Sales roar for MN museum's 'Stranger Things' dinosaur hoodie

Dustin wears the vintage Science Museum hoodie
Dustin wears the vintage Science Museum hoodie
Netflix via the Science Museum of Minnesota

Fans of the Netflix show "Stranger Things" swarmed the Science Museum of Minnesota's website Tuesday to snap up the museum's vintage "Thunder Lizard" hoodies, which became a sensation after appearing on a recent episode.

Online sales began at 8 a.m. for the sweatshirt and demand quickly overwhelmed the site. The store was back online at 11 a.m. By 4 p.m., 10,000 units of Thunder Lizard apparel worth about $400,000 had been sold, the museum said.

The purple hoodie, worn in the Oct. 27 episode by the character Dustin, features an image of a long-necked dinosaur and reads Brontosaurus, "Thunder Lizard." The museum said it was flooded with phone calls, emails, and social media posts from fans wanting the sweatshirt, which was first available in the museum's store in the early 1980s.

The museum said online sales are continuing and another shipment for its on-site store is on the way. It should be arriving by mid-afternoon Wednesday and on shelves Thursday morning.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.