• by Sarah Mahoney , July 21, 2025

Chips Ahoy may be old enough to collect Social Security, but these days, America’s No. 1 chocolate-chip cookie is all about modernity. It’s also about experimentation, and a new limited-time offer -- Chips Ahoy x “Stranger Things” Limited-Edition Cookie -- moves in all kinds of different directions. First, it uses a chocolatey cake base instead of the classic blonde recipe. Then there’s the -- gasp -- red strawberry-flavored filling and the brand’s first-ever foray into fruit. It’s also the first time the brand has offered presale orders.

Packaging combines quintessential design elements from “Stranger Things” and a special glow-in-the-dark feature. For the launch, the company is also offering an augmented reality game designed to drive engagement and let users enter the Upside Down, with the chance to win prizes, including a replica of Eddie Munson’s guitar.

“This is a big moment for us,” said Sabrina Sierant, senior director, Chips Ahoy. “We want to learn just how far we can push the boundaries of what chocolate-chip cookies are.”

Over the last few years, the once-sleepy brand has come to life by partnering with celebrities, including Keke Palmer and Big Sean.

“Stranger Things” was a natural fit, she tells Marketing Daily, “not only because it's beloved by Gen Z fans and has a highly anticipated series finale coming out, but because it also evokes a sense of nostalgia.”

That 1980s vibe is both welcoming and unexpected, she says. “Chips Ahoy is a brand that's here for happy. And we saw this as unique, because there are so many happy moments throughout the show where the characters are bonding,” she says, in between the thrills, jump scares and occasional terror. “We’re hoping this partnership drives cultural relevance, not just by bringing together two beloved properties and brands, but also offering something new and unexpected.”

She concedes that flavor-wise, fruit filling in a classic cookie is a risk. And even the design of the product honors the show: The darker base is inspired by the Upside Down, and the filling peeks through, representing the show’s Rifts, the ominous portals that let the monsters in.

The LTO goes on sale next month, and while the show doesn’t drop until November, she expects the eerie packaging will give the cookies a big boost through the Halloween season.

Sierant hopes the response will give the company a sense of how much flavor latitude the brand has. “I do think that it can help us push into different flavor profiles,” she says. She notes that chocolate-chip cookies have become a favorite for all kinds of flavor mashups. “People love to experiment with them, at home and in restaurants.

She says marketing support will include traditional shopper marketing efforts, as well as digital and social media.

Who knows? Maybe the absurdity and charm of a glow-in-the-dark package of fruit-filled cookies meant to invoke both demonic portals and joy may sum up 2025 in a bite.