McDonald’s has done crossovers before, but this one dips straight into the Upside Down with a full-scale themed experience.
The chain is rolling out a Happy Meal, collectible mini-figure, Hellfire dipping sauce, custom box, the whole nostalgic, Hawkins-coded package on account of Stranger Things season 5 debuting later this month. It’s the kind of promo that normally has US superfans camping outside drive-thrus at 6 am.
But here’s the gut punch that’s already driving the internet mad: the meal isn’t coming to the US at all.
What the Stranger Things meal actually includes
The box itself looks like it walked off the set, with branded artwork and the Hellfire Dipping Sauce—reportedly a hot and spicy blend with smoky chili peppers and a hint of sweetness—taking center stage. A mini-figure of one of six characters: Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Will, Lucas, or the Demogorgon is tucked inside for anyone who still keeps their season 1 merch somewhere on a shelf.
It’s exactly the kind of thing that would’ve blown up TikTok here within minutes.
The collaboration will reportedly be available in Spain, Portugal, and Argentina. Fans in those countries won. Everyone else? Not so much.
America gets left out of Hawkins
And that’s the part people are stuck on. The show takes place in Indiana, and its North American fanbase is enormous. Yet the meal is only hitting international markets, and nobody from McDonald’s is explaining why.
Speculation hints at the obvious culprit: between tariffs and the general chaos around imports, maybe the logistics just weren’t worth the headache. What is clear, though, is that US fans are not taking the news quietly.
Once the announcement circulated, social feeds turned into a petition board. People are asking, pleading, tagging McDonald’s in comment threads, hoping the chain changes its mind before the season premieres. No movement so far, but watching the attempts is becoming its own form of entertainment.
The Season 5 countdown
The partnership landed just as Stranger Things is preparing to wrap up its final chapter. Netflix has already confirmed a time jump between seasons 4 and 5, cast updates are dropping every week, and David Harbour promised the finale would “land the plane.” Fans are treating everything leading up to the premiere like a countdown.
The only thing they can’t get? The one tie-in that actually comes in a box.
Sources: Popverse, Dexerto, Back To The Movies