Last year, the epic ordeal of the people of Hawkins, Indiana, came to an end with the finale of the juggernaut Netflix series, STRANGER THINGS. With the Upside-Down now not a threat, we thought that our stay in the ‘80s was over, but not so!
On April 23, Netflix will release the animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85. This cinematic show aims to introduce a whole new generation of fans to the Stranger Things universe and give adult fans something they can watch with their kids.
The “Core Four” of Stranger Things (Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin) will take center stage as they solve mysteries and battle monsters and threats in new stories with real stakes.
Parenting Patch recently spoke with Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 showrunner Eric Robles (Fanboy & Chum Chum, Glitch Techs) about what fans new and old can expect, the transition from “grown up” Stranger Things to more kid-friendly stories, and how this new series will add to the Stranger Things lore.
Translating Grown-Up Shows Into Kids Series
Parenting Patch: Right off the top, ‘Stranger Things’ is a pretty scary show, even for adults. How did you approach creating a version of the world of Stranger Things that’s more kid-friendly?
Eric Robles: That’s a great question. When we started, [Stranger Things creators] the Duffer brothers and myself, we could have easily gone down the route of making sure the adventure gets a little bit bigger, the mystery gets bigger and everyone, Joyce, Hopper, etc, is involved.
But we didn’t go that route. We said, “This is about the kids. This story, this adventure, is going to be about the kids.” Because when I remember watching Goonies or Stand By Me, it was about the kids’ journey. So, instead of going down the bigger route of getting Adults and Government involved, we said, Let’s keep it to the kids riding bikes and solving mysteries on their own.
One of the things that I loved as a kid growing up in the 80s was that my parents had no idea where I was going to be all day, [laughs]. I was out and about, going to construction sites, going to parks and doing all this crazy stuff in the next city over or something, with my friends and their bikes.
I love that, and I really just wanted to focus on these kids bonding in that way. Also, remember that back in the 80s, we had to go to each other’s houses, pick each other up, and then go on our adventures, right? When you did that, there was this sense of freedom you had when you were just hanging out with your friends. These stories are really just about kids solving mysteries and going on adventures.
But we will still touch base with some of the flagship characters, with little run-ins here and there, so it’s not isolated in a way where it’s completely just the kids. We definitely do touch base here and there with some of the other characters from the flagship series.
Fun Stories and Forward-Moving Mysteries
Parenting Patch: Stranger Things has long, arcing stories that unfold over a season in intricate ways. With Tales From ‘85, are we looking at more of a ‘monster of the week’ type show, or is there more that contributes to the overall Stranger Things lore?
Eric Robles: I would say it contributes, but it follows a similar structure to the live-action, where you are following the mystery. It’s not “monster of the week,” but everything is happening for a reason, right? Whenever there’s an action, there’s going to be a reaction in the storyline of it all. For example, new mutations are not for the sake of, “hey, wouldn’t it be cool?” It’s because this happened, meaning that it needs to happen. So, as you’re following the story arc, you’re seeing the evolution of how things are coming to life and why they’re coming to life.
The Stranger Things Creators Were All In ‘On Tales From ‘85’
Parenting Patch: You mentioned the Duffer brothers off the top. How closely did you work with them in the development of Tales From ‘85?
Eric Robles: The first time we actually met, we were only supposed to meet for half an hour because they were busy in post-production of [Stranger Things] season four. But we ended up geeking out and talking for an hour and a half, and people were literally saying, “Guys! You guys need to go finish post-production, because the show’s gonna air, like, on Friday!’
We just started geeking out because we saw the possibilities of what we could do with this series. They said, “Look, we don’t want you to do just one-to-one Stranger Things stories; we want you to bring your voice to the table.”
We also have some amazing crew on this show. We have Caitlin Schneiderhan, a writer on the flagship series, as our Head of Story. So we’re making sure we stay true to the flagship series and respect its rules. So making sure that we’re not kind of going out of bounds in any way. And at the same time, we’re bringing our own unique ‘upside down’ stories and Hawkins Lab mystery to it all.
And so we have this team that’s really kind of able to put these pieces together in this way, but again, the Duffer brothers were really adamant about making sure that we were able to tell these really fun mysteries with these kids. That, and we say this a lot in the writer’s room, ‘never forget, it’s kids riding bikes, solving mysteries with the walkie-talkies and their flashlights.’ It’s very simple. You keep it in that box, and you’re gonna have great adventures. That’s kind of like what we have up on our wall.
Parenting Patch: That’s amazing. I’ve been in writers’ rooms, and it’s so important to have a mantra or rallying point like that you can hone in on.
Eric Robles: It keeps you focused, right? Because the show could get so big so fast. Especially after season four [of Stranger Things]. So what we would say is, never forget that the kids are saving the town, not the world.
Parenting Patch: That’s great, it keeps it grounded and accessible for kids and the parents who might be fans of the show, looking to share that with their kids.
Eric Robles: That’s it. Right. Right.
Bringing Kids Into That 1980s Vibe With Visual Cues and Music
Parenting Patch: The 80s tone of Stranger Things is one of its huge components. How did you present that 80s vibe to today’s kids who might not have a frame of reference for the 80s, in a way that’s palatable to them?
Eric Robles: I think Stranger Things did it for us. They at least introduced the concept that there’s a show set in the 80’s that’s freaking cool, right? We’re introducing them to a time period that also feels very cool.
One of the ways Tales From ‘85 cues the audience is color. If you take note of the show’s color palette, you’re initially seeing a day-in-the-life of these kids, and that just feels very simple and Spielbergian. But if you’re paying attention, once you start seeing our colors shift from regular neutral daytime colors to these vibrant, dark colors, that means something’s going wrong and something’s about to show up, right? So, when you watch Jaws, and you hear that “dun-uh,” we’re giving you something like that with color.
So when you start seeing these colors shifting, you start seeing things kind of saying, “you’re going to start feeling that something’s going on, something’s different, right?” I love that because now there’s a voice to the color palette of our series.
At the same time, kids are now visually invested, understanding that something is being amped, that something’s not right, that something’s different, and allowing them to be part of that story and time period.
Parenting Patch: That’s a great way to do it, and it’s a great way to bring kids into that vibe, because they won’t necessarily have to know other touchstones from the 80s that they may not be aware of. I think that’s fantastic.
Eric Robles: Right. That, and our music. Our music is another big part of it. All of the show’s music falls within 1985 and under. So all the music that you’re going to be hearing in the series is needle drops, and the audience is going to be like, “Hey, man, I know that song!” Then your kids will be introduced to something completely cool, and you’ll be able to say, “I grew up with that song!”
So, we’re doing it with the music, we’re doing it with the visuals, and we’re also introducing new color palettes that are very contemporary at the same time. It’s a really cool blend of all these awesome things, and I’m really hoping that this becomes a co-viewing experience for kids and parents. Something that parents will enjoy, and your kids are going to enjoy, and everybody’s just going to have fun on this journey.
Parenting Patch: So, much like the live-action series, you’re using “real” music to set the scene in the episodes?
Eric Robles: Yes, sir.
Parenting Patch: Are there any tracks that you felt you absolutely had to have? Tracks that even before you laid everything out, you knew you needed that song, and to follow up: Any more Metallica? [laughs] Because that’s my favorite band.
Eric Robles: [Laughs] Metallica, no, only because it’s now become such a thing for Season 4 [of Stranger Things]. It just became such a thing, so we wanted to create our own voice for the show, and I really feel like we got some bangers coming. I really hope everyone can appreciate some of the ones that we picked for the show, because we got some pretty cool stuff in there.
Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 streams exclusively on Netflix on April 23rd, 2026.
