When it comes to popular Netflix series, Stranger Things has been a huge success story. Its blend of 1980s nostalgia and horror-tinged storytelling have captivated audiences. It has a talented cast made up largely of fresh faces, and writing that includes a lot of subtleties that have only helped the show as it goes along.
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Though the show has only had three seasons to date and launched less than five years ago, original props and materials used on the show have already reached the marketplace. While some of these things may seem trivial, particularly to those who aren’t devout fans of the show, the props are nonetheless drawing high bids in online auctions, as viewers try to get their hands on a piece of the beloved series.
Arcade Sign Panel
The teenage characters are a big reason why Stranger Things is so popular. The mall arcade was a natural place for the young crew of video game and Dungeons and Dragons-obsessed characters Mike, Lucas, Mad Max, Dustin, and Will to flock in season 3.
Panels sign for the arcade that appeared in the show near the movie theater has become available for sale on eBay, listed at a starting price of $9.99. The sellers indicate that they exhumed the piece from a renovation bin when the mall set was being dismantled. It’s a large piece of memorabilia and the hundreds of dollars in shipping costs might deter most buyers.
Starcourt Mall Esprit Shopping Bags
The Starcourt is a character all its own in season 3 of Stranger Things, as the show expanded into a new setting befitting of not only 80s culture, but the mostly teenage characters. Signs throughout the season advertise that Esprit clothing stores are coming to the mall soon, and shopping bags featuring the store appear in passing.
The cast and crew likely didn’t pay close attention to tracking every shopping bag, which explains how some have made their way out into the world. From a lesser show, such plastic bags would probably be considered disposable, but for their retro feel and having appeared on Stranger Things, they became an instant collector’s item, with a price tag of $449.99 attached to them.
Orange Julius Cup
Orange Julius continues to operate to this day. While they don’t have quite the presence they once did, and their signature drink is now mostly sold in their parent restaurant, Dairy Queen, Orange Julius can still be found in shopping malls across the country.
So, the idea of owning an Orange Julius cup, in and of itself, may not sound like the stuff dreams are made of. However, like most details of the show, the Stranger Things team designed authentic retro cups to fit their Starcourt Mall setting in season 3. These cups are a fun prop that’s available for collectors to get their hands on.
Vial Of Green Goo
Russian villains in season 3 of Stranger Things use a mysterious green goo to power their effort to drill a hole into the still-mysterious Upside Down. The odd fluid became a key part of the story, and fans can only assume we’ll see more of it when it comes time for season 4.
According to YourProps.com, there was only one actual vial on the set and the rest were digitally reproduced to create the illusion of more on the show. This original vial has since gone up for sale.
Dune Book Cover Prop
Like so many malls from the 1980s era that Stranger Things captures so well, Starcourt features a Waldenbooks to attract local readers. The show prominently features a prop copy of Dune. The book selection fits the show well, as Dune was the lead book of an iconic series considered very influential in sci-fi circles. The books then lead to a 1984 film, as well as a new adaptation due out next year.
A prop book cover, seen in the store window, is now up for sale for $69.99. Given Dune’s history, this particular prop may be especially attractive to crossover fans who enjoyed Frank Herbert’s books long before falling in love with the Stranger Things series.
Nut Shack Gift Bag
For Stranger Things fans who are truly nuts about the show, there may be no more desirable prop than a gift bag from the Nut Shack at Starcourt Mall. The eBay sellers note that the prop comes with actual nuts, though describes them as not safe for human consumption.
This prop may be about as esoteric as it gets in terms of memorabilia from the show. Nonetheless, the fact that it’s not a big name store or eatery as some of the featured locations on Stranger Things does give it a certain appeal to hardcore fans of the series. It's currently selling for $49.99.
Pieces Of The Scoops Ahoy Wall
Few locations from season 3 of Stranger Things are more iconic than Scoops Ahoy. It was Steve Harrington’s place of employment and set the stage to introduce the new character of Robin Buckley. By extension, the ice cream parlor emerged as the unofficial home base for not only Steve and Robin's friendship, but their counterintelligence operation against the Russians.
Individuals recovered pieces of the wall from this part of the set and have since made them available for sale for $9.99 a piece. While the pieces of wall themselves may not be the most recognizable memorabilia, having a piece of them at least offers fans a more meaningful piece of the show’s history than some other props.
Battle Of Starcourt Damaged Metal Beam
The season 3 finale, “The Battle of Starcourt,” featured the eponymous fight scene as Eleven leads a cast of characters in their battle against the Mind Flayer and all of its powers. It’s one of the most memorable, visually impressive scenes of the series to date. One of the metal beams visible in the scene, which hung the Starcourt Mall sign over the food court, went up for sale.
While an aluminum beam is a cumbersome collector’s item, it’s that rare prop from the show that fans can readily associate with a specific, important scene, not to mention that it presumably appeared in the background of plenty of other food court shots. It recently sold for $169.99.
Basket From Wicks N Sticks
Excavators from the dismantled Starcourt Mall set recovered a basket that had been used on screen at the Wicks n Sticks store. The wicker basket isn’t particularly remarkable in isolation, though the seller notes that it comes with some added intrigue because it appears that it may have been the same basket that was used as a prop in the Claire’s store on the show, too. It's selling for $39.99.
The people who gathered and manufactured props for Stranger Things clearly had an eye for detail, including getting many era-specific details right. Having a rare piece that may have pulled double duty on the show, then, may make this basket all the more attractive to fans.
A Chair Damaged In The Battle Of Starcourt
The Starcourt food court underwent some heavy fire in the season three finale of Stranger Things. The Mind Flayer is just one of the terrifying creature from Dungeons & Dragons lore, but in the show, it was an enormous threat, both in menace and physical size. The kids shooting fireworks at it only damaged the Starcourt setting further.
Some of the furniture was understandably damaged in the process and a badly torn apart white chair is among those set pieces to make it to the marketplace. What’s left of the chair certainly couldn’t be sat on. Nonetheless, it’s a unique piece of the show’s history that recently sold on eBay for $125.