Stranger Things is a TV show that is gaining popularity. It is a science fiction horror-themed show that is set in the 1980s. Stranger Things is a show about friendship and family, which is the main reason why some people love the show so much. The heroes are kids, and many adults like it as well. Another reason why people like to watch Stranger Things is because it has great characters with well-developed personalities. The series also has an amazing soundtrack, great acting, and unique style of storytelling.
If you are one of Stranger Things fans, then these cool Stranger Things fun facts below will definitely surprise you. In this article, we will reveal interesting fun facts about Stranger Things which not many people know. From the facts behind its filming to trivia facts about Stranger things, these fun facts below will give you more insights and make you love this TV show more.
Table of Contents
- 1. It Was Created By Twin Brothers
- 2. Over 1000 Kids Auditioned For The Show
- 3. Stranger Things Was Almost Called Something Else
- 4. Eleven Cast Really Shaved Her Head For The Role
- 5. The Upside Down’s Real Name Is The Nether
- 6. Season 4 Took Three Years To Film
- 7. Indiana Jones Inspired Chief Hopper’s Hat
- 8. Millie Bobby Brown’s Performance Was Inspired By E. T.
- 9. It Needs 1,200 Pounds Of Epsom Salts To Make Eleve Sink In Pool
- 10. Season 5 Will Be The Last One
- 11. The Demogorgon Is An Animatronic
- 12. The Most Watched Stranger Things
- 13. Bob Was Supposed To Die Much Earlier In Season 2
- 14. Dart Is Completely CGI
- 15. Individual Cast Has Their Own Music
1. It Was Created By Twin Brothers
The Duffer Brothers, often known as Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer, are American directors, editors, performers, producers, and writers. They are twin brothers most known for creating the Netflix original series Stranger Things. Before creating the Stranger Things premise, they produced the film Hidden and collaborated on M. Night Shyamalan’s Wayward Pines.
What if Steven Spielberg were directing a long-lost Stephen King novel? is how the show’s creator pitched the idea for Stranger Things. They wanted to make a program that invoked all their early cinematic memories. The plot of the story, which concerns a young girl with strong pyrotechnic psychic talents who is utilized by a mysterious government organization that wants to weaponize her superhuman abilities, is remarkably similar to that of the Netflix series.
2. Over 1000 Kids Auditioned For The Show
One of the most fascinating Stranger Things fun facts is about the number of kids who joined the audition. More than 1000 kids or 906 boys and 307 girls were put through auditions by the Duffers and casting director Carmen Cuba for parts in the show, according to Entertainment Weekly. The young performers were instructed to read numerous parts during their auditions, and half of the scenes were taken from the Stranger Things pilot episode.
Most children’s auditions can be stopped within five seconds because they lack authenticity. However, as the casting directors watched Gaten Matarazzo’s audition clip, they quickly hired him to play Dustin. Finally, Dustin is a genius on the program, and we adore the humor he brings to his persona.
3. Stranger Things Was Almost Called Something Else
The Duffer Brothers originally intended for the show to be titled Montauk and to take place in Montauk, Long Island. They did this because they wanted Jaws to have a similar “coastal-town Amity atmosphere.” Chain-link fences, a radar tower, a military barracks, and what appears to be an evil laboratory, similar to the one in Stranger Things, are among the sights. Later on, the rural, fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana became the setting for the supernatural storyline.
In part because it resembled the Stephen King book “Needful Things,” they later came up with the term “Stranger Things.” They finally chose this name because they wanted it to be more bizarre than any other television program.
4. Eleven Cast Really Shaved Her Head For The Role
Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, has solidified her status as an icon in current popular culture. Even though Eleven underwent numerous wardrobe and fashion changes, her season 1 haircut with the shaved head is still her most iconic appearance. Similar to Mia Farrow’s at-home haircut in 1966, it is a cropped cut.
Her hair is really chopped to make her appear uniform to the other test subjects in the study as patient 011 at the Hawkins National Lab. In addition, it appears remarkably authentic.
5. The Upside Down’s Real Name Is The Nether
The Upside Down isn’t actually called that in the screenplays, according to the Stranger Things offshoot Beyond Stranger Things. The parallel dimension that intrudes on reality and is home to threats like the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer has been known as the Upside Down for two seasons. The series’ after show revealed that the screenplay really refers to it as The Nether, despite the fact that the characters on the show only ever use that moniker.
In fact, throughout the first season, whenever they weren’t on camera, the cast and crew referred to it as such. According to Millie Bobby Brown in Beyond Stranger Things, they used to refer to it as the “Upside Down” so frequently on set that the term stuck. The Shadow Monster from Season 2, whose real name is the Mind Flayer, had the same issue.
6. Season 4 Took Three Years To Film
It took three years for Stranger Things’ fourth season to finally air. Not just because the large-scale production had to deal with the turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because the majority of its main cast members were children. Additionally, when viewers haven’t seen those young people in the three years between seasons, they tend to mature quite a bit.
The action was also transported far beyond Hawkins, Indiana, with storylines taking place in a Russian prison and on the West Coast. It had a duration that was nearly twice as long as any prior season, nine screenplays, 800 pages, and thousands of visual effects shots. In addition, more time than ever was spent in the Upside Down and Vecna’s huge, twisted nightmare landscapes. All things considered, it succeeded in overcoming many obstacles and made many good decisions.
