Stranger Things facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stranger Things |
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| Created by | The Duffer Brothers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 34 (list of episodes) |
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| Running time | 42–139 minutes |
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| Budget | $270 million (season 4) |
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| Original network | Netflix |
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| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 |
| Original release | July 15, 2016 – present |
Stranger Things is a popular American TV show. It mixes science fiction, horror, and drama. The show was created by the Duffer Brothers. They also write and produce it, along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen.
The first season of Stranger Things came out on Netflix on July 15, 2016. New seasons followed in October 2017, July 2019, and May/July 2022. The show has been renewed for a fifth and final season.
The story takes place in the 1980s in a small town called Hawkins, Indiana. The town is troubled by a scary alternate dimension called the Upside Down. This happens after a secret lab nearby accidentally opens a gate to it. The show features a large group of actors. These include Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, and many more.
The Duffer Brothers wanted Stranger Things to be a mix of mystery and supernatural events. They added horror and childlike feelings to the show. It also has many references to the pop culture of the 1980s. The show gets ideas from famous directors like Steven Spielberg and writers like Stephen King. It also uses ideas from Cold War experiments and secret government programs.
Stranger Things is one of Netflix's most popular shows. It has been praised for its characters, mood, acting, music, and writing. It has won many awards. An animated spin-off series is also being made.
What the Show is About
Stranger Things is set in the small, made-up town of Hawkins, Indiana. It takes place in the 1980s. There's a place called Hawkins National Laboratory. It's supposed to do science research. But secretly, it experiments with paranormal and supernatural things. Sometimes, they even use people for these tests.
They accidentally opened a portal to an alternate dimension. They call this dimension the Upside Down. This Upside Down starts to cause big problems for the people of Hawkins.
Season by Season Summary
Season 1: The Missing Boy
The first season starts in November 1983. A boy named Will Byers is taken by a creature from the Upside Down. His mom, Joyce, and the police chief, Jim Hopper, search for him. Will's friends also look for him.
A young girl named Eleven escapes from the lab. She has special powers. Eleven becomes friends with Will's friends. She helps them try to find Will.
Season 2: The Shadow Threat
The second season is set a year later, in October 1984. Will has been saved, but he starts having visions. He sees Hawkins falling apart because of a creature from the Upside Down.
They find out that Will is still connected to something from the Upside Down. His friends and family learn that a much bigger danger is coming to their world.
Season 3: Summer of Secrets
The third season takes place a few months later, in the summer of 1985. A new mall, Starcourt Mall, opens in Hawkins. It becomes very popular, causing other local stores to close.
Hopper is worried about Eleven and Mike's relationship. He becomes very protective of Eleven. Meanwhile, a secret Soviet lab is hidden under the mall. They are trying to open the gate to the Upside Down again. A creature called the Mind Flayer also starts controlling people, like Billy.
Season 4: New Dangers
The fourth season is set in March 1986. Joyce, Will, Eleven, and Jonathan have moved to California for a fresh start. In California, Eleven struggles because she lost her powers. She also gets bullied at school.
Back in Hawkins, a new monster from the Upside Down appears. This creature is later called Vecna. Vecna starts killing people in Hawkins. Each death opens new gates between the two worlds. To stop Vecna, Dr. Sam Owens takes Eleven to a special place. He wants to help her get her powers back. At the same time, Joyce and Murray fly to Russia. They want to rescue Hopper from a Gulag (a prison camp) in Kamchatka.
Main Characters
- Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers: Will and Jonathan's mom. She is divorced. She cares deeply for her children. She and Hopper have feelings for each other.
- David Harbour as Jim Hopper: The police chief of Hawkins. He lost his young daughter to cancer. He becomes more responsible and adopts Eleven as his daughter. He and Joyce have feelings for each other.
- Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler: Karen and Ted's middle child. He is Nancy and Holly's brother. He is one of Will's best friends. Mike is smart and loyal. He develops romantic feelings for Eleven.
- Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven / Jane Hopper ("El"): A girl with mind-reading and mind-moving powers. She was a test subject at Hawkins National Laboratory. She escapes and is adopted by Jim Hopper. She learns to live a normal life with Mike and his friends.
- Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson: One of Will's friends. He has a condition that affects his bones and causes him to lisp. He is proud of his new teeth in season two. He gets a girlfriend named Suzie in season three.
- Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair: One of Will's friends. He is careful around Eleven at first but later becomes her friend. He starts dating Max in season three. In season four, he joins the basketball team, which causes some tension with his friends.
- Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler: Karen and Ted's daughter. She is Mike and Holly's older sister. Nancy is a good student. She discovers a new side of herself while investigating the lab. She dates Steve Harrington, then Jonathan Byers. She wants to be a journalist.
- Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers: Will's older brother and Joyce's son. He is a quiet and kind teenager. He is an outsider at school and loves photography. He is close with his family. He becomes Nancy Wheeler's boyfriend.
- Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler: The mother of Nancy, Mike, and Holly.
- Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner: The scientist who ran Hawkins Laboratory. He trained Eleven and is called "Papa" by her. He is manipulative. He returns in season four to help Eleven get her powers back.
- Noah Schnapp as Will Byers: Joyce's son and Jonathan's younger brother. He is captured by a monster from the Upside Down in season one. He later gets a connection to the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer.
- Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield: Billy's younger stepsister. She is a tomboy. Both Lucas and Dustin are interested in her. She eventually dates Lucas. In season four, Vecna targets her.
- Joe Keery as Steve Harrington: A popular high school student. He used to date Nancy Wheeler. He becomes known as the "babysitter" because he often looks after the younger kids.
- Dacre Montgomery as Billy Hargrove: Max's violent older stepbrother. He challenges Steve's popularity. In season three, the Mind Flayer controls him. He sacrifices himself to save the kids.
- Sean Astin as Bob Newby: Joyce's boyfriend in season two. He runs the Hawkins RadioShack. He dies at the end of season two after being attacked by monsters.
- Paul Reiser as Sam Owens: A government executive. He takes over Hawkins Laboratory after Brenner. He is dedicated to science but also cares about the people of Hawkins. He helps Hopper adopt Eleven. He returns in season four to help Eleven.
- Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley: A girl who works with Steve at the ice cream store. She later reveals she is a lesbian. She and Steve are close friends.
- Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair: Lucas's smart 10-year-old sister. She helps the group and loves D&D.
- Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman: A conspiracy theorist and private investigator. He is a long-time friend of Hopper's. He helps Nancy and Jonathan, and later Hopper and Joyce.
- Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel / One / Vecna: A dangerous psychic monster from the Upside Down. He created the Mind Flayer. He was once a human named Henry Creel with powers. Eleven sent him to the Upside Down when she was young. There, he became Vecna and took control of the dimension.
How the Show Was Made
Creating the Idea
Stranger Things was created by Matt and Ross Duffer, known as the Duffer Brothers. They are the main writers and directors for many episodes. They made a movie in 2015 called Hidden. After that, producer Donald De Line was impressed and offered them a chance to work on a TV show called Wayward Pines. This helped them get ready to make their own series.
The Duffer Brothers wrote a script for the first episode. They also made a 20-page book to show their idea to TV networks. About 15 networks said no. They thought a show with kids as main characters wouldn't work. They wanted the brothers to either make it a kids' show or focus only on the police chief's investigation.
In early 2015, Dan Cohen from 21 Laps Entertainment saw the script. He showed it to Shawn Levy. They invited the Duffer Brothers and bought the rights to the show. This gave the brothers full control. After reading the pilot, Netflix bought the whole season. In April 2015, the show was announced for a 2016 release.
The Duffer Brothers said Netflix was already known for shows like House of Cards. Netflix was ready to give new producers like them a chance. The brothers started casting. Levy and Cohen joined as executive producers.
Montauk is an eight-hour sci-fi horror epic. Set in Long Island in 1980 and inspired by the supernatural classics of that era, we explore the crossroads where the ordinary meet the extraordinary...emotional, cinematic and rooted in character, Montauk is a love letter to the golden age of Steven Spielberg and Stephen King – a marriage of human drama and supernatural fear.
The show was first called Montauk. It was going to be set in Montauk, New York. This area is known for conspiracy theories about secret government experiments. The brothers chose Montauk because it also had ties to Steven Spielberg's film Jaws.
Later, they decided to change the setting to the made-up town of Hawkins. This allowed them to do things to the town, like putting it under quarantine, which would be hard with a real place. Netflix wanted a new title for marketing. The brothers looked at Stephen King's Firestarter for font ideas. They came up with many names. Stranger Things was chosen because it sounded like another King novel, Needful Things.
To pitch the show, the Duffer Brothers showed pictures, videos, and music from classic 1970s and 1980s films. These included E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Poltergeist, and Jaws. This helped them show the mood of the series.
Story and Ideas
The idea for Stranger Things came from the 2013 film Prisoners. The brothers wanted to expand the story of a kidnapped child over many hours. They wanted to add "childlike feelings" and a monster that eats people. They thought combining these ideas was "the best thing ever."
To explain the monster, they looked at "bizarre experiments" from the Cold War. This included Project MKUltra. This helped them make the monster's existence scientific, not spiritual. They chose 1983 as the time period. This was before the film Red Dawn, which was about Cold War fears. This allowed them to use their own 1980s inspirations in the show.
