I Ate ‘Stranger Things’ Eggo Red Waffles

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Don’t worry too much about the Mind Flayer! The real danger in Netflix’s Stranger Things is actually the Stomach Flayer.

Forget monsters from another dimension – the real threat is the “Stomach Flayer,” and it’s hiding in plain sight at your local grocery store. This playful nickname refers to the massive amount of Stranger Things merchandise released by Netflix to promote the show’s final season. You’ll find more tie-in products than you can believe!

I already ate pizza and Stranger Thingsflavored Doritos, and there’s Stranger Things Fruit by the Foot as well. I also tried the Stranger Things Chips Ahoy!, but they tasted so fake and strange that even my kids – who question why raspberries aren’t blue – wouldn’t finish them, and I ended up throwing the whole bag away. Honestly, Netflix should really lean into this and make Stranger Things Imodium. Imagine an ad: “Having tummy troubles? Turn things upside down with Stranger Things* Imodium!”

The newest product connected to the show Stranger Things is a special edition of Eggo Waffles. Unlike many Stranger Things tie-in products, these waffles actually appear in the show itself – the character Eleven famously ate Eggos in the first season. While she enjoyed the original, classic homestyle waffles, this limited edition version is strawberry flavored.

Eggo is releasing a new strawberry-flavored waffle that’s naturally colored red – a fun nod to the Upside Down from the Netflix show Stranger Things. For fans who prefer the original, they’re also offering a limited-edition *Stranger Thingsthemed box of classic Eggo waffles.

I’m willing to go to pretty extreme lengths for good content – even if it means pretending to coat my insides with waffle crumbs! So, let’s talk about Stranger Things and its iconic Eggo waffles.

I Ate Stranger Things Eggo Waffles

Stranger Things Eggo Waffles

It’s funny how far these characters have come. The show began with a group of nerdy high schoolers obsessed with Dungeons & Dragons who accidentally stumbled into a world of monsters. Now, they’re in their early twenties, looking brooding and intense while serving customers frozen waffles – and they’re still rocking those 80s styles! Time really flies.

I Repeat: Stranger Things Eggo Waffles

I really liked seeing the box say it used “Colors From Natural Sources.” It struck me as a little funny, though, that something inspired by the creepy, otherworldly Upside Down could also be made with natural colors – it feels like a bit of a contrast, doesn’t it?

Eat Your Breakfast

These waffles are colored with natural ingredients, but the syrup is definitely artificial! It’s so over-the-top! I also love the tagline, “Prepare for the final battle with Eggo.” If I were one of the kids from Stranger Things and tried to run off to fight Vecna without eating, my mom would absolutely make me come back and have breakfast. She’d say something like, “Matthew Singer! Get back here! You are not going anywhere until you’ve had an Eggo to prepare for the final battle!”

Nutritional Information

The nutrition label says 190 calories, but that’s for two waffles – not just one! So, having a single strawberry waffle for breakfast isn’t too bad, as long as you don’t load it with syrup.

Since these waffles are strawberry-flavored and colored with natural ingredients, I checked the ingredient list to see if they actually contained strawberries. They do! You’ll find “strawberry powder” near the bottom, along with maltodextrin and eggs. The label also says they use “fruit and vegetable juice for color,” but it doesn’t specify which fruits or vegetables are used.

That Is Certainly a Red Waffle

I was a little surprised by the color of these waffles. It’s not the deep red you see in the Stranger Things logo and imagery. They’re more of a purplish-red. But if the color was meant to make me feel uneasy, like I do when watching Stranger Things, and question whether I even want to eat them… it definitely worked.

You can watch my taste test here.

So that was my adventure with the Stomach Flayer and Stranger Things Strawberry Eggo Waffles! The fifth season of Stranger Things starts on Netflix November 26th. These waffles are available now, but won’t be around forever – stores will eventually need space for other limited-edition items like Kodiak’s Emily in Paris French toast.

