Netflix’s hit sci-fi series “Stranger Things” is about to reach its conclusion with a marketing and merchandising blitz befitting a blockbuster movie.
Ahead of the fifth and final season’s debut on Wednesday, thousands of people descended on Los Angeles for a cycling event called “One Last Ride,” a nod to the show’s cycling teens in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.
Retailers are offering everything from Demogorgon Crunch cereal to Hellfire Club backpacks for what is Netflix’s largest consumer products program to date, says Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Marian Lee.
Target sells more than 150 ‘Stranger Things’ products.
Many brands lean towards the nostalgia of the eighties. Gatorade brought back an ’80s Citrus Cooler flavor, and Walmart is selling a “Stranger Things” collection of Care Bears, one of the best-selling toys of the era.
The promotional pressure extends all over the world.
“This is a show that really resonates globally,” Lee said.
In Paris, visitors can browse a Hawkins Christmas market at the Galeries Lafayette department store. A “Stranger Things” experience with the Hawkins Lab has stopped in San Francisco, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney. New Netflix houses in malls have ‘Stranger Things’ areas.
Instead of releasing all the episodes at once, Netflix is spreading out the final season episodes around major holidays. Four episodes will debut on Wednesday, the day before the US Thanksgiving Day holiday, three on Christmas Day in December, and the final episode on New Year’s Eve.
“Stranger Things” — which stars Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard and Noah Schnapp, among others — will be hard to miss this holiday season. A “Stranger Things” float featuring ’70s and ’80s rock band Foreigner will appear in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. More products will arrive to entice holiday shoppers.
The all-in approach is similar to what movie studios use for big-budget films like “Barbie” or “Wicked,” said Amanda Cioletti, an expert on licensing trends and vice president of content and strategy at research firm Informa Markets Global Licensing Group. TV shows rarely get this kind of treatment.
“We see ‘Stranger Things’ everywhere,” Cioletti said. “If you’re on social media, you see it, and you see it in all the storefronts. You see it in every other meaningful place.”
Fans at the bike ride in Los Angeles expressed their anticipation for the final season of a series that began nine years ago.
“The show started when I was about sixth grade, so I was the same age as the characters when it started,” said 21-year-old Chloe Allen. “It’s definitely been a big part of my life.”
Netflix hopes to keep fans interested in the ‘Stranger Things’ world for years to come. A play called “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is running on Broadway and London’s West End, and an animated series is planned for next year.
A live-action spin-off is also planned. “It’s not a continuation of Hawkins’ story, of these characters, but it’s still in the ‘Stranger Things’ universe,” said co-creator Ross Duffer.
Executive producer Shawn Levy revealed few details, but said he and the Duffers would offer fans something new.
“We will never repeat ourselves,” Levy said.
