A science museum in the Midwest has received a huge financial windfall thanks to the fans of the hit Netflix original series “Stranger Things”.
In the first episode of the newly-released second season, the character of Dustin Henderson can be seen rocking a purple sweatshirt from the Science Museum of Minnesota that is emblazoned with a brontosaurus skeleton and a caption reading: “Thunder Lizard”.
The museum immediately became flooded with phone calls and emails from fans asking where they could buy the sweatshirt.
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Despite the sweatshirt only being sold in their gift shop back in the 80s, the museum brought the sweatshirt back and started selling “Thunder Lizard” crew necks, tee shirts, and hoodies for $15 to $40 a pop, depending on the size.
Within hours of announcing the merch sale on Twitter earlier this week, the museum website crashed. Since it got up and running again, the institution has reportedly garnered over $400,000 from the clothing sales.
Considering that the “Stranger Things” gang members are zealous young scientists, we think it is safe to say that they would be excited about their contribution to the museum’s funding.
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“For us, we’re just relishing this opportunity to be connected to the popular show, especially one that has characters that are interested in science,” says Kim Ramsden, the public relations director at the Science Museum of Minnesota, according to CNBC.
“As a non-profit, all of the proceeds will go back to our mission of science and education and inspiring other young kids like Dustin on the show and his friends to have an interest in science.”
If you want to get your own “Thunder Lizard” shirt, the museum’s online store has an unlimited supply – but they have reportedly sold out of almost all of their in-store sizes, as of Tuesday.
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