Robin Buckley: The voice of the fandom
Please add entries in the following format:
- The meme. Explanation The explanation behind the meme.
- Further mutations and successor memes, if any.
- The Internet gets a kick out of creating custom messages out of the wall with Christmas lights lined up with the alphabet.
- How great Eleven's wig looked.
- The hashtag #JusticeForBarb became popular in response to her disappearance and death via the Demogorgon barely being acknowledged by anyone except her best friend, to the point it actually made Barb a popular character with the fans.
- This also caused a Snow Clone meme for other characters who fans felt were wronged, such as #JusticeForBenny who was killed for trying to protect Eleven, #JusticeForMews or #JusticeForBob for being killed by Demodogs, #JusticeForSteve who fans felt got screwed over by Nancy,#JusticeForAlexei, after he was gunned down in the penultimate episode of season 3 and #JusticeForEddie after he was killed trying to stop Demobats from escaping the Upside-Down into Hawkins.
- Going along with the above, some people have pointed out that Hawkins is a very dangerous place to live if your first or last name starts with B, considering all the people with "B" names (Benny, Barb, Dr Brenner, Bob, Billy, Bruce, Fred Benson...) who have horrible things happen to them.
- It's also become common for people to make their own "Stranger Things" title cards with this desktop app.
- Eleven and her love for Eggo waffles.
- "Where are we going to get that much salt?" Explanation In "The Bathtub", Dustin notes that 1500 pounds of salt are necessary for the sensory deprivation tank, and Nancy responds with the memetic question. Given the Internet's pre-existing definition of salt (being pissed off or upset), people have enjoyed taking this clip and following it with another video of someone being irrationally upset.
- Insulting someone by calling them a "mouth breather", Eleven's preferred insult.
- Winona Ryder's multitude of hammy facial expressions during David Harbour's vicious rant against Donald Trump at the SAG Awards.
- "Guys! I found the chocolate pudding!" Explanation Dustin's ecstatic reaction to finding the school's supply of chocolate pudding. Mike's "OKAY!" from the other room is the common reply.
- Much has been made of how Steve became the party's Team Dad and Badly Battered Babysitter, due to how funny it is to compare with his characterization as a charming teen hearthtrob. Arguably an Ascended Meme in Seasons 3 and 4, given Robin's lines of "your children are here" and "how many children are you friends with?" and Steve himself outright shouting that he's "Always the GODDAMN babysitter..".
- I dumped your ass! Explanation Eleven dumps Mike with these words, which has led to other people breaking up with their boyfriends/girlfriends/partners with these words.
- The show officially breaking suspension of disbelief with the kids being able to get to the final level of Dragon's Lair.
- Dustin intruding on Mr. Clarke's privacy for the purpose of asking scientific questions.
- "Mornings are for coffee and contemplation."Explanation Hopper's insistent advice to Florence, which has been placed onto actual coffee mugs.
- Taking pictures of characters from other works from before and after they take a level in badass, then labeling the first one "Pretty" and the second one "Bitchin'". Explanation El's makeover from Season 1 was declared "pretty" by the boys and herself. The makeover she receives from Kali and her crew in Season 2 is similarly declared "bitchin'", and again Eleven agrees.
- Lucas being an Action Fashionista.
- "I closed the Gate" responses Explanation When the final trailer for Season 3 premiered, fans took Eleven's statement and added fake responses from virtually any one they could think of, such as the Mind Flayer ("It's free real estate") to Netflix executives ("Yes, but I like money") to the Gate itself ("No, I don't think I will") responding to Eleven.
- Using a picture of Robin's score board for Steve's wins/losses with hitting on women, taking the score off, and putting statements about the show (or things unrelated to Stranger Things) in its place.
- "Dustin is a Brony!" Explanation A particular scene where Dustin and Erica argue over if she's a "Nerd", pointing out that she's smart in math, politics, and into My Little Pony. When she asks him how that makes her a "nerd", Dustin goes into a surprisingly accurate description of the show's fantasy leaning and surprisingly dark turn with the involvement of the villain Tirek. Bronies went nuts with the fact that Dustin watches the show, preceding the Brony Fandom by two-to-three decades.
