Stranger Things 3 hits Netflix this week after a long awaited continuation on the second season that came out back in 2017. The third installment to the cult-favorite Netflix Original will see a return to Hawkins, Indiana during the height of the summer season. In following with the shows throwback and love for the 1980’s era, many brands and chain businesses have partnered with Netflix to bring back some of their most iconic pieces of the 80’s American culture.
Here is a full list of every 80’s throwback coming to stores this summer, so you can fully immerse yourself in the Stranger things experience—or at least what we could find. For the show itself? You’ll have to tune into Netflix on July 4 to see what’s up with Hawkins.
Food
Burger King recently announced that it will be bringing back its food wrapper designs from the 80’s in order to celebrate the return of Stranger Things this holiday weekend. The fast food chain, which has recently announced its plans to go vegan, will also be selling an upside down Whopper to celebrate the show. Door Dash users can get the new Whopper on the app with free delivery during the week of Stranger Things’ release (aka this week).
Coca Cola has also opted to release a promotional item for Stranger Things, bringing back a flavor that came and went during the 80’s after a couple of failed attempts at rebranding. New Coke, as the company called it, launched to less than enthusiastic reactions from consumers. After a few months is was pulled from the shelves and later rebranded as Coke II, which was also a failure. The flavor makes an appearance in the show, so Coke decided to bring it back in promotion to see whether or not it becomes a viral success in 2019. The company feels that the product line will be more successful for sales than purchasing a television advertisement.
Baskin Robbins has also announced a special release for Stranger Things. The ice cream chain, which boasts having 33 flavors at any given time in every store, is selling its own Upside Down-themed ice cream sundae to celebrate the show’s third season. It will also remodel an ice cream shop in Burbank after the show’s ice cream shop, Scoops Ahoy, which will be featured in this season’s list of locations. Pizza Hut has also returned to its retro logo, but the decision wasn’t influenced by Stranger Things.
Products
Fans of Stranger Things will remember that, back in season 1, the kids played Dungeons & Dragons together frequently. The mega-popular game has released its own Stranger Things version of the original game, where fans can live out a fantasy in Hawkins, Indiana and battle the Demagorgon’s of the Upside Down.
Other products that have been part of promotional launches for Stranger Things Season 3 include clothing from Nike, bikes from Mongoose at Target, and even takeovers of popular amusement parks around the country. Santa Monica Pier and Coney Island are among a few of the amusement parks that Netflix will be taking over in promotion of the new season of one of its most profitable shows. The upside down may be taking over Hawkins, Indiana, but Stranger Things is taking over the United States.
