Stranger Things Season 5 Fuels a Major Comeback in 80s Party Food
Eggo waffle searches doubled after 2016, with Kellogg’s also reporting a 17% sales increase during Season 2
As excitement builds for Stranger Things Season 5, new analysis reveals that interest in classic 1980s snacks and party foods is experiencing a major resurgence from waffles to pizza rolls, retro candy to nostalgic cheese appetisers.
Eggo Waffles: The Unexpected Barometer of Pop-Culture Appetite
Among all the foods associated with the show, Eggo waffles remain the most powerful cultural indicator. Google Trends shows enormous spikes in global interest immediately after the release of Seasons 1, 2 and 3, with the baseline never dropping back to pre-2016 levels. The Eggo effect continues to illustrate just how strongly food nostalgia connects with modern audiences and how TV can revive a product decades after its peak.
Pizza Rolls and the Slow-Burn Nostalgia Boom
Pizza rolls tell a slightly different story. A more gradual but equally persistent return to relevance. Searches climb sharply in July 2016, during the first wave of Stranger Things mania, but instead of spiking and falling, they rise steadily for four years. What was once a microwave-era snack confined to childhood freezer memories has reclaimed a place in everyday search behaviour.
The Return of the Jell-O Salad
A dish firmly associated with the 1950s through the 1980s, it virtually disappeared from search behaviour between 2004 and 2015. Then, beginning around 2017, just as Stranger Things reached global saturation, it begins to surface again. By 2020–2024, Jell-O salad hits its highest search interest in nearly two decades. Stranger Things, with its commitment to retro Americana, provides the cultural backdrop for its rediscovery.
Cheese In the 80s Revival
Google Trends shows a dramatic rise in searches for cheese dips from 2021 onwards, with major peaks coinciding with holiday seasons, sporting events, and, notably, Stranger Things release windows. Interest in baked brie, cheese balls, fondue, cheddar-and-pickle pairings, and retro cheese boards shows the same upward lift. Even more striking is the rise of searches for “Stranger Things board”, a term that barely existed before 2016 but now spikes with every season. Fans appear to be crafting cheese and snack platters themed around episodes, characters, and the show’s 80s aesthetic.