Other things that inspired the Duffer Brothers include:
- Stephen King novels.
- Films by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, and Wes Craven.
- Movies like Star Wars and Alien.
- Japanese anime like Akira.
- Video games like Silent Hill and The Last of Us.
The main villain for later seasons was inspired by scary characters from their childhood. These included Freddy Krueger, Pinhead, and Pennywise.
Netflix allowed them to make eight episodes instead of a typical 22. They felt 22 episodes would be too hard to tell a "cinematic story." Eight episodes gave them time to develop characters and the plot. They wanted the first season to feel like a "big movie" with a satisfying ending. But they also left some mysteries for future seasons.
When writing for the child characters, the Duffer Brothers related to them. They felt like outsiders in high school. They found it easy to write for Mike and his friends. Joyce's character was inspired by Roy Neary in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She seems "bonkers" to others as she searches for Will.
Finding the Actors
In June 2015, Winona Ryder joined as Joyce. David Harbour joined as the police chief. The casting director suggested Ryder because she was famous in 1980s films. Levy thought Ryder could show Joyce's strong emotions. Ryder liked that her character seemed "out of her mind" but was actually right.
The Duffer Brothers were interested in Harbour. He usually played smaller, bad guy roles. They felt he was ready for a lead role. Harbour loved the script and the chance to play a "broken, flawed" hero.
More actors joined later. These included Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas. Natalia Dyer joined as Nancy, and Charlie Heaton as Jonathan. Later, Cara Buono joined as Karen, and Matthew Modine as Martin Brenner. Noah Schnapp joined as Will.
Child actors auditioned using lines from Stand by Me. The Duffer Brothers looked at about a thousand child actors. They said Wolfhard knew a lot about 1980s films. Matarazzo's audition was very real, and they picked him right away.
Casting started before all the scripts were finished. This allowed the actors' personalities to influence the writing. The brothers said Modine helped a lot with Dr. Brenner's character. They found him hard to write for at first.
Filming Locations
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The brothers first wanted to film around Long Island, New York. But filming was set for November 2015, and it would be too cold there. So, they looked for places around Atlanta, Georgia. The brothers grew up in North Carolina. They found many places in Georgia that reminded them of their childhood. They felt Georgia would work well for the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.
Filming for the first season began in November 2015. It was mostly done in Atlanta, Georgia. Jackson was used as the town of Hawkins. Other filming spots included the Georgia Mental Health Institute for Hawkins National Laboratory. Patrick Henry High School was used for the school scenes.
After season three, producers thought about keeping the Starcourt Mall set. They wanted it to be a permanent attraction for fans. But they decided not to.
Filming for the fourth season started in January 2020. It was planned to last until August. Some filming took place in Lukiškės Prison in Vilnius, Lithuania. In March 2020, filming stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Production started again in September 2020.
Filming for the fifth season was delayed by a writers' strike.
Special Effects
To make the show look old, a film grain effect was added. This was done by scanning old film from the 1980s. The Duffer Brothers wanted to scare viewers but not make the show too violent. They wanted it to be like 1980s films that focused on mood and suspense.
The brothers wanted to use practical effects (real props and models) instead of computer-generated effects (CGI) for the monster. They made an animatronic for the Demogorgon. But for some scenes, like when the monster breaks through a wall, they had to use digital effects.
The show's title sequence uses red letters sliding into place on a black background. The studio Imaginary Forces created this. They were inspired by 1980s film titles and Stephen King book covers. The final sequence is made with computers.
Music and Sounds
Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon from the band Survive created the show's original music. This includes the main theme song. They used a lot of synthesizers. This was a tribute to 1980s artists and film composers. The Duffer Brothers were fans of Survive's music.
Stranger Things also uses popular songs from the 1980s. These include music from Joy Division, Toto, and the Bangles. Some songs are important to the story. For example, The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" in season one. Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" became very popular again after season four.
Soundtracks with the original music and licensed songs have been released.
How the Show Was Released
The first season had eight episodes. They were released on Netflix on July 15, 2016. The second season had nine episodes and came out on October 27, 2017. The third season had eight episodes and was released on July 4, 2019. The fourth season had nine episodes. It was released in two parts on May 27 and July 1, 2022. Netflix has announced a fifth and final season.
After season four came out, some viewers noticed that Will's birthday was not mentioned in an episode that took place on that day. The Duffer Brothers said they might change the month of his birthday. They called this "George Lucas-ing the situation." This refers to how George Lucas changed his Star Wars movies. Some viewers thought old scenes were being edited. But the writers said that no scenes from past seasons have ever been changed.