7. Indiana Jones Inspired Chief Hopper’s Hat
Another homage to an ’80s film, the Indiana Jones series, was made by Chief Hopper’s headwear. The archeological hero Dr. Jones from the Indiana Jones series served as the inspiration for the Chief’s wide-brimmed hat, which he was frequently shown donning. The hat is known as a fedora and makes the wearer appear infinitely more valiant.
In fact, Hopper, played by actor David Harbour, insisted on donning that headgear. Another ’80s reference tucked away in the series, this one.
8. Millie Bobby Brown’s Performance Was Inspired By E. T.
Eleven is modeled in part on the endearing alien E.T. from the 1982 movie of the same name, Millie revealed to Drew Barrymore in her interview for the Teen Vogue Volume III cover. Drew got her acting start in that film as the likable little sister Gertie. Both revolve around a suburban sense of family, humanism, and community.
Furthermore, both characters have a strong sense of relatability when it comes to aliens, space, and the implausible and impossible. Millie Bobby Brown is therefore quite fond of both characters.
9. It Needs 1,200 Pounds Of Epsom Salts To Make Eleve Sink In Pool
If you’ve watched the series, you know it’s not simple. The characters of the show go to their science teacher, who informs them that they require a pool big enough for a human to float in without running into any walls or other obstructions. They also required 1,200 pounds of Epsom salt.
By all means, try a floating chamber at home if you happen to have half a ton of salt laying around. All the components of floatation chambers you need are an actual chamber, darkness, stillness, and total suspension as the companions work to construct an isolation chamber for Eleven. The presentation emphasizes a fundamental but highly potent principle that we all agree on: sensory deprivation.
10. Season 5 Will Be The Last One
Stranger Things Season 4 has been seen one billion times. Netflix and the Duffer brothers announced that the sci-fi hit will return for a fifth season three months before Season 4 debuted. The show’s creators wrote an open letter along with the renewal announcement explaining that the upcoming season will also be the series’ final one.
The Duffer brothers emphasized in their open letter that Season 5 will conclude off everyone in Hawkins’ stories. They also made a suggestion that the Stranger Things universe might have a spin-off or sequel in the future.
11. The Demogorgon Is An Animatronic
In the 1980s, a vicious humanoid monster known as the Demogorgon, commonly referred to as the Monster, invaded Hawkins, Indiana. Since Mark Steger was playing the Demogorgon in a suit with an animatronic head, many of the scenes with the Demogorgon were performed practically. In situations where the Demogorgon had to perform tasks that a human actor in a suit is incapable of, CGI was utilized.
The young actors on set, especially the twins who portrayed Holly Wheeler and Millie Bobby Brown’s younger sister, were also frightened by it. To calm the children down, someone explained that the monster in Monsters, Inc. originated in Monstropolis.
12. The Most Watched Stranger Things
In its first complete week of release, 335.01M hours of Stranger Things 4 Vol. 1 were watched. With 621.80m hours viewed in 10 days, it rose to #3 on Netflix’s all-time list for English-language series. Stranger Things 4 Volume 1 became the most watched season of English-language TV in a single week on Netflix during the week of May 30-June 5. A first for an English TV series, it also debuted at number one on the Top 10 rankings in 91 nations.
In addition, the top spot on Netflix’s weekly English-language TV list was taken by Stranger Things Season 4. Season 1 ranked second with 75.08 million hours seen, followed by Season 2 at #3 with 58.27 million and Season 3 at #4 with 47.42 million. As a result, season 4 of Stranger Things has received the most attention today.
13. Bob Was Supposed To Die Much Earlier In Season 2
The Duffer Brothers assert that nothing Bob performed in “Chapter Eight” was ever intended to be a part of the original strategy, which called for him to leave even sooner. Although Duffer fell in love with Sean and what he was accomplishing with this character, Bob was always meant to pass away. He was intended to pass away in, say, episode 4, but Duffer kept him around because of how fantastic he was and what he brought to the show.
In the fourth chapter, “Will the Wise,” Dart transforms into a miniature Demogorgon and devours Mews the cat. Nancy and Jonathan are able to catch Owens at the lab, making an admission about Barb’s passing. Hopper finds himself alone in the tunnels as Will begins to sketch them. Dart actually had the opportunity to go to RadioShack after killing Mews and make Bob his next victim, but they decided against it.
14. Dart Is Completely CGI
D’Artagnan was a creature from the Upside Down whom Dustin Henderson briefly kept as a pet. He was also known as Dart. Dart, who Dustin refers to as a “Demodog,” is a member of the same species as the first Demogorgon. In fact, Dart’s existence is CGI effects. Dart’s animation and movement style are partly responsible for his cuteness.
However, approximately only five of the 13 hours of Stranger Things’ first season’s footage required CGI. Without the use of computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques, 95% of the effects were created physically.
15. Individual Cast Has Their Own Music
From the spooky synth title music to the pop oldies played on ghetto blasters across Hawkins, music plays a significant role in Stranger Things. In fact, characters each have their own tunes. Should I Stay or Should I Go? by The Clash, for example, is Will Byers’ go-to song and reflects the character’s sense of being torn between two options.
Meanwhile, Eleven features Jefferson Airplane’s complex song White Rabbit, which alludes to Alice in Wonderland, the tale of a girl who becomes lost beneath. It’s also a protest song, therefore it’s no accident that it plays in season 1 as Eleven flees the agents. Interestingly, music was also employed by executive producer and director Shaun Levy to help the players get into character