Coca-Cola to bring back New Coke for ‘Stranger Things’ season

Emily Balser | Tuesday, May 21, 2019 11:09 a.m.

Coca-Cola website

New Coke cans roll off a production line near Atlanta earlier this month. Coca-Cola will release a limited number of New Coke cans online as part of a partnership with the Netflix show Stranger Things.

New Coke is coming back. Oh, the controversy!

As fans anticipate the return of the Netflix hit series “Stranger Things” they can also look forward to a return of a long-lost Coca-Cola product that will be featured in the show.

Coca-Cola announced Tuesday they will partner with Netflix and the Stranger Things team to bring New Coke back for a limited time beginning this week.

The short-lived reformulated Coca-Cola caused national panic when it was released in 1985. Coca-Cola pulled it from shelves after just 79 days.

Season three of “Stranger Things” will be set in the summer of 1985 when it debuts July 4.

“In a world of shifting media consumption, we continue to challenge ourselves to find creative and meaningful ways to participate in non-advertising platforms like Netflix to engage with the millions of fans who subscribe to streaming content services,” Geoff Cottrill, senior vice president of strategic marketing for Coca-Cola, said in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with Netflix and play a key role in recreating the summer of 1985 in a uniquely Coca-Cola way.”

Executives from Netflix visited the Coca-Cola archives in Atlanta last year to study New Coke packaging, memorabilia, advertising and to ensure the script accurately reflected historical events. New Coke will appear in several episodes.

Coca-Cola will release a limited number of 12-ounce cans of New Coke beginning Thursday. The cans will be released as part of a bundle that includes two New Coke cans along with a limited-edition and numbered Stranger Things/Coca-Cola and Coke Zero Sugar 8-ounce glass bottle at CokeStore.com/1985.

Fans can also find New Coke in an “upside-down” Stranger Things-inspired vending machine that will pop up in select cities to dispense free cans of New Coke.

Shoppers who buy a ticket to the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta or make a purchase of $19.85 or more at Coca-Cola Store Las Vegas on select days during the week of June 3 will have a chance to get New Coke.