Stranger Things Season 4 is currently airing on Netflix and more or less taking over the world with its soundtrack. Featuring the classic 1985 hit Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush, the song is now stuck in fans heads and has led to the artist topping the charts once again. The series has previously had LEGO entries – 75810 The Upside Down along with several keychains – which came as a surprise to many LEGO fans because of its darker themes and horror vibes.
Volume 1 of Season 4 is proving no different, pushing the horror elements of the show even further with a new villain that is more terrifying than the gruesome Mind Flayer. So, will there be any more LEGO based on the show? Don’t worry we won’t be going into any spoilers!
Let’s start by looking at the only LEGO set yet to come from the show – 75810 The Upside Down. When it was announced back in 2019 it surprised fans because Stranger Things carries a 15 rating, which is usually something the LEGO Group avoids (although things ahve loosened up since then). Looking back, the first season is now the least scary, but it still carries a dark tone, even if it follows a group of kids trying to save their world. However, the model was a huge success and then inspired a set of keychains using some of the exclusive minifigures. Who doesn’t want a Demogorgon on their messenger bag?
That was 2019. Since then the LEGO Group has specifically developed and marketed their 18+ line and has made a lot more products inspired by films or television carrying a 15 rating. This includes sets such as 76161 1989 Batwing and 10292 Friends Apartments. Now that the LEGO Group is no longer limited by who they are marketing towards, there is greater opportunity to produce sets inspired by a wider range of media. Stranger Things no longer seems out of place.
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So, why haven’t there been more LEGO Stranger Things sets? One possible explanation is that the show is not location heavy. While Season 1 revolved around the Byers’ home, since then the locations have moved around a lot and there aren’t many iconic places that immediately conjure images from any of the seasons. There are some that could certainly work though, such as the Dungeons & Dragons basement in Dustin’s house and the Scoops Ahoy ice cream parlour that features prominently in Season 3. These wouldn’t even have to be big sets and would allow the designers to produce minifigures of fan favourites, Steve and Max, not to mention finally make Lucas.
A Demodog could also work in a similar style to 31129 Majestic Tiger as a fully pose-able display piece that’s also perfect for play. Then there are the action sequences, but these might be the reason that more LEGO sets haven’t been produced. At its heart Stranger Things is a homage to classic horror films, so it features grisly monsters from the Upside Down and some rather graphic action scenes. It is dark, gruesome, and can be quite frightening. There aren’t really any LEGO sets inspired by horror yet (Ghostbusters does not count) and this may be a path the LEGO designers don’t want to go down.
Even so, there are still plenty of scenes from the first 3 seasons of Stranger Things that could work as LEGO sets while avoiding the horror elements completely. Would you like to see more sets based on the show? Let us know on any of the Blocks social media channel or share your Upside Down MOCs!