20 Inexplicable Toy Lines Based on Movies

Dune (1984)

Starting in May 1977, Hollywood became obsessed with finding the next big hit like Star Wars. For the next ten years, lots of science fiction movies were made simply because studios believed anything with spaceships, robots, or monsters could be incredibly profitable. This led to some strange decisions – movies that weren’t really aimed at kids, like David Lynch’s Dune, unexpectedly received toy lines. Dune is a weird, complex film that doesn’t immediately spring to mind as something kids would love, but LJN still released a huge range of Dune merchandise, including action figures and even a massive sandworm – and honestly, the pictures speak for themselves.

Aliens (1986)

It’s surprising how many R-rated movies from the 80s and 90s had accompanying toy lines. Many of these films, like Rambo, Police Academy, and RoboCop, were able to justify the toys because they also had more kid-friendly PG-rated cartoon adaptations. (While adapting R-rated movies for children isn’t ideal, that’s a separate discussion.) James Cameron’s Aliens, however, was always a very violent and frightening action-horror film. The Aliens toy line from Kenner actually let kids play out the terrifying scene where the Space Marines are destroyed on the planet LV-426.

Demolition Man (1993)

It’s funny how many R-rated action movies ended up with toy lines—take Demolition Man, for example. It’s strange that such violent films were turned into colorful toys for kids. The Wesley Snipes action figure even came with a “scorching torch,” encouraging kids to ‘roast’ their other toys!

Coneheads (1993)

Playmates, the company known for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, also found success creating toys based on popular movies and TV shows like Dick Tracy and Star Trek. They then tried to capitalize on that success with toys based on Coneheads, the movie version of the classic Saturday Night Live sketch starring Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin. While the toys look pretty accurate to the characters, it’s unclear who they were intended for. Coneheads is about aliens pretending to be humans (specifically, from France!), and they mostly engage in everyday activities like golfing and eating at Subway. It’s hard to imagine kids wanting action figures of that!

Stargate (1994)

So, people are trying to revive Star Wars, but what about Stargate? Would that grab your attention? Imagine James Spader as the lead! Still not excited? How about a toy of him with an over-the-top, muscle-bound physique, wielding a ridiculously huge rifle? Is Stargate finally starting to sound appealing?

Waterworld (1995)

I always found it fascinating that Waterworld wasn’t the first time in the ’90s Kevin Costner had a whole line of toys made around one of his movies! Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves actually had a ton of merchandise back in ’91, and that made sense – kids loved the Robin Hood story anyway, and who doesn’t want a bow and arrow? But Waterworld was different. It didn’t really have a built-in appeal beyond… well, Kevin Costner on a boat, drinking his own urine! And honestly, it was a bit of a letdown that the toy didn’t come with a little pee recycler, considering!

Mission: Impossible (1996)

A successful toy line based on the Mission: Impossible movies could be created if the toys included a way to realistically change Ethan Hunt’s face to match his disguises. That’s actually what the Mission Impossible toy line from the mid-90s tried to do, but it didn’t work well. The disguises looked terrible, and even the regular Ethan Hunt face sculpt wasn’t very good.

Steel (1997)

The movie Steel, starring Shaquille O’Neal, is a superhero film inspired by Superman, but it doesn’t live up to the standard. While the character eventually wears armor, it’s a far cry from the impressive Man of Steel. It’s not filled with exciting technology or action, and frankly, it’s not a very good movie. Just looking at the packaging, O’Neal looks completely uncomfortable in the costume, like he was forced to wear it. (Interestingly, one of the included figures, “Shell Shock Burke,” is actually a Judd Nelson action figure.)

Austin Powers (1997)

McFarlane Toys launched its line of Austin Powers action figures in 1999 with the release of The Spy Who Shagged Me. The collection featured characters from both the first movie and the sequel. Over time, McFarlane produced almost twenty different Austin Powers figures, even including lesser-known characters like Scott Evil, a Fembot, and Fat Bastard. They clearly understood how popular the movies’ quotes were, so each figure came with a display stand that played sounds from the films.

