Stranger ThingsIn 1980s Indiana, a young boy disappears into another dimension. Meanwhile, a girl with telekinetic abilities is on the run wearing nothing but a hospital gown.
Updated August 15, 2023 6.6K votes 778 voters 49.8K views
Over 700 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Easter Eggs And References That Totally Went Over Your Head In Stranger Things 2
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Vote up the coolest things hidden in the Netflix hit.
Even if Stranger Things wasn't a great show, it would still be a really cool nostalgia machine. Now that the second season is out on Netflix, fans are trying to figure out all of the easter eggs in Stranger Things 2 – and if you've binged it, you know that's no easy task. Fans of this coming of age sci-fi show love to put together everything from Stranger Things art to fan theories about what’s going to happen in the coming seasons, and now viewers are focused on finding all of the references in season 2 of Stranger Things.
Trying to find all of the Stranger Things hidden references is like trying to trying to defeat the Mind Flayer: you’ll never be able to do it alone. These are some of the funniest, most intriguing, and flat-out coolest references in Stranger Things 2, but there are almost certainly more out there.
Bob, Joyce's fuddy duddy boyfriend, is played by Sean Astin, Mikey from the '80s classic The Goonies. For many people this would be enough of a reference to call it day, but not for the Duffer Brothers. In Stranger Things 2, Bob's story parallels that of Mikey's: he figures out how to read a map and he refuses to leave the tunnels until the rest of his group is safe. If that weren't enough, Bob straight up mentions pirate treasure before he helps decode Will's map.
259 votes
2
141 VOTES
The Newspapers Reference A Real Medical Breakthrough
If you keep an eye on the paper that all of the parents of Hawkins seem to be reading, you'll see it has a front page story about "Baby Fae’s Baboon Heart." That may look like a loose collection of words, but it's actually a story about the first successful infant heart transplant. The procedure took place in October 1984, which would make it big news right around the time of Season 2.
141 votes
3
248 VOTES
Eleven's Halloween Costume Is E.T.'s Halloween Costume
To further push the point home that Eleven is an alien in the world of Hawkins, when she asks Daddy Hopper if she can go trick-or-treating she does so as a sheet ghost. This is the exact costume E.T. wears when he goes trick-or-treating with Elliott.
That's two times in two seasons that Eleven has been dressed like E.T. Are the Duffer Brothers going to send her off in a spaceship in Season 3?
This quick shot is so '80s. After Hopper gets into the tunnels and discovers that the Upside Down is bleeding into Hawkins, he's beset by some unsavory flower creatures. After dropping his hat Hopper almost runs away, but quickly grabs his hat a la Indiana Jones. According to the Duffer Brothers, this shot was a last-minute idea while filming.
233 votes
5
245 VOTES
Steve And Dustin Walk Down The Train Tracks Just Like In Stand By Me
One of the best moments in Stranger Things 2 is when Steve and Dustin walk down a set of train tracks, just like the kids in Stand By Me. They're leaving raw meat for the demodog Dart, but the real charm of the scene comes from their heart-to-heart about girls and hair products.
245 votes
6
183 VOTES
Will's Love Of Reese's Pieces Is A Tip Of The Hat To E.T.
The Duffer Brothers can't resist giving props to Steven Spielberg, the O.G. of putting children in sci-fi danger. When Will visits Dr. Owens, he's asked about his favorite Halloween candy. Will answers Reese’s Pieces, the candy that plays a large part in Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
