Before Shia LaBeouf started battling with autobots in the "Transformers" movies -- and then watching them as a publicity stunt performance art piece -- he was part of the "Even Stevens" family, side-kicking it up with his mostly annoying (but totally redeemed by his undying love of bacon) next-door neighbor, Beans.

Beans was portrayed by Steven Anthony Lawrence, and while the 25-year-old actor has enjoyed moderate success in his post-Disney TV career (next up is a 3D holiday movie and he told HuffPost he's been mainly teaching), he now also works as one of Santa's helpers at Sunvalley Shopping Center in Concord, CA, making the mall a must-stop locale for millennials who grew up watching him.

And of course people are photo-documenting their shopping stops with Lawrence all over the internet.

He's clearly a great sport about all the attention, though. In fact, he might just be into this right now.

Earlier this year, Beans Steven said he is surprised when people spot him because he feels like he doesn't look the same anymore.

"I feel like I’ve changed so much when I look in the mirror, but I’ll be walking down the street and people drive by for two seconds and automatically they’ll go, ‘Oh, my God! You’re Beans! Ahhh!’ God, even I would have to at least do a double-take," he told HuffPo in February.

To be fair, he loved bacon before loving bacon was a thing, so he was a total trendsetter. And now, thanks to him, being a part-time mall elf is officially the cool thing to do.

H/T ET Online