The third season of Stranger Things has now premiered on Netflix. It brings back favorite characters like Eleven and Sherriff Hopper as they once again battle otherworldly evil and weird human conspiracy.
In the show, our characters contend with mysterious things that come from another world known as “the Upside Down.” Meanwhile, in our own world, the Stranger Things universe is leaking out in the form of awesome tattoos!
Want to know all about the Stranger Things tattoos and other ink on your favorite cast members? Heat yourself an Eggo and keep reading!
What’s In a Name?
Image from @mattdavelewis
In a way, a tattoo is at the very heart of the Stranger Things story. That’s because a tattoo is how we know Eleven’s name.
Her character’s backstory involves being part of a science experiment that ultimately gave her fantastic powers. It also left her with a forearm tattoo of the number eleven.
Since her memories of the past are fuzzy, the main characters simply call her “Eleven” (or sometimes “El” for short) throughout the series.
And while Eleven Actor Millie Bobby Brown doesn’t have ink in real life, she was an ink inspiration: actor Matthew Lewis (known for playing Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter series) got the number “eleven” in Roman numerals to honor Brown and her performance.
One Ring to Rule Them All
Image from Reddit
This show is all about bringing the 80’s back to life. Sometimes that extends to the casting, as when Sean Astin (famous for the iconic 80’s movie Goonies) guest-starred in the second season.
Sadly, Sean Astin didn’t get any new ink to represent his time in Stranger Things. However, he is sporting an iconic tattoo from his previous performances as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings movies.
Astin, along with with the core “Fellowship” cast, each got the number “9” written in Elvish as a tattoo. It represents their in-universe Fellowship of the Ring as well as the offscreen bond that all of them formed while filming.
80’s Icon
Image from Vanishing Tattoo
Another 80’s icon at the center of the show is Winona Ryder. After playing roles as a young ingenue throughout the 80’s and 90’s, she now portrays the mother to Will, a character with a special connection to the Upside Down.
Ryder has a tattoo, but it is very modest: she got an artistic forearm tattoo back in 2012, and she hasn’t said much about it.
It’s possible she learned not to say too much about or go too far with ink thanks to her ex, Jonny Depp. During their engagement, he got a tattoo that read “Winona Forever.” After their breakup, the cheeky Depp had it altered to simply read “Wino Forever.”
And here you thought he was more of a rum kind of guy!
Like a Big Pizza Pie
Image from Inkbox
While it’s no full “Fellowship,” several Stranger Things actors got tattoos (sort of) to commemorate their second season.
When the season was over, Finn Wolfhard, Natalia Dyer, and Charlie Heaton each got a matching pizza slice tattoo. Sadly, these tattoos were only temporary. Maybe they learned their lesson from Ryder’s tales of Depp and his tattoo regret!
Stranger Things Tattoos: Final Thoughts
We don’t know what’s going to happen next with Stranger Things. But we’ll be the first to know what happens with Stranger Things tattoos and the wider world of ink!
If you want to stay on top of all things ink, don’t forget to bookmark Tattooing 101!
