Elain Brown Culture 07.20.2022 10:Jul AM EDT

#EntertainmentTech 'Stranger Things' Has Introduced the Younger Audience to Old School Gadgets

Stranger Things is a series that has gotten us all hooked since it was first released in 2016.

The 80s vibe it gave made a lot of us nostalgic. It gave us a look and a walkthrough of what and how things operated back then.

Stranger Things is an original series on Netflix created by the Duffer brothers. When the show came out, it seemed like it came out of nowhere, became a hit in numerous countries, and people loved it.

There are numerous factors that contribute to its success. Stranger Things is a sci-fi series, but it is also so much more than that. It also involves horror, comedy, conspiracy, and supernatural events.

The series followed five children, Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers,Gaten Matarazzo, and Eleven, on their adventures in Hawkins.

It is undeniable that the use of old gadgets and technology contributed to what made the series seem even more expansive and contributed significantly to the nostalgic quality of the experience. With that, here are some of the iconic old school tech we have seen throughout the series.

Heathkit Ham Shack Radio

According to Inverse, one of the old gadgets that have been seen in the series is the Heathkit Ham Shack Radio. Gaten, Mike, and Lucas knew about the device because of Mr. Clarke, the leader of their AV club.

Mr. Clarke showed the boys the new Heathkit that had recently arrived and what a great device it is. This device is what they used to contact people immediately from a far location back in the 80s.

After learning about the gadget, they reached the conclusion that the Heathkit was their best alternative after determining that they needed to get Eleven to a stronger radio in order to contact Will, who had gone missing.

Eleven was able to track him down and play his voice over the device's speakers after she discovered where Will was.

Walkman

Another old school gadget seen on Stranger Things is the walkman. The walkman in the recently released season 4 played a vital role in making sure Max would be alive.

Stranger Things season 4 had the walkman playing "Running Up The Hill" by Kate Bush as one of the most memorable scenes. For the entire season, Max can be seen walking with the Sony walkman WM-8 the majority of the time.

To avoid being killed by Vecna, Max needs to play music all the time to keep her at the present moment.

The walkman is the airpods and headset we currently have nowadays. A few decades ago, when you wanted to play music on the go, a walkman would be your option. It is a portable audio player.

Walkie Talkie

Another retro gadget that a lot of the fans loved seeing is how the characters use their walkie talkie. It is an old gadget that even to this day can be seen everywhere and is still functioning all right.

Although the difference with the walkie talkies today is their light and ease, compared to what you can see on Stranger Things where it is just one heavy and chunky device.

The series is based on the 1908s. During those times, cellular phones were not yet everywhere. There were no iPhones, iPads, or Android devices. The only gadget that helped them communicate with each other was the walkie talkie.

The walkie talkie during the entire series helped so much in keeping themselves alive and moving forward to save Hawkins.

Stranger Things incorporated numerous retro gadgets that we can still see to have lived out their lives even after a few decades.

An example I know we have all seen in the series is the music player called the Boombox. Another one that we are all very familiar with is the film camera of Jonathan Byers, a Pentax K1000, a 35mm film SLR.

Almost immediately after Stranger Things was made public, it sparked a frenzy all around the world. The tributes to old Hollywood movies were handled so expertly.

That, in conjunction with the cinematic influences and homages contributed by Tim Ives and the Duffer Brothers, is truly what keeps the series rooted in the aesthetics of the 1980s.