Stranger Things has no shortage of horrors that make you glad it’s just a show: a Demogorgon, Vecna, the Upside Down in general. But it’s hard to watch Steve and Robin preside over Scoops Ahoy without wishing you could sample the shop’s ice cream flavors for yourself.
Some wishes do come true. Walmart just rolled out seven kinds of Scoops Ahoy ice cream, each inspired by a different element from the show. Here’s a breakdown of what’s on the menu:
Name | Flavor Profile | Inspiration |
---|---|---|
U.S.S. Butterscotch | Butterscotch ice cream with salted caramel ribbons and salted caramel chocolate swirls | Erica Sinclair's in-world ice cream of choice |
Chocolate Pudding | Chocolate ice cream with chocolate fudge swirls and vanilla wafers | Dustin's penchant for finding chocolate pudding |
Cinnamon Bun Bytes | Cinnamon ice cream with cinnamon cream cheese swirls and cinnamon roll dough | Suzie's romance with "Dusty Bun" |
Triple Decker Extravaganza | Vanilla and butter ice cream with maple ribbons, waffle bits, and chocolate peanut butter candy | Eleven and Hopper's Triple Decker Eggo Extravaganza |
Mint Flare | Mint ice cream with chocolate chunks and rainbow confetti | Joyce Byers's Christmas lights and the Mind Flayer's general vibe |
Pineapple Upside Down | Pineapple ice cream with salted caramel swirls and chunks of pound cake | Argyle's favorite pizza topping (and everyone's least favorite alternate universe) |
The Void | Black vanilla ice cream with strawberry ribbons and vanilla cream cookie pieces | Eleven's power in The Void |
To maximize your tasting experience, Netflix has also put together a viewing guide so you know which episodes pair best with each pint. If you’re digging into Triple Decker Extravaganza, for example, press play on the third episode of season 2, when Hopper whips up a Triple Decker Eggo Extravaganza for Eleven. You can see the whole guide on Netflix’s Tudum website.
It’s not the first time we’ve been treated to Stranger Things–themed ice cream. Baskin-Robbins celebrated the release of season 3 back in 2019 with several frozen dessert items, including some innovative ice cream flavors: Eleven’s Heaven, a waffle cone–flavored ice cream with chocolate icing ribbons and chocolate-covered cone pieces; Upside Down Pralines, chocolate ice cream with praline pecans and chocolate-caramel ribbons; and another take on Scoops Ahoy’s U.S.S. Butterscotch that featured butterscotch toffee and toffee ribbons.
But picking up a few cartons of Stranger Things ice cream during your regular grocery run at Walmart has its own special appeal. Right now, all seven flavors, which sell for around $5 a pint, are available in stores and on Walmart’s website for residents of the U.S. and Australia; and Netflix says they’re “coming soon” to fans in the UK, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan.
As for when we can expect season 5 of the series to hit screens, it’s still up in the air: Production has been on hold for months as the Writers Guild of America (and the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA) strikes for fair wages.