Stranger Things’ final season got underway on the 2025 TV schedule, and as usual, fans are obsessing about every little moment, be it super important to the overall plot or just some random observation. I’m leaning on the other side of things after the latest batch of episodes, but only because, as a resident of Indiana, I absolutely loved a deep cut reference spotted during the radio station scenes.
As a proud Hoosier, it’s stung that the Duffer brothers opt to keep Hawkins more of a town that encapsulates the 1980s in general, rather than zero in on some of the Indiana-specific things that occurred during that time. With that said, someone on the production team knows what they’re doing, and put in a bumper sticker of one of the state’s most iconic radio shows.
Stranger Things’ WSQK Has A Sticker Referencing An Iconic Indiana-Based Radio Show
WSQK, dubbed The Squawk, is the radio station that Nancy, Steve, Robin, and Jonathan are running with Joyce, and beyond all the tunes, it’s also a way for the group to communicate via coded messages while Hawkins is under quarantine. Making it look like a legitimate operation keeps the military from looking too deeply into it, which might be why the station features so many bumper stickers in the DJ booth that reference other popular radio shows.
One of which features Indianapolis’ Q95, the home of the Bob and Tom Morning Show. The official X account for the page had to give a shoutout and thank the show for including them. For those who missed it, the sticker appears briefly in the first episode as Steve plays sound effects for Robin. Take a look:
The show started in 1983 and was such a hit that it was nationally syndicated by 1995. While not everyone watching with a Netflix subscription may get or even notice the reference, I can confirm, as a resident of Indiana, that it is a nostalgia hit that means the world to me. It’s the show many my age remember growing up listening to each morning on the way to school, and the same show that gave national sports broadcasting sensation and occasional provocateur Pat McAfee his start. It means a lot to the state and maybe even to some people outside it.
I’m Usually Miffed Stranger Things Doesn’t Do More To Honor Indiana, But I’ll Give It This One
Am I still irked that Stranger Things hasn’t done more to play up the Indiana connection during its run on television? Hell yes. The fact that the Duffer Brothers set this show in the ’80s during a time when notable Hoosiers like John Mellencamp, Larry Bird, and Michael Jackson (who has a biopic on the way) were all at the peak of their fame, and yet no one mentions it on the show, drives me up a wall. Hell, the final season takes place during Reggie Miller’s rookie season!
Sure, the characters in Stranger Things have bigger things going on at the moment than focusing on sports and singers. That said, there was plenty of time for them to dress up like the Ghostbusters on Halloween.
I get it, very few people are going to complain that Mike and the gang aren’t doing the moonwalk or singing “Jack & Diane,” but it feels like a missed opportunity in hindsight. At least we have a bumper sticker to remember, though, and maybe at least one more reference or two on the way as we prepare for the final episodes.
Catch the first four episodes of Stranger Things‘ final season over on Netflix right now. There’s so much to talk about in these first four episodes, but fortunately, we have some time to discuss it all before the next batch arrives on Christmas Day.