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About LEGO Stranger Things
While series like House of Cards put Netflix on the map and helped the service to increase its user base, nothing from the streaming giant has dominated the conversation like Stranger Things. The sci-fi horror set in the 1980s has gone way beyond another television series, having a huge impact when it arrived on Netflix in 2016.
The Duffer Brothers came up a unique angle for Stranger Things, seeking to combine the mystery and horror of Stephen King with the 1970s/1980s films of Steven Spielberg to explore a science-fiction storyline initiated by a child going missing. To sell the idea of the show, they produced a trailer with clips from those classic films spliced together to give a feel for what it would be and were picked up by Netflix as a result.
The nostalgia-soaked approach clearly connected with those watching, given the positive reviews and audience reaction. After establishing the town of Hawkins and the mysterious goings-on in Season 1, the series continued with Seasons 2 and 3, having even more fun with the 1980s time period. Season 4 has been confirmed by Netflix and is expected in 2020 or 2021.
With the LEGO Group exploring more adult-orientated sets that offer big, challenging building experiences, the smash-hit show was opportunity for something unique. The one-off set, 75810 The Upside Down, launched in June 2019 and was designed by Stranger Things fan and LEGO Senior Model Designer Justin Ramsden.
To capture what is special about the series, the set builds Joyce Byers’ house – twice. First, the house is built in accurate colours, before being built in the dark blue and grey colours that represent the dangerous Upside Down. The two models are then connected, with trees either side serving as a stand. It is an ingenious way of doing more than just building a location from the show but bringing a sense of the story too.
75810 The Upside Down includes the key characters from the first season – Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Joyce, Hopper and the Demogorgon. At San Diego Comic Con 2019, there was finally LEGO justice for Barb, when fans at the event could line up to get an exclusive minifigure of Nancy’s nerdy friend to add to the model.
Stranger Things fans will no doubt be hoping for more from the LEGO Group, with several characters still to be introduced as minifigures, including Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, Billy and Max.