Stranger Things gift: 15 ideas for a fan, by budget and by favorite character
Guide · Gifts · Fans
Giving to a fan is easy if you know their favorite character and their budget. Here are fifteen ideas, from the keychain to the collector figure, ranked so you do not get it wrong. And three traps to avoid, including the most common: giving Eleven to someone who loves Eddie.
The essentials
- Under 20 €: keychains, pins, socks, poster
- 20 to 50 €: T-shirt, sweatshirt, articulated figure, board game
- Over 50 €: collector figure, vinyl, lamp, box set
- The rule: first the favorite character, then the object
Contents
First, the favorite character
The first question is not “what object” but “who.” An Eddie fan does not want an Eggo waffle; an Eleven fan does not want a Hellfire jacket. Ask, or watch: the wallpaper, the T-shirt already worn, the character they talk about. Once the character is found, everything becomes simple.
| The fan likes | Give | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Eleven | A figurine in a pink dress, boxed waffles, a walkie-talkie | The Demogorgon in close-up |
| Eddie | The Hellfire jacket or T-shirt, a miniature guitar | Everything that is cute |
| Steve | The nail-bat replica, the Scoops Ahoy uniform | The children's figures |
| Dustin | The cap, the radio, a Dart figure | The seriousness |
| Max | The Walkman, the skateboard, the Kate Bush cassette | The pink |
| Vecna | The articulated figure, the Creel house poster | The kids' format |
| Hopper | The Hawaiian shirt, the mug, the police cap | The teen objects |
The Eleven figure, the gift that lasts.
In the shopMen's Eddie Munson guitar solo T-shirt39,90 €See the product
Under 20 euros
A keychain or a pin in the character's image, socks, a poster of the season he prefers, a mug, a phone case. These are the extra gifts, to slip into a card or a bigger package, and the easiest to get right: the logo and the characters are so recognizable that the object is enough.
From 20 to 50 euros
The character T-shirt, the Hellfire or Hawkins sweatshirt, an action figure, a board game, pajamas for marathons, a behind-the-scenes book. That is the heart of the gift: what you wear or what you put on a shelf, and what you keep. For a garment, check the size on a piece already worn, not on a tag.
The size trapFan T-shirts often run large; better a size down than the opposite, and a size guide checked before you order. A garment that is too big ends up at the back of a drawer.
Over 50 euros
The collector figure, in resin or articulated in a large format, of the favorite character; the soundtrack on vinyl, season by season; a lamp or a neon of the logo; a set of several matching objects; or a replica, Steve's bat, Mike's walkie-talkie, Max's Walkman. These are the gifts that make an impression, and the ones you give once.
The three traps
Getting the character wrong, as we said. Giving a child's object to an adult fan, or the reverse: the articulated figures are for grown-ups, the plushes for little ones. And buying an object that spoils the end of the show for someone who has not seen it: avoid anything that shows the last season if you are not sure.
The Eddie Munson T-shirt, for Hellfire fans.
In the shopLego Eddie Munson mini figure on a bike14,90 €See the product
By favorite season
| His favorite season | What it says about him | The gift |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | He loves the mystery and 1983 | An alphabet string of lights, a walkie-talkie, an Eleven figurine in a pink dress |
| Season 2 | He loves Steve, Dustin, and Dart | A decorative nail bat, a Demodog pin, a snow-ball poster |
| Season 3 | He loves summer and Starcourt | A Scoops Ahoy uniform or badge, a mall mug, a floral shirt |
| Season 4 | He loves Eddie and Max | A Hellfire Club T-shirt, a patched jacket, a pick necklace, a Walkman |
| Season 5 | He loves the ending, and Holly | A WSQK radio T-shirt, a figurine of the spider, a twenty-sided die for the new campaign |
The gifts to make yourself
The most striking gifts on the show are handmade, and that is a lead. Joyce's wall of lights: a string of colored bulbs fixed to a board where the alphabet has been painted, with a coded message that lights up letter by letter. Hopper's letter, copied by hand and slipped into an envelope. A waffle box filled with real waffles, like the one Hopper leaves in the woods. A Dungeons & Dragons campaign notebook, with an adventure written for the person.
Those objects cost almost nothing and tell a scene; that is what distinguishes them from a bought product. For a fan, receiving the box of waffles from the woods is receiving a message that says “I know you are there.”
What not to give
Three mistakes come back. The gift that spoils the ending for someone who has not finished: a figurine of the spider, a T-shirt of the last scene, a 1989 poster. The anachronistic gift, an object that mixes seasons or sticks a 1983 character with a 1986 accessory: fans see it. And the face gift, a photo of an actor rather than an object from the universe: the show has always been a matter of symbols, waffle, bike, string of lights, die, and that is what fans collect.
The right reflex: ask for the favorite season and the favorite character, and pick the object that character holds on screen. The Walkman for Max, the bat for Steve, the pick for Eddie, the cap for Dustin. The gift that works is the one that sits in a scene.
The gift according to the fan's age
For a child who loves the universe without having seen the last seasons: figures, a Demogorgon plush, a walkie-talkie that works, the pixel video game or a board game, and nothing that shows Vecna or the ending. For a teenager: character T-shirts, Max's walkman with a real cassette, the Hellfire Club T-shirt, an episode poster, and the twenty-sided die. For an adult who grew up with the show since 2016: a collector piece, a framed poster, a soundtrack vinyl, a handmade object.
The show is ten years old, and its fans are every age: those who were twelve in 2016 are twenty-two. The best gift takes into account the season they saw at the age of the group.
The favorite season's poster.
In the shopEddie and his guitar poster19,90 €See the product
TakeawayFirst the character, then the object. Under 20 €: keychain, poster, mug. 20 to 50 €: T-shirt, figure, game. Over 50 €: collectible, vinyl, replica.
Frequently asked questions
What gift for a Stranger Things fan?
First the favorite character, then the object: figure, T-shirt, poster, replica, or vinyl depending on the budget.
What gift under 20 euros?
A keychain, a pin, socks, a poster, a mug or a phone case.
What gift for a child fan of the show?
A kids' T-shirt, a Demogorgon plush, a board game or pajamas; not the action figures, reserved for older kids.
What is the best gift idea?
The figure of the favorite character: it is the object fans keep the longest.
What gift for a fan who prefers the last season?
A 1987 object: a WSQK radio T-shirt, a twenty-sided die for Holly's new campaign, or a figurine of the spider of the Abyss, provided he has seen the ending.
What handmade gift for a fan?
Joyce's wall of lights, with a coded message, or the waffle box Hopper leaves in the woods: objects that tell a scene.