How Stranger Things Season 5 Was Inspired by The Goonies

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Amy Parris, the costume designer for Stranger Things, has shared that Millie Bobby Brown‘s character, Eleven, will have a look in Season 5 inspired by Josh Brolin’s character in the 1980s film The Goonies. This is fitting, as The Goonies came out during the same time period as the show.

Stranger Things costume designer confirms Goonies inspiration behind El’s Season 5 look

Amy Parris, in a recent interview with The New York Post, revealed the inspiration behind Eleven’s style in the upcoming season of Stranger Things. She explained that the character’s outfit—a cropped sweatshirt and shorts worn over joggers—was a combination of looks from Josh Brolin in The Goonies and Soleil Moon Frye’s character in the 1984 TV show Punky Brewster.

Parris expected fans would have a strong reaction to Eleven’s new look in Season 5. She’s been seeing comments questioning the shorts-and-sweatpants combination, but she points out that it was a popular style in the 1980s and she predicted this response.

The costume designer also shared that when creating Eleven’s style, she looked at photos of real people from the 80s—not just celebrities like Josh Brolin—to get inspiration for outfits that were actually worn back then.

Parris explained that without Max’s help, Eleven wasn’t focused on what she wore. However, she still made an effort to look as stylish as possible.

Paris shared that Millie Bobby Brown initially questioned Eleven’s wardrobe for the fifth season. Paris showed the Duffer brothers concept art and, after deciding on a direction, sent it to Brown. Later, Paris learned that Brown had privately emailed the creators to express her doubts about the clothing choices.

Paris also remembered Brown joking that Eleven’s costume didn’t look great during a fitting, and then playfully adding, “I’m so glad I’m married!”

The first part of Stranger Things Season 5 is now available on Netflix. The second part will be released on December 25, 2025, and the final episodes will air on December 31, 2025.

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2025-12-03 14:57