Stranger Things, Netflix‘s 1980s-set horror series, quickly built an internet following due to its likable young cast and vintage Spielberg ambience, but only one moment from the show has truly become a meme.
A missing boy tries to communicate with his mom (Winona Ryder) using blinking Christmas lights as a kind of Ouija board, setting up one of the scariest moments in the series. Online, though, it’s become one of the funniest. You can spell anything with those lights, and thanks to a GIF generator website, it’s not even hard.
Ah, but how have the dangerous minds of online inevitably abused this power? For one, they’re asking Winona Ryder to “manda nudes“—the Brazilian version of “send nudes.”
Here’s the inevitable Rickroll, set up as a message to a woman’s dead husband, “Ricky.”
Found a healthy alternative to express the words (I cannot say or write myself) to my deceased husband. RIP Ricky. Miss you more everyday.And a political message.
“Hey Bawbag.” Very mature.
A message from the Upside Down…I have to admit, I did not expect this one.
https://imgur.com/gallery/uZoEv
And, of course, some of the jokes are about the show. All you have to know here is that one of the main characters loves Eggo waffles so much that you’ll suspect product placement.
This is just scratching the surface—these things are all over Reddit, Imgur, and Tumblr. It’s a good thing they came along, too. Finally, we have a way to communicate with Harambe, the famous ape who died. R.I.P. in peace, big guy.