39 Years Later, 'Stranger Things' Spinoff Is Reportedly Going Full Ghostbusters

There's always been a very strong connection between Stranger Things and Ghostbusters. Obviously, because the first season took place in 1983, Stranger Things was deeply immersed in the pop culture of the 1980s. And in Season 2, set in 1984, the Ghostbusters connections become stronger since that's when the original film came out, and the kids dressed up as Ghostbusters. And now, with the new spinoff series, Stranger Things: Tales from '85, the connection between the Hawkins gang and the 'busters is apparently getting even deeper.

As early screenings of Tales From '85 are underway, GhostbustersNews.Net has reported that there are strong connections between the new animated Stranger Things and the beloved 1987 animated series The Real Ghostbusters. As reported, one X user who has seen early screenings of the show notes that there are: "...Ghostbusters references and general '80s vibe baked into the show."

On top of that, there's apparently a shout-out in Tales from '85 to the juice drink Hi-C, which, of course, produced the famous "Ecto Cooler" Ghostbusters drink in 1989. Early promotional stills from the series also reveal monsters that feel straight out of the wacky pantheon of creatures from The Real Ghostbusters, including one monster with a straight-up pumpkin head. (See above)

This isn't to say that Stranger Things will share actual continuity with Ghostbusters. After all, we know that Ghostbusters is a fictional franchise within the Stranger Things universe. But, because Tales from '85 is a cartoon set in the 1980s, it makes sense that it will remind us of the zany animated adventures of the Ghostbusters.

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 Release Date and Timeline

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 is set to debut on Netflix on April 23, 2026. It will consist of 10 episodes, all of which will be streaming on Netflix on Thursday, April 23.

Tales from '85 takes place between the second and third seasons of the show. So, we're flashing back to a time much earlier than the more recent seasons. These adventures are thought to be mostly self-contained, though, of course, tons of revelations here could change everyone's perception of how the show eventually turned out.

Stranger Things streams on Netflix.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 11:59 AM.