Stranger Things and the '80s: The Complete Retro Guide

SINCE ITS PREMIERE IN THE SUMMER OF 2016, Stranger Things has become a global phenomenon. It also restored in vivid detail the pulse and feel of a decade: the 1980s.

Indeed, the show's creators--the Duffer Brothers--describe the series as "a love letter to the '80s." From its synth soundtrack, to its retro fonts, to its nostalgic nods to Spielberg and Stephen King, Stranger Things is populated with references, homages, and artifacts from the Reagan era. This book dives deep into that world, revealing everything you wanted to know about the series and its influences, including:

• The parallels to the show's biggest touchstone: the 1982 classic, E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial
• The significance of The Clash's hit song, "Should I Stay Or Should I Go"
• The context behind Dungeons & Dragons--which incited a national panic in the '80s--and an explanation of how the game works in the show
• The connections to a host of '80s books and movies, including Stand By Me, IT, The Thing, Aliens, and The Goonies

Other stops on this "curiosity voyage" include: explorations of arcades, Ataris, BMX bikes, MTV, Radio Shack, Carl Sagan, Ronald Reagan, Eggos, Steve's hair, and mom jeans. Packed with detail and insight, Stranger Things and the '80s is the ultimate companion to the hit show and the era that inspired it.

Q&A with Joseph Vogel

What made you write Stranger Things and the '80s?

To be honest, the show couldn't be more tailor-made to my interests. I'm obsessed with '80s culture, especially the music and movies. I'd written a few books connected to the decade and taught a class here at Merrimack College focused on the '80s. I was also born in in 1981, so I grew up in that decade. So when Stranger Things came out it was like the perfect distillation of things that I love. I watched the first season in a few days. By the second season, my kids were on board, and possibly even bigger fans than me. That's when the idea for the book came to me.

What is it about that period that fascinates people so much?

That's a good question. I think it's a lot of things. Part of is the sense of freedom. Kids back then had much more leeway to just be out on their own without parents always knowing where they were. In the book, for example, I explore how bikes have kind of become a symbol of the era. Bikes are featured in some of the most iconic movies from the '80s, including E.T. and The Goonies, and of course, they also feature prominently in Stranger Things. I think they represent a sense of childhood freedom that we miss. I also think the fascination has to do with the pop culture explosion in the '80s. That was the decade that gave us so many blockbuster franchises, from Back to the Future, to Ghostbusters, to Indiana Jones.

Those blockbusters obviously have a big influence on Stranger Things. Which ones are most important to the show?

Well, the biggest cinematic influence, I think, is Steven Spielberg. I dedicate an entire chapter to his presence in the show. E.T. is probably the one most obvious to people, but there are also a lot of homages and references to Jaws, Close Encounters, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park, as well as movies Spielberg didn't direct, but had a hand in, like Poltergeist and The Goonies. But I think one of the things that makes the show great is that it's not simply plagiarizing Spielberg. There are a ton of other influences, from Ghostbusters to Aliens to The Breakfast Club.

You also dedicate a chapter to Stephen King. What can you tell us about his influence on the show and has King said anything about Stranger Things?

Yeah, I mean, I teach Stephen King in my classes, and students are sometimes surprised to learn how huge he was in the '80s. His books (and their movie adaptations) were everywhere. That was the decade that gave us It and The Body (which became Stand By Me) and Cujo and Firestarter. The Duffer Brothers have acknowledged how much these stories influenced them and that comes through in the show. As far as if Stephen King has said anything: yes, he has! He tweeted about both of the first two seasons and was very gracious about the homages to his work. In fact, he said in one tweet that it was like watching a mashup of his greatest hits.

What's something in the book you think will surprise readers?

Hmmm. I guess it depends on their level of familiarity with the '80s. But I'll mention a couple of things. One is that Stranger Things is driven, in its first season, by a missing child story and the '80s was the decade that really birthed the missing child movement and widespread fears about kidnapping. There were some really high profile cases early in the decade. In 1982, congress passed the Missing Children's Act; around that time, they also began putting pictures of missing kids on milk cartons and pizza boxes. So this fear was part of the zeitgeist and Stranger Things captures that really well. The '80s tends to be remembered as this really happy, optimistic period, and it was in certain ways. But there were a number of panics and crises. In addition to fears about abduction, I also write about the panics surrounding Dungeons & Dragons (which some parents feared was satanic) and arcades (which some parents worried would turn kids into zombies).

Any other exclusive details you can share?

Well, I don't want to give it all away! There are so many cool connections. The show's attention to detail is really remarkable. One that I thought was great is that Bob Newby's camcorder is the exact same model used by Marty McFly and Doc Brown in Back to the Future.

Who do you think is the audience for the book?

I guess, first and foremost, fans of the show. I talk about this in the introduction to the book, but one of the fun things about the show is that it's cross-generational. It appeals to people that lived through that decade and feel a certain nostalgia for that time period, but it's perhaps even more popular with Millenials and Gen-Zers. So this could be like a crash course on '80s culture for them. I tried to write with both audiences in mind and keep it light, but interesting. I wanted to go beyond trivia or lists, and try to make that period come to life. That's what the show does so well. Hopefully people enjoy it!