With the final season of Stranger Things on the horizon, Burger King has opened a portal of its own, one that’s equal parts clever, nostalgic, and delightfully geeky.
Instead of simply plastering its restaurants with Hawkins-themed posters, the brand built a digital activation that literally flips into the Upside Down: an inverted version of the Burger King app that appears the moment you turn your phone upside down.
No need to run from Vecna or grab a spiked bat. All it takes is a simple phone flip to reveal a secret Stranger Things menu hidden in plain sight.
Alongside the app trick, Burger King is launching two limited-edition menus: one available in our world, and one reserved for anyone brave enough to cross into the “Appside Down.” It’s a giant wink to the series’ ‘80s roots, and a clever way to turn a fast-food order into a full digital treasure hunt.
To announce the activation, Burger King released a spot dripping with Stranger Things energy: a group of teens, chrome bikes, walkie-talkies, VHS-grade vibes, straight out of 1985. You could swear the scene takes place in the Starcourt Mall parking lot, but the stakes are much lower: the mission is to unlock the Upside Down menu.
Inside the spot, a deadpan Burger King employee reveals the mechanic: flip your phon and the entire app switches into its alternate-dimension mode. The kids instantly mimic the gesture with their walkies, echoing the series’ DIY communication style. The result? A funny, referential, fan-friendly film built to make the entire Stranger Things community smile.
A Clever Digital Trick: The App That “Shifts Dimensions”
At the heart of the idea is a simple but surprisingly magical mechanic: the phone’s gyroscope detects the 180° rotation and instantly loads a different menu. Right-side up: The standard Hellfire Club menu. Upside down: The secret Upside Down menu, complete with custom packaging and five exclusive collector cups
No codes to crack. No mini-game. Just an intuitive gesture that feels like a secret only true Hawkins fans would know how to access. It celebrates the Stranger Things universe without drowning in references, and gives fans a tiny thrill of discovering a hidden easter egg.
The campaign, which rolled out on November 25, is everywhere: TV, digital, social, short-form, long-form, there’s no escaping the portal if you’re one of the millions eagerly waiting for Stranger Things’ final chapter.
At restaurants, both special-edition menus are now available, and fans can walk away with the collector cups, instant trophies for anyone who loves the series.
With this activation, Burger King nails what most brands try (and often fail) to do: a pop-culture collaboration that goes beyond branding to deliver an experience fans actually want to interact with.
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