- "[ominous synth music]" Explanation Became memetic in Season 3 among those who watched with subtitles due to just how often said [ominous synth music] played.
- "[wet squelching]" Explanation The fourth season's subtitles likewise featured a lot of bizarrely specific descriptors of sound effects, with recurring use of terms like "wet" and "squelching", including such gems as "[tentacles squelching wetly]", "[Demogorgon feeding wetly]", "[fissure writhing wetly]", and "[desiccated withering]".
- "[tender, emotional music playing]" Explanation The fourth season also has these subtitles for most, if not all, of the scenes where Will is trying to bond with Mike, which in the fan's eyes adds more fuel to the fire that he's in love with him.
- "[x synth music]" Explanation Similar to "ominous synth music", the subtitles for Season 4 described almost every musical cue as "[mood] synth music".
- "Bill Cipher is the Mind Flayer confirmed!" Explanation The ending of Episode 4 of Season 3 in which Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" plays as the Mind Flayer looks over the army of People Puppets Billy and Heather have provided it has been compared to Bill singing and playing the song on the piano during the Gravity Falls finale which, combined with Bill's infamous Sdrawkcab Speech upon his death has led to fans of both shows theorizing that Bill was reincarnated as the Mind Flayer after he was destroyed.
- Stranger Things IV: The Search For Hopper. Explanation (spoiler) Some people thought Hopper had been captured by the Russians after a soldier told his lackey "not the American," leading to some theorizing season 4 would be about rescuing Hopper. And indeed, come Season 4, Joyce and Murray's subplot is learning that Hopper is alive and prisoner on a gulag, and finding a way to rescue him.
- Millie Bobby Brown herself started one by encouraging all the fans to record themselves singing the "Neverending Story" theme song. On a similar note, the Stranger Things Twitter account encouraged fans to drink a cherry slurpee in honor of Alexei.
- The fact that David Harbor is playing Red Guardian in Black Widow (2021) naturally led to quips of "Hopper is the American confirmed!" Explanation "The American" being a yet-unknown prisoner in the Russian facility at the end of Season 3, following Hopper's apparent demise.
- "It's your grandma" Explanation The blooper reel for season 3 shows that while filming the scene where Hopper sends Mike home, David Harbour had great difficulty saying the word "grandma" without breaking into laughter. The clip became wildly popular due to the strangeness of one word causing such difficulty.
- Regarding Joyce's concerns:
- Season One: "Something's wrong with my lights!"
- Season Two: "Something's wrong with my boy!"
- Season Three: "Something's wrong with my magnets!"
- Also, regarding Will:
- Season One: "Where's Will?"
- Season Two: "What's wrong with Will?"
- Season Three: "Who's Will?"
- Season Four: "Did everyone forget Will's birthday?"
- On-set pictures of Jamie Campbell Bower in his full Vecna costume, laughing and drinking coffee, have become popular; as has juxtaposing his appearance as the Orderly with his appearance as the demon. (IE, "Freshman VS Senior")
- "CHRISSY WAKE UP I DON'T LIKE THIS" Explanation Eddie's response to Chrissy being taken over by Vecna in the Season 4 premiere has reached memetic notoriety for being as hilarious as it is appropriate. The meme also grew after receiving a catchy musical remix by Schmoyoho.
- "THIS IS MUSIC!" Explanation Eddie's response when Robin hastily sifts through Eddie's metal records looking for "music"
- Max's Favorite Song Explanation Adding alternative suggestions to "Running Up That Hill" in a four-panel meme about Max's escape from Vecna.
- "You are like Papa." Explanation A quote from Season 2, usually paired with a promotional image of an Eleven Funko Pop that stares directly at the viewer. This meme is used in response to someone expressing a (usually mild) unpopular opinion, or relaying information that others do not want to hear.
- Dr. Brenner Photoshops Explanation For whatever reason, fans of the show began photoshopping a picture of Matthew Modine as Dr. Brenner wearing a pair of Cool Shades into various backgrounds, ranging from famous scenes in movies to national flags. The absurdity of the meme was enough to attract Modine's attention, who was more than willing to play along.
