Where one story of Stranger Things comes to an end, another story begins. Netflix has officially dropped the first teaser for the animated spinoff Stranger Things: Tales From ’85.
If you haven’t heard the news, Netflix has been working on an animated spinoff for Stranger Things where we would be introduced to characters old and new, along with some new lore and mythology revolving around the world of Hawkins. Where we last left things off in the original series the villian, Vecna played by Jamie Campbell Bower (Stranger Things, Emmanuelle), had been defeated by the main cast. With Vecna dead and the military removed from Hawkins our group had decided to move on with their lives. Now as for this new series, we will be going backwards and looking at an entirely different adventure that takes place between Stranger Things Seasons 2 and 3.
Right off the bat the teaser shows us some familiar sights if you had seen the original series. We see the arcade from season 2 and the Wheeler house that started it all. There all sorts of easter eggs that will be littered all over the series. The trailer shows the familiar faces of Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Eleven, and Max in all their animated glory, however they do not appear to be voiced by the O.G. cast from the original series. The trailer reintroduces us to Jim Hopper who issues this warning to Mike as he and his friends are going to the cabin to pick her up, “Anything happens to her, these woods hide a lot of mistakes.” The series shows that there is a big snowstorm that is coming to Hawkins which is perfect for our group of characters to start their new Dungeons and Dragrons campaign and partake in some snowy fun as well.
However, something is lurking beneath the snow of Hawkins and some men in yellow hazmat suits are looking to capture and possibly exterminate it. The characters become aware of the situation and do not hesitate to investigate what escaped from the Upside Down a year ago. The trailer also shows a pumpkin patch that has turned rotten, perhaps by the new monster. The trailer shows that whatever escaped the Upside Down is mutating and running lose all over Hawkins. There is also a new character with a purple mohawk who’s name has yet to be revealed. The creature has no name yet, but has been seen with the iconic Demogorgon like stature and sporting a pumpkin head. The trailer also brings back familiar face Steve Harrington who we see is driving with Dustin away from the mutated creature and trying to put the moves on a new girl but accidentally mentions Nancy’s name, indicating he has not gotten over her just yet.
The cast consists of Janeane Garofalo (Boys Go to Jupiter, Harley Quinn), Jolie Hoang-Rappaport (In Your Dreams, Adventures in Wonder Park), Elisha Williams (Firebuds, The Wonder Years), Brooklyn Davey Norstedt (Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, WeCrashed), Benjamin Plessala (Wylde Pak, Haunted Hotel), Luca Diaz (Erin & Arron, Migration), Braxton Quinney (Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, Hoppers), Odessa A’zion (I Love LA, Marty Supreme), and Lou Diamond Phillips (The Chair Company, Keep Quiet).
The series is set to premiere on April 23, 2026. The trailer can be viewed and analyzed on Youtube starting today.