With the final season of Stranger Things around the corner, Netflix and agency Bearded Kitten asked us to build a replica of the iconic Surfer Boy Pizza van. The project was one of our most ambitious for 2025, becoming a labour of love, all so fans could immerse themselves in Stranger Things for the grand finale!
Discover how we brought the ‘pizzamobile’ to life and helped Netflix bring a slice of Hawkins to Central London.
This special event gave Stranger Things fans 'One Last Adventure' to fight the dark wizard Vecna in a Hawkins-themed set at London's Trinity Buoy Wharf.
Starting with a boat ride, fans would decode radio signals to solve clues and win prizes. The immersive space included Hawkins Middle School and lab, classic arcade machines, a dedicated D&D space, Scoops Ahoy and more.
Guests could head to the Surfer Boy VW Camper to grab a delicious slice or two before heading back into the fray. The perfect way to load up for a night of fantasy thrills!
Recreating a vintage vehicle from TV isn’t easy, and fans won’t forgive when important details are off.
That’s why it was so important to find a team that could source the perfect vehicle (in this case a VW Camper) and replicate every aspect, from the pizzamobile’s exact shape and colour to its 3D roof prop.
Just as importantly, this vehicle would need to be ready by December 20th – the date when the London event would go live with food, games, photo ops, and influencers.
And with the Surfer Boy Pizza van a key part of the experience, failure wasn’t an option!
We liaised with Bearded Kitten agency on all the finer details, giving them confidence they’d found the right partner.
From there, we sourced a third-generation Volkswagen Camper from the 80s – the exact era and model used in the series.
Above: The T3 Volkswagen Camper before the surfboard was installed.
Using official Stranger Things assets supplied by Netflix, our design and build team could start customising the van with complete screen accuracy. This meant:
Above: With the roof prop in place, the van receives the finishing touches.
More than just a static prop, it was a practical space for serving pizzas, complete with an easy-to-use counter. This allowed the catering team to bring pre-prepped pizzas onto the vehicle, ready for serving. Immersive tasting at its finest!
This VW Camper was fully transformed to help turn London into part of the Upside Down. Part Stranger Things set piece and part working pizzamobile, it became a magnet for photos, videos, and social content.
While the van was designed for a large one-day event, the key to success wasn’t about scale – it was about precision, speed, and understanding how a vehicle can be a character that drives fans wild.
Hannah from Bearded Kitten had nothing but praise for our design and build team:
‘I just want to say thank you to the team for putting together our epic Surfer Boy Pizza van so quickly!!! It was perfect as if it had come out of the series, and it features heavily in lots of the post-event content, which hopefully you’ve seen on Instagram.’
Ready to make your fans feel like the heroes of your campaign? Click below to book your FREE discovery call. It’s a relaxed call to discuss the options and explore ideas.
From there, we can source and customise any hard-to-find promotional vehicle, build custom 3D props, or provide campaign support, from venue planning and logistics to staffing and content capture.
Dial things up to eleven with Promohire. No plot twists – just support you can trust.