Scouting gets cameo in Stranger Things

Scouting apparently plays a supporting role in season five of the popular Netflix series Stranger Things, which released the first four episodes the day before Thanksgiving. (Spoilers below!)

In episode 3, Holly Wheeler, played by Nell Fisher, discovers a Boy Scouts of America chest that includes items such as a neckerchief, a fleur-de-lis slide and a monocular branded as Captain Midnight’s Spy-Scope. After mysteriously receiving a map and compass, she ventures out into the nearby woods wearing her new gear.

In episode 4, Holly — still wearing her BSA gear — discovers she and her supposedly dead friend Max are living in the memory of Vecna, Henry’s alter ego. Their escape plan starts with Holly returning to the 1950s house in her memory, presumably Henry’s childhood home — and where she found the Boy Scouts of America wooden chest.

Stranger Things producers are eerily silent about what’s next for Scouting in upcoming final episodes, dropping December 25 and 31. But Scouting often shows up in popular culture. Here are some other fun references to be prepared for.

IT: Welcome to Derry (2025)

In episode 6, which aired last weekend, Rich claims to be a Webelos Scout “for a couple of years.” The supernatural horror series is based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel It.

A Christmas Story (1983)

This timeless family favorite features a scene with Ralphie looking at Boys’ Life magazine at the kitchen table. The movie’s premise revolves around Ralphie and his quest for a Red Ryder BB gun. He finds an advertisement for this desired Christmas gift in Boys’ Life and hides the ad in his mother’s Look magazine for her to find.

Superman

As explained in this Aaron on Scouting blog from July, Superman has been referred to as the Big Blue Boy Scout for decades. In the original 1978 movie, Lex Luthor calls Superman an “overgrown Boy Scout.” In the 2025 release, Superman delivers a speech to Luthor and says, “I try to make the best choices that I can.” Maybe a nod to the Cub Scout motto?

Airplane! (1980)

In this classic comedy, a nun is shown reading Boys’ Life, a real issue from April 1968. In the next shot, a boy is seen reading Nuns’ Life. Read more about that scene in this Scouting blog.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Matthew Broderick cuts class for a one-day journey through Chicago with his best friends. In one scene, his dad, Tom, appears to be a Silver Beaver Award recipient because of a framed certificate on the wall. More of that scene is covered in this blog.

Beagle Scout Snoopy

In the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, Beagle Scout Snoopy appeared as a float, with Woodstock resting on his head. This isn’t the first Peanuts and Scouting reference as Aaron Derr explains in this Aaron on Scouting blog.

Snack Shack (2024)

In this film, Eagle Scout A.J. Carter is one of the main characters, whose goal is to attend Philmont Scout Ranch. Adam Carter Rehmeier, the writer and director, is an Eagle Scout.

The Fabelmans (2022)

Scouting is featured prominently through main character Sammy Fabelman in this Steven Spielberg film, which include scenes of official Scout uniforms and references to merit badges.

More Scouting references throughout the years

• From 2000-2015, Scouting appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, including Pixar’s first animated 3D film. In Up, Russell the “Wilderness Explorer” wears a Scout-like uniform, earns merit badges and uses a handbook. A nod to Scouts also surfaces in the 2005 movie The Pacifier, starring Vin Diesel. Read more from the early millennium.
• The 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch included a reference to the “Frontier Scouts,” and one of the most popular movies of the 1980s, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, featured a Scouting reference. When the story flashed back to Indiana Jones as a kid, he was a Life Scout played by River Phoenix. Read more from that era.
• Dozens of Scout references filled the 1960s. One of the most famous was the pilot episode of the TV show Gilligan’s Island, in which you find the character Roy Hinkley (better known as “The Professor”) announced on the radio as a “well-known Scoutmaster.” And in 1964, Scouts make numerous appearances in The Lucy Show. Read more from 1940-1970.
• A silent comedy film in 1911 follows Charley as he faces obstacles in the great outdoors after joining the Scouts. Charley Smiler Joins the Boy Scouts was released one year after BSA was established. Scouts to the Rescue in 1939 starred Jackie Cooper and placed an Eagle Scout at the lead of his troop as they searched for lost treasure. Read more about the beginning of Scouts in pop culture.