He’s done it again. First he convinced global pop icon Justin Timberlake to ride in the Alameda Elementary School Bike Bus, then it was singer-songwriter Benson Boone. And now Portlander Sam “Coach” Balto is enjoying another mainstream culture collab with Netflix and their hit show Stranger Things.
On Saturday, the 20 million followers of the Stranger Things Instagram account woke up to a video of Balto dressed up as Hawkins Police Chief Jim Hopper while leading kids on their usual route to school through northeast Portland. Some riders were dressed as stars of the show and there’s even a brief spotting of the Demogorgon (the show’s creepy monster) painted by local artist Mike Bennett. “Let’s save the world!” Balto yells as he picks riders up along the way.
It’s all part of Netflix’s big promotional push in advance of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things which debuts November 26th. Balto was sworn to secrecy about the exciting collab, but I was able to talk with him about it over the weekend.
Stranger Things and the bike bus are a natural fit, Balto said, because of how the show taps into the 1980s-era when more kids rode bikes freely through neighborhoods:
“Something has happened between the 80s and now, and the bike bus movement is really working on reconnecting those foundational, really core moments that are created with bikes and with your friends. And so it was just really amazing that the Stranger Things Netflix group saw that connection as well and really wanted to bring the bike bus in to promote the final season of Stranger Things…. they’re going all-in on the bike adventure.”
Watch the video above or on our YouTube channel to learn all about the collab, how the bike bus movement has “captured the cultural zeitgeist” and more.
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