Candy Cameo
1985 Kit Kat contest featured in Stranger Things Season 3
KitKatKa$h, gave away $150,000 in prizes to consumers in the 80s.
Mike and Lucus just wanted a break from fighting the Mind Flayer. So after sneaking into a hospital, they headed to the waiting room vending machine where they find the perfect treat behind the glass — Kit Kat. And even better, there’s currently a contest advertised on the wrapper! KitKatKa$h, with $150,000 in total prizes!
But after they put the money in and make their selection, the Kit Kat gets stuck. No worries though! Mike’s on-again/off-again girlfriend Eleven has telekinesis! She moves the vending machine with her mind, and out fall all the candy bars! Success!
It’s a scene from Season 3 Episode 5 of Stranger Things, a Netflix show that takes place in the 1980s and features fantasy and supernatural plot lines.
Season 3 specifically takes place in the summer of 1985, and the show goes out of its way to get all the details of the time period perfect — including featuring the exact right contest on the vintage Kit Kat wrapper.
“The team here at Kit Kat couldn’t believe it when we saw our chocolate candy in the vending machine during one of the hottest, most anticipated series of the summer — Stranger Things,” says Kaylee Dugan, spokesperson for The Hershey Co., which owns the Kit Kat brand in the United States. “While, we didn’t have any advance notice that Kit Kat would be making a cameo appearance, the brand has been a longtime fan favorite. The KitKatKaSh promotion was also a real promo used by the brand back in the 1980s."
According to an image of a vintage wrapper posted by Flickr user Brandon, the contest gave away $150,000 in total prizes, including a $25,000 grand prize! One thousand people also won $50 instantly if they found a silver foil wrapper in their bar with a special Ka$h sticker.
Kit Kat wasn’t the only candy featured in the scene, though. A close-up of the vending machine shows vintage versions of Skittles, Reese's Pieces and Snickers. The Reese's Pieces were especially notable because they had gained popularity after being featured in the 1982 movie ET.
It sounds like the 80s were pretty gnarly indeed.
Read more: IT’SUGAR launches new Stranger Things collection
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
