After the initial release of season one of “Stranger Things” in 2016, the show immediately became a Netflix Original hit. According to Hollywood Reporter, over 40 million have watched “Stranger Things.” The popularity helped the show gain a strong fan base, providing new opportunities for the cast members, like more roles and sponsorships.

Retail stores like Target, Walmart and Kohls have sold thousands of “Stranger Things”-related merchandise, helping Netflix promote its current three seasons and upcoming fourth one.

“Stranger Things” is a science-fiction thriller featuring a girl with supernatural powers working with her friends to try and stop evil from ruining their town. This squad protects their friends, family and the town of Hawkins, Indiana. The show is loved by millions, and fans cannot wait to watch the new season, which will be released in the summer of 2022.

With its first sneak peek released Aug. 6, shortly after the ending of the third season, the wait has been extended for over a year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The show was originally announced to be released a couple months after the latest season ended, but now the Duffer Brothers, the creators of “Stranger Things,” have extended the wait to the summer of 2022.

Actors and actresses Winona Ryder, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp and David Harbour make the show what it is today through social media. The cast has done a great job promoting the shows on their own and as a group. Each cast member has thousands or millions of followers on their social media accounts, where fans of “Stranger Things” can get to know the actors on a more personal level outside of the show.

These actors and actresses have been given, if not previously famous, many new opportunities in movies, series and more. For example, since the release of the first season of “Stranger Things,” Brown has acted in an additional movie, such as Enola Holmes, and won awards, such as Favorite Female Actress.

On “Stranger Things” day, which is Saturday, Nov. 6, one additional trailer to the two existing ones was released. The trailer portrayed the show having nine episodes, each being 45 minutes to an hour long.

“Stranger Things” day became a yearly day because of its large fan base constantly supporting the show and the cast. Nov. 6 was the day chosen because it is the day one of the main characters, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), went missing.

On “Stranger Things” day, Netflix released the opening of pop-up shops in Times Square, Manhattan and Los Angeles, California. These stores will be the ultimate location for anything “Stranger Things”-related, including shirts, toys, pants, sweatshirts, models of items from the show and more.

The multiple trailers and sneak peek releases have significantly helped Netflix and the Duffer Brothers promote the show’s new season. Fans are beyond excited to see what season four has to offer.