columbus, Ohio, who know this place to be home. Stine said, “When I write these books, I think back to my time in Bexley and what it looked like, and so a lot of the settings are pretty much what I remember from here in the books.”
He has made such an impact on those around him, especially budding horror lovers. He was only nine when he started using an old typewriter to write his stories. Stine’s own parents said that they thought he was too invested in his writing at a young age but he kept going with his dream. They asked him “What’s wrong with you? Go outside and play.” But with over 400 million copies of his books sold across the world, it says something about the fact that he stuck with those dreams. He has certainly inspired me to be the reader I am today. I own quite a diverse Goosebumps collection, and I’m a stronger horror writer because of him.
