Warning: This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things season 4.
One thing fans of the '80s bangers that they have the characters listening to, lovers of the '80s aesthetic are in for a treat when they turn on the show.
Season 4 of Stranger Things had just as many '80s easter eggs and pop culture references as previous seasons. The season is sure to make viewers feel like they've been plucked from the 21st century and dropped right into an '80s time capsule.
Diorama Class Projects
Anyone who grew up in the '80s---or are children of '80s kids---probably has done or heard of diorama class projects. They were really popular in this decade and consisted of tiny scenes built into boxes.
In the very first episode, when fans are taken to California to catch up with El and the Byers, she can be seen carrying a diorama to school. It's later revealed that she had to do a class project on her "hero," and she decided to make a diorama of Hopper's cabin.
Fast Time At Ridgemont High
Like today, '80s teens liked watching movies and Fast Times At Ridgemont High.
Steve, Robin, and several other characters repeatedly mention the movie. Specifically, Steve makes a note about Vickie returning the film paused at 53 minutes and 5 seconds and says that the only people who pause Fast Times at that spot are "people who like boobies!"
Old School Moutain Dew
Last season was all about classic '80s Coca-Cola, but season 4 features vintage Mountain Dew. When Dustin and Mike bring Erica to the weekly Hellfire Club Dungeons and Dragons game, several of the soda can be seen on the table.
The show does a really good job of inserting popular '80s foods and drinks into the show. Season 3 had Coke and mall food, and this season has Mountain Dew and hot and ready pizza delivery with Surfer Boy Pizza, another '80s staple.
Star Wars
For self-proclaimed nerds like Mike, Wil, Dustin, and---secretly--Lucas, Star Wars, which was released in the late '70s, so they were just at an age when they'd be able and willing to watch the original trilogy.
This may also be an easter egg for the original Star Wars video game, which was released in 1987, one year away from the current Stranger Things storyline. Although nowadays first-person shooter games, the first game was a huge moment for die-hard fans in the '80s.
Hitting The TV To Make It Work
More than clothes, products, and media, Stranger Things really excels at capturing the everyday minutiae of life in the 1980s. One thing that they featured was just how hard it was to get televisions to work correctly.
A few times onscreen, kids have to fidget with antennae, and then have to resort to hitting the TV box a time or two to get the picture clearer. Just like today, people struggled with technology--but always found a shortcut, McGyver-esque way to fix things.
Rink-O-Mania
In Stranger Things season 3, mall culture was featured as a way that teens were hanging out with each other during the summer months. This season, the roller rink outings were front and center.
Kids in the '80s were obsessed with going roller skating. It was a place to have a date or just hang out with friends, get some snacks and soda, and skate around in circles. The lights, disco ball, and brightly patterned carpet all make for the perfect '80s roller rink aesthetic.
Family Video
At the end of the third season, Robin and Steve got hired at Family Video after the ice cream shop that they were originally employed at was destroyed in the battle of Starcourt Mall.
Some VHS tapes may be ultra-rare and expensive now, but in the '80s, there were Family Videos everywhere and renting a VHS was a really popular way to spend the weekend. Like Robin says on the show, Saturday is their busiest day. The show even features the VHS-rewinding machines.
Movie Showtimes In The Paper
In the early days of computers when the internet was just for very tech saavy people, there were other ways to find out when showtimes were for films.
Like now, the theaters posted times on their marquees, but if someone didn't want to drive all the way to the theater, they could check the local paper, which also had the showtimes. The show featured this after Joyce leaves Jonathan in charge of Mike, Will, and El, and he sees that there's a 4pm showtime for Police Academy 3 in the paper.
The Ewoks TV Show
As previously mentioned, Star Wars was a huge pop culture topic in the mid-1980s. Like the video game, there were other spin-off shows and special movies with memorable scenes. The Ewoks television show featured the much-loved furry creatures from the trilogy.
While El and Mike are having an argument upstairs in the aftermath of her roller rink altercation, Jonathan and Will are downstairs watching the opening credits to the animated Ewoks show, which was released the year previous.
Lite Brite
In season 1, Joyce discovered that she could use Christmas lights to communicate with Will when he was in the Upside Down. This season uses that same application, but with a fun '80s childhood twist.
Lite Brite may be a bit older than the '80s, but it was a classic toy for kids in that era. When Nancy, Steve, Robin, and Eddie are able to see light energy around, Dustin grabs little Suzie Wheeler's Lite Brite. In a stroke of genius, he uses it to let them send a message between dimensions.