Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Toyline Reveals Original Monsters (And Brand New Character)

Stranger Things is back on Netflix later this year with the animated spinoff series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, which will fill in the story between seasons 2 and 3 of the main show. Since it does take place in the past, you might not expect there to be much in the way of new elements, but that is thankfully not the case for Tales From ’85, as the new toyline not only reveals a look at two new monsters, but also a brand new character that will be helping out our cast of beloved series favorites.

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The new Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 toyline is from Jazwares, and features several series favorite characters like Mike Wheeler, Will Byers, and Eleven, with each coming with their own unique weapons or accessories. They will be joined by a brand new character named Nikki Baxter, who is getting her own toy in the new line, but that’s not all, as fans can also pick up 2 original new monsters, including the Vine Dog and the Gourde Hord. The new line will be available at Target, and you can check out all of the new figures from the toyline below.

The Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Toyline Brings In Some New Blood, But Who Are They?’

Nikki Baxter

The new lineup is a welcome mix of favorites and new monsters and characters, and let’s start with the new character, Nikki Baxter. Baxter is a transfer student in the new series played by Odessa A’zion, and A’zion describes the character as “super punk rock”. Nikki hasn’t had any real friends until her stop in Hawkins, and she ends up joining the crew and becoming the group’s muscle (via Netflix), with A’zion explaining that Nikki’s D&D role is the barbarian and the protector. “They had everything, and she was the missing puzzle piece. You need a little muscle in that crew,” A’zion said.

Nikki Baxter’s figure is one of two figures that also come with an HIC Flashlight, which also works as a backlight. Not only does it reveal hidden paint on the figure, but you can insert a disc into the flashlight to project a monster onto a surface, and that’s on top of the two weapon accessories the figure comes with as well.

Will Byers

The other figure in this specific line is Will Byers. Byers comes with the HIC Flashlight and Blacklight, but the included disc projects a different monster onto a surface. Byers also comes with two different weapon accessories that can be used individually or combined to form an even deadlier weapon.

Vine Dog

Now let’s take a look at the new monsters, and we’ll start with the biggest new create the Vine Dog. This is a brand new minion in the Stranger Things universe, and it looks like if a man-eating plant took over a Demo Dog. The creature is mostly a grayish black with bright green highlights around the spikes, tail, and mouth. The mouth opens much like a Demogorgon, but there’s a big difference here, as the figure can be crushed to reveal a small figure of Mike inside the green orb in its mouth. That’s likely tied to a moment from the series, and it also gives a better sense of scale regarding how big the Vine Dog actually is.

The Gourd Horde

The other new creature in the toyline is The Gourd Horde, which is described as a possessed pumpkin. Even though it’s an ordinary pumpkin that’s been transformed, it has clearly been given a nightmare makeover, with straggly vines in the back, gnarly teeth, and full-on vine legs and arms. Being that this is called The Gourd Horde, one might expect there to be a host of terrifying Pumpkins involved in whatever sequence this is part of.

Mike and Eleven

The last two figures are individual ones with one or two accessories. The first is Mike, who comes with one of the deadliest hockey sticks around, while Eleven comes with a waffle and what could either be armor or a backpack, but it’s hard to figure out which one it is from this angle. Both of these figures also have hidden paint that can be revealed with the HIC flashlight, even though they don’t have the flashlight included.

The new Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 toy collection from Jazwares is now available at Target, and while they aren’t showing up on Target’s website yet, when they do, you can find them right here.

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