Stranger things gifts

In 2016, Netflix launched the first season of one of their original series, Stranger Things. The rest, as they say, is history. The streaming giant turned things Upside Down, introducing the world to new characters including the mysterious Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, as well as introducing the younger generations to Winona Ryder.

A perfect blend of coming-of-age comedy, fantasy, science fiction and horror, Stranger Things has grown into a phenomenon, with three seasons available to stream and a fourth one on the way.

Viewers aren’t passive fans – the show has spawned endless debate, memes and theories. In our online Stranger Things shop, we understand what fans want – exclusive gifts you can’t get anywhere else, LPs that capture the 80s sound in full glory and more. Stranger Things merch for the hard-core fans – the ones who would follow the gang through the Shadow World and back again.

Season 1 - How it all started

November 6, 1983, Hawkins, Indiana: Will Byers, a 12-year-old boy, disappears without a trace on the way home. Greatly concerned, Will's friends - Mike, Dustin, and Lukas - decide to get to the bottom of the matter and solve the case. During their search, they come across a girl in a wooded area wearing a hospital gown and with a shaved head and the number 11 tattooed on her arm. They name her, creatively, Eleven.

It soon turns out that Eleven has psychokinetic powers, and she knows what happened to Will. He is fleeing a faceless monster, called the Demogorgon. What comes next is a blend of modern storytelling with popular 1980s tropes – the small-town police chief, the discovery of a shadow world, a portal to another dimension.

Season 2 – Strange gets Stranger

Stranger Things season two picks up a year after Will returns from the shadow world. The show develops at a breakneck pace, keeping viewers hooked and shocked at every turn. There’s haunting hallucinations, tentacled monsters, Eleven’s discovery of how she came to be.

Stranger Things Season 3 - The Mind Flayer Returns

In season three, Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max continue to face dangers presented by the tentacled monster we come to know as the Mind Flayer. Hell-bent on summoning monsters from the shadow world to destroy earth, and settles on using Will’s brother as its human host.

Stranger Things season 4 – when is it coming out and what to expect?

A fourth series is definitely on the way, but an exact date remains in the Upside Down for now. Season three’s The Battle of Starcourt left plenty of cliff-hangers to answer, so fans will just have to stay patient for the new series to be announced.

Stranger Things online shop

As we wait for the new series of Stranger Things, fill that Hawkins sized hole in your life with official Stranger Things merchandise from our online shop. Nothing will make the time go faster than a gift or two… or Eleven. Our Stranger Things shop offers a wide range of gifts and merch to choose from, whether you want to cosplay as Eleven or just add a touch of the Upside Down to your note taking. Retro inspired shirts, LPs, wall prints and more complete our online shop, which includes plenty of exclusives you can only get online from EMP.

Trivia – because truth can be stranger than fiction

The next time you’re showing off your Stranger Things merch or hosting a quiz night, let these fun facts about Stranger Things give you the edge.

◾  It was horror maestro Stephen King who suggested Millie Bobby Brown for the role of Eleven. The legendary author had seen the BBC series Intruders, in which Brown was already impressing audiences with her acting skills.

◾  Stranger Things is based on ideas from various conspiracy theorists who assume that the United States government is doing experiments on children.

◾  The main characters from Stranger Things are just as good friends in real life, having a group chat called Stranger Texts.

Funko Pop Stranger Things figures from the upside down

Got your eyes on the Stranger Things Funko Pop figures? Of course, we also have those too! The vinyl figures are faithfully modelled on the series characters.