Doritos’ Stranger Things collab solved a problem the brand had been sitting on for years. Fans had reportedly been requesting a pizza-flavored chip for ages, and rather than launch it on its own, PepsiCo waited for a show set in 1987 — the same year Doritos Cool Ranch became a genuine cultural phenomenon — to finally give the flavor a reason to exist.
Table of Contents
- What Doritos’ Stranger Things collab actually includes
- Why the timing was built around 1987 specifically
- The full lineup of themed packaging and products
- How the collaboration was received by reviewers
- Frequently asked questions about Doritos’ Stranger Things collab
What Doritos’ Stranger Things collab actually includes
Doritos’ Stranger Things collab centers on a new flavor called Doritos Collisions Stranger Pizza x Cool Ranch, part of the brand’s existing “Collisions” line that combines two distinct flavors within a single bag. According to Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery’s coverage of the launch, the product pairs a brand-new pizza-inspired seasoning with the brand’s existing Cool Ranch flavor, directly referencing 1980s pizza culture alongside the original 1986 debut of Cool Ranch itself.
The flavor began rolling out nationwide on September 15, 2025, according to multiple outlets covering the launch, available in 9-ounce bags priced at $6.29 and smaller 2.625-ounce bags at $2.69. Clownfish TV’s coverage adds that the collaboration also included a companion dip — Black Garlic Dip, described as inspired by the Demogorgon’s dark, creamy visual profile, priced separately at $2.50 for a 270-gram container.
Why the timing was built around 1987 specifically
Doritos’ Stranger Things collab was deliberately timed to line up with the show’s own fictional calendar rather than simply riding the coattails of a season premiere. Tina Mahal, senior vice president of marketing at PepsiCo Foods US, explained the connection directly to Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery: “The Doritos Collisions Stranger Pizza x Cool Ranch mashup in its retro 1980s packaging was designed to fit into 1987 Hawkins, where pizza is part of the storyline and Cool Ranch would have been a new snack on shelves.”
That detail matters because season 5 of Stranger Things is set in the fall of 1987, the same year Doritos Cool Ranch was still a relatively new product following its actual 1986 debut. Drugstore News’ coverage of the launch reinforced the same reasoning, quoting Mahal’s explanation that the timing let the collaboration “fit perfectly into 1987 Hawkins” rather than simply slapping the show’s branding onto an unrelated product.
“Our fans have been asking us for a pizza-flavored Doritos for some time, it’s one of our top requested flavors and the launch of Stranger Things Season 5 felt like the perfect time to deliver,” Mahal said of the decision.
The full lineup of themed packaging and products
Doritos’ Stranger Things collab extended well beyond the single new pizza flavor. According to Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, the brand also launched Doritos Minis Glow in the Dark Spicy Sweet Chili, packaged in 5.125-ounce canisters priced at $3.49, featuring glow-in-the-dark canister designs. Beyond those two headline products, four of Doritos’ existing core flavors — Nacho Cheese, Cool Ranch, Sweet & Tangy BBQ, and Spicy Sweet Chili — received limited-time Stranger Things-branded packaging, alongside four additional Doritos and Cheetos Minis varieties.
Clownfish TV’s later coverage of the rollout noted an expanded party-sized format arrived on September 30, upgrading bags to 270 grams specifically for group watch parties tied to the season’s release, distributed across grocery, impulse, and wholesale retail channels through the end of November — timed to run alongside all three volumes of the show’s final season, which began releasing November 26, 2025.
How the collaboration was received by reviewers
Doritos’ Stranger Things collab drew a mix of curiosity and genuine taste-testing coverage once the pizza flavor hit shelves. The Takeout’s review described the standard Stranger Pizza flavor within the Collisions bag as having “a sweet BBQ thing going for them” when paired with the classic Cool Ranch chips in the same bag, while Sporked’s review found the combination “pretty fun,” noting the zest of Cool Ranch complemented the tomato-forward sweetness of the pizza-flavored chips in an unexpected way.
Fangoria’s coverage of the launch framed the retro packaging itself as central to the appeal, describing the bags as designed to make “each bag feel like something you’d grab from a Hawkins convenience store” rather than a modern grocery aisle — reinforcing the same 1987-specific framing PepsiCo’s own marketing had emphasized from the start. Whether or not the flavor combination itself became a lasting addition to Doritos’ regular lineup, the collaboration succeeded in giving fans a genuinely new, period-appropriate flavor tied directly to the show’s own internal timeline, rather than a purely cosmetic tie-in.
For more on another food and beverage brand that built its Stranger Things season 5 partnership around the same 1987 timing, Read more: Gatorade’s Stranger Things Partnership covers a separate collaboration built around a real 1987 ad campaign. And for the villain whose design inspired this collaboration’s companion dip, Read more: The Demogorgon’s Design breaks down how the creature was originally built for the show.
Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery’s full coverage of the launch goes deeper into the complete product lineup and pricing, and it’s worth reading in full here.
Frequently asked questions about Doritos’ Stranger Things collab
What new flavor did Doritos release for its Stranger Things collab? Doritos launched Doritos Collisions Stranger Pizza x Cool Ranch, combining a new pizza-inspired flavor with its existing Cool Ranch chips in the same bag.
Why did Doritos time its Stranger Things collab around 1987? Doritos timed the collaboration to 1987 because that’s when Stranger Things season 5 is set, and it’s also the year after Doritos Cool Ranch made its real-world debut in 1986.
Did Doritos release any other Stranger Things-themed products? Yes. Doritos also released Doritos Minis Glow in the Dark Spicy Sweet Chili, along with limited-edition Stranger Things packaging on four classic flavors and a companion Black Garlic Dip inspired by the Demogorgon.
When did the Doritos Stranger Things collab launch? The Doritos Collisions Stranger Pizza x Cool Ranch flavor launched nationwide on September 15, 2025, ahead of the show’s season 5 premiere on November 26.
How much do the Doritos Stranger Things products cost? The Collisions Stranger Pizza x Cool Ranch bags were priced at $6.29 for a 9-ounce bag and $2.69 for a smaller 2.625-ounce bag, with the Minis Glow in the Dark canisters priced at $3.49.
