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Global events and '80s-themed products lead marketing

effort

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Episodes released around major holidays to maintain viewer

interest

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Future projects include a play, animated series, and

live-action

spinoff

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Netflix's ( NFLX ) hit

sci-fi series "Stranger Things" is about to ride to its

conclusion with a marketing and merchandising blitz befitting a

blockbuster movie.

Ahead of the fifth and final season's debut on Wednesday,

thousands turned out in Los Angeles at a cycling event dubbed

"One Last Ride," a nod to the show's bike-riding teenagers in

the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.

Retailers are offering everything from Demogorgon Crunch

cereal to Hellfire Club backpacks for what is Netflix's ( NFLX ) largest

consumer products program to date, said Netflix ( NFLX ) Chief Marketing

Officer Marian Lee.

Target ( TGT ) stores are selling more than 150 "Stranger

Things" products.

Many brands are leaning in to 1980s nostalgia. Gatorade

brought back an '80s Citrus Cooler flavor, and Walmart ( WMT )

is selling a "Stranger Things" collection of Care Bears, one of

the hot-selling toys of that era.

The promotional push extends around the world.

"This is a show that really resonates globally," Lee said.

In Paris, visitors can browse a Hawkins Christmas market at

the Galeries Lafayette department store. A "Stranger Things"

experience featuring the Hawkins Lab has stopped in San

Francisco, New York, Rio de Janeiro and Sydney. New Netflix

Houses inside malls feature "Stranger Things" areas.

Instead of releasing all episodes at once, Netflix ( NFLX ) will

stagger the final season's episodes around major holidays. Four

episodes debut on Wednesday, the day before the U.S.

Thanksgiving Day holiday, three on Christmas Day in December and

the final episode on New Year's Eve.

"Stranger Things" - whose stars include Millie Bobby Brown,

Finn Wolfhard and Noah Schnapp - will be hard to miss throughout

the holiday season. A "Stranger Things" float featuring 1970s

and '80s rock band Foreigner will appear in the Macy's

Thanksgiving Day parade. More products will arrive to tempt

holiday shoppers.

The all-in approach is similar to what movie studios employ

for big-budget films such as "Barbie" or "Wicked," said Amanda

Cioletti, an expert on licensing trends and vice president of

content and strategy at research firm Informa Markets Global

Licensing Group. TV shows rarely receive such treatment.

"We see 'Stranger Things' everywhere," said Cioletti. "When

you are on social media you see it, and you see it in all the

storefronts. You see it in every other placement that makes

sense."

Fans at the Los Angeles bike ride voiced anticipation for

the final season of a series that began nine years ago.

"The (show) started when I was in about sixth grade, so I

was the same age as the characters when it started," said

21-year-old Chloe Allen. "It's definitely been a huge part of my

life."

Netflix ( NFLX ) hopes to keep fans interested in the "Stranger

Things" world for years. A play called "Stranger Things: The

First Shadow" is running on Broadway and London's West End, and

an animated series is set for next year.

A live-action spinoff also is planned. "It's not a

continuation of the story of Hawkins, of these characters, but

it's still in the universe of 'Stranger Things,'" Co-Creator

Ross Duffer said.

Executive producer Shawn Levy revealed few details but said

he and the Duffers would offer fans something new.

"We are never going to repeat ourselves," Levy said.