Netflix has declared November 6 to be the first annual “Stranger Things Day,” maintaining audience awareness as they wait patiently for Season Three. This new internet holiday inspired brands and fans alike to honor the hit show with exclusive offers, events and of course, plenty of memes.
The third season of Stranger Things won’t debut until sometime in 2019 but Netflix isn’t waiting around to keep its fans engaged. The network announced that November 6 will henceforth be known as Stranger Things Day—a time to binge watch the show, share memes, dress in costumes and naturally, eat Eggo waffles with your friends.
For the uninitiated, November 6, 1983 was the night Will Byers disappeared on the show, triggering a series of events that turned the town of Hawkins well, upside down.
Netflix announced the inaugural holiday with messages from the show’s young cast and an invitation to send them memes.
YOUR BFFS WISH YOU A HAPPY #STRANGERTHINGSDAY pic.twitter.com/m2SJIISBWF
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) November 6, 2018
Universal Orlando Resort invited fans to search for Will inside an exclusive Stranger Things haunted house. In honor of Stranger Things Day, Universal opened its Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) for one last engagement. This marks the first time that any HHH attraction has been open to park visitors during the day.
The event is open to any valid ticket or annual pass holder from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on November 6. Guests assume the roles of Mike, Dustin and Lucas as they help Eleven rescue their friend Will from the clutches of the Demogorgon. Visitors can also partake in select refreshments at Benny’s Burger Tent and other locations in Universal Orlando.
BREAKING: Join the search party for Will Byers at Universal Studios Florida on November 6.
Get the #StrangerThingsDay details and add to your event reminders at https://t.co/hX3N8ySp1t. pic.twitter.com/B7RrGmlycw
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) November 1, 2018
Target timed an exclusive collector’s edition release of Stranger Things Season Two on Blu-ray and 4K to coincide with Stranger Things Day. The series is packaged to look like a rented VHS tape from Hawkins Video, down to worn “stickers” that encourage customers to rewind the tape. Target offered a similar packaging scheme for Season One last year.
Other licensed merchandise is displayed on Target’s website with a reminder to mention them on social media for #StrangerThingsDay.
Eggo is one brand that has benefited significantly from its association with Stranger Things. In Season One, viewers watched as Eleven adopted them as her favorite food and by Season Two, the brand became an official partner. In October 2017, the brand was mentioned over 41,000 times on Twitter alone, with a spike on October 27, the premiere date of Stranger Things Season Two. Mentions for both Eggo and Stranger Things on Twitter earned the waffle brand approximately $201,801 in earned media value.
With so much talk of Eleven on Stranger Things Day, Kellog’s classic breakfast brand was wise to chime in:
Don't let things go to the upside down – grab some Eggos NOW to fuel your #strangerthingsday party tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/Q5ZUbyhimI
— Eggo® (@eggo) November 5, 2018
Other brands joined the conversation through special offers and giveaways. Funko launched a giveaway for eleven Stranger Things items, while Hot Topic and Loungefly reminded followers of their Stranger Things merchandise.