Mall of America announces the return of the Candy Cane Institute holiday experience with Santa and his elves

Mall of America is excited to announce the return of the  Candy Cane Institute holiday experience, this year in person, available for families and guests of all ages. Created in partnership with Hotopp Associates, the one-of-a-kind ‘holiday research lab’ launched last year at Mall of America exclusively as a virtual experience for families, but this year, beginning today (26 November) Santa and his top team of elves are looking forward to welcoming guests to step inside their research lab as they continue seeking assistance to help design the perfect holiday season.

Ticket reservations for the Candy Cane Institute (CCI) will offer guests a guided and interactive experience with Santa’s merry mischief elves to aid in continuing the mission of CCI: find the true meaning of the holiday season and use those findings to make each year merrier than the last.

Inspired by the onset of the information age, the often-misguided elf analysts of CCI believe the answers to finding more joy can be found by collecting data and using in-depth research. Guests will interact with the elves throughout the experience to identify everything from the optimal candy cane shape and size to the best holiday sweater design. They can even check their naughty or nice status. Additionally, the boss of CCI, AKA Santa, will make an appearance to check in on the elves and their new research assistants visiting CCI.

“At long last, guests can help Santa’s team of data driven elves, in person, research the most awesome and efficient ways to bring forth holiday cheer,” said Chris Grap, Vice President of Experiential Entertainment for Mall of America. “Santa and the elves are looking forward to discovering the magic of the holiday season with all who step inside Candy Cane Institute. We can’t wait to welcome families and have them experience this new holiday tradition that is guaranteed to be both merry and bright.”