Home Videos
The first season of Stranger Things was released on Blu-ray/DVD. It came in special packaging that looked like old CBS-FOX VHS tapes. This was sold only at Target stores. The second season had a similar release.
Other Stranger Things Projects
Spin-off Shows
In July 2022, it was announced that a spin-off series was being made.
In April 2023, Netflix announced an animated series set in the Stranger Things world. Flying Bark Productions is making the animation. Eric Robles, the Duffer Brothers, Shawn Levy, and Dan Cohen are executive producers.
A live-action spin-off is also being developed.
Beyond Stranger Things
When the second season came out, Netflix also released Beyond Stranger Things. This is an aftershow hosted by Jim Rash. The show's cast and crew talk about making the series. They also discuss its bigger story. This aftershow is meant to be watched after finishing the entire second season.
| No. | Title | Guests | Video guests | Original release date |
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| 1 | "Mind Blown" | Shawn Levy, the Duffer Brothers, Finn Wolfhard, and Millie Bobby Brown | David Harbour | October 27, 2017 |
| 2 | "Mad for Max" | Shawn Levy, the Duffer Brothers, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, and Sadie Sink | None | October 27, 2017 |
| 3 | "Unlikely Allies" | Shawn Levy, the Duffer Brothers, Gaten Matarazzo, and Joe Keery | None | October 27, 2017 |
| 4 | "Truth in Hawkins" | Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Brett Gelman | David Harbour and Shannon Purser | October 27, 2017 |
| 5 | "The AV Club" | Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, Randy Havens, and Bill Nye | Sean Astin | October 27, 2017 |
| 6 | "The New Class" | Sadie Sink, Brett Gelman, Dacre Montgomery, and Linnea Berthelsen | Sean Astin and Paul Reiser | October 27, 2017 |
| 7 | "Closing the Gate" | Shawn Levy, the Duffer Brothers, Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, and Natalia Dyer | David Harbour, Sean Astin, and Eddie Tsang | October 27, 2017 |
Books and Comics
Penguin Random House and Netflix have partnered to release books about Stranger Things. These include:
- How to Survive in a Stranger Things World: A children's book with advice from the show.
- Stranger Things: World Turneds Upside Down: The Official Behind-The-Scenes Companion: A book about how the show was made.
- Stranger Things: The Official Sticker Album and Stranger Things: The Official Coloring Book.
- Stranger Things: We Can Count on Eleven: A Little Golden Book.
Novels
Several novels have been released that tell new stories or expand on the show's world:
- Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond: This book is about Eleven's mother, Terry Ives, before the first season.
- Darkness on the Edge of Town by Adam Christopher: Hopper tells Eleven about his past in New York City.
- Runaway Max by Brenna Yovanoff: This book explores Max Mayfield's life before she moved to Hawkins.
- Rebel Robin by A.R. Capetta: This novel is about Robin Buckley's journey before season three.
- Flight of Icarus: A novel about Eddie Munson's backstory.
Comics
Dark Horse Comics has partnered with Netflix to release many Stranger Things comic books.
- The first comic series was about Will's time trapped in the Upside Down during season one.
- Stranger Things: Six focuses on Francine, another experiment from the lab with special powers.
- Stranger Things: Zombie Boys is an original graphic novel set after the first season.
- There have been crossover comics, like Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Stranger Things.
Games
Mobile Games
Netflix and BonusXP made a free mobile game for Stranger Things. It came out in October 2017. The game has a retro-pixel style, like old Super Nintendo games. Players start as Chief Hopper looking for the missing boys. Other characters become playable as they are found.
A second mobile game, Stranger Things 3: The Game, was released in July 2019. This is an isometric action game. Players control characters like Joyce, Jim, Max, and Eleven. The gameplay is inspired by 1980s video games. This game follows the story of the third season. Both mobile games are now part of Netflix's video games service.
Tabletop Games
Hasbro released a Stranger Things-themed Dungeons & Dragons starter kit in May 2019. It includes a campaign called "The Hunt for the Thessalhydra," which the kids played in the show.
Magic: The Gathering also released special Stranger Things crossover cards in 2021.
Other Games
Lego released a Stranger Things set called "The Upside Down" in May 2019. It shows the Byers' home and its Upside Down version. This set won "Toy of the Year" in 2020.
Stranger Things characters and items have also appeared in video games like Fortnite Battle Royale and Rocket League. In the game SMITE, characters can have Stranger Things-themed skins.
Stage Play
In July 2022, it was announced that a Stranger Things stage play was being made. It is called Stranger Things: The First Shadow. It will premiere in London in late 2023.
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Stranger Things para niños