Starship Troopers (1997)

This incredibly violent and mature film, directed by Paul Verhoeven, surprisingly spawned a line of action figures. Thankfully, they didn’t release a collection featuring the infamous shower scene.

Armageddon (1998)

Hot Wheels created a toy line based on the movie Armageddon. Most of the toys were vehicles from the film, like spaceships and rovers. Surprisingly, they also made large action figures of Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck dressed as driller/astronauts. The Ben Affleck figure’s packaging even advertised it came with an ‘Exploding’ Nuclear Device – a strange feature for a child’s toy! It will be interesting to see if their upcoming A House of Dynamite line takes a different approach.

Mystery Men (1999)

It makes sense that action figures were made for the movie Mystery Men – superheroes are always popular toys. However, Mystery Men wasn’t a well-known franchise to begin with, and it didn’t become a huge hit after the movie came out. Because of that, it’s hard to imagine the movie ever being popular enough to warrant making toys of the characters, like one of actor William H. Macy.

Wild Wild West (1999)

This isn’t a Magic 8-Ball that came with a Will Smith action figure from the unsuccessful Wild Wild West toy collection. It’s actually a full-sized billiard ball, referencing the pool scenes in the movie Wild Wild West. I’m not sure why it’s so large instead of being scaled to fit the figure’s hand. On a brighter note, the Kenneth Branagh figure designed as a mechanical spider is really cool.

Virus (1999)

I remember back in 1999, everyone was obsessed with this show called Virus. It was kind of a strange craze, honestly. They started making action figures, and you could get your own Kelly Foster or Steve Baker! Kids really loved Captain Everton too – they couldn’t get enough of him. The figures themselves were surprisingly well-made and creative, but I always wondered… who actually wanted these?

Little Nicky (2000)

Todd McFarlane didn’t just create action figures of Adam Sandler’s character from Little Nicky; he also made figures of the supporting characters. One example is the Gatekeeper, played by Kevin Nealon, who had a rather unusual design – breasts growing from his head! It’s easy to imagine the awkward conversation you’d have with a child if they spotted that toy at a store like Toys R Us.

Battlefield Earth (2000)

Let’s be honest, Battlefield Earth is a famously bad movie, and the toys made to go with it weren’t any better. Still, I have to admit, looking at the John Travolta action figure – with its awful hair, huge boots, and strangely, six fingers – makes me almost want to collect it.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

The success of the Austin Powers line of collectibles clearly motivated McFarlane to try the same approach with Napoleon Dynamite a few years later. Similar to the Austin Powers toys, the Napoleon Dynamite collectibles were more like display pieces you could pose than traditional action figures. It seems they anticipated customers would display them on shelves, or even keep them in the packaging, rather than actually playing with them.

The A-Team (2010)

The classic TV show The A-Team once had a line of toys, so it’s not surprising the same happened with the movie. If you collect them all, you could have action figures of Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, and Quentin “Rampage” Jackson displayed on your shelf forever. (Though I wouldn’t necessarily suggest doing that, it is possible.)

Real Steel (2011)

You know, I totally blanked on Real Steel until just now! It was that movie with Hugh Jackman playing an ex-boxer, but instead of people fighting, it was robots. It’s funny, Jakks Pacific didn’t make a figure of Hugh Jackman’s character, but they did pump out a ton of other robots from the movie, clearly trying to capture the magic of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.

World War Z (2013)

That Brad Pitt action figure is honestly one of the worst I’ve ever seen. It looks like it was sculpted by someone who only imagined him as a zombie! The rest of the World War Z toy line featured characters who were either about to become zombies or were already undead. These figures were everywhere in stores for a while in 2013, but now you can usually find them on eBay for under $20.

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2025-11-05 20:01