“Stranger Things” fans headed to the website of the Science Museum of Minnesota Tuesday to get their hands on the hoodie worn by Dustin in the second season of the Netflix show. But the website couldn’t handle the demand and crashed.
A spokesperson for the museum confirmed to TheWrap that the website did crash “due to overwhelming volume when the Thunder Lizard hoodie that appeared on ‘Stranger Things’ went on sale yesterday.”
According to KARE11, a statement on the website read, “While we have an unlimited volume of apparel available online, due to high volume our online store has crashed. Please be patient as we do our best to bring it back online.”
The purple Brontosaurus sweatshirt made its appearance in the first episode of season two of “Stranger Things.” On Monday, the museum announced the hoodie will be available for purchase on Nov. 7 at 8 a.m.
The sweatshirt was first made available in the museum’s Explore Store in the early 1980s, according to a release by the museum, but after being tipped off by a social media user and getting flooded with calls and emails, the museum decided to bring it back.
Depending on size and style, the hoodie ranged from $15 to $30, and proceeds were set to advance the Science Museum’s mission.
Although the website crashed shortly after 8 a.m., it was back online by 11 a.m., and the museum kept fans updated with social media posts.
Stranger Things fans: Check out what Dustin is wearing in season 2, episode 1! Yes, we want one too. Working on it! #StrangerThings2 pic.twitter.com/Q8JNrUiwOl
— Science Museum of Minnesota (@sciencemuseummn) October 27, 2017
"Dustin, drum roll." Thank you for hanging in there. We're back in business. Get your apparel here: https://t.co/PQUBzfTW6G #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/YRM9QQx0u7
— Science Museum of Minnesota (@sciencemuseummn) November 7, 2017
According to the museum’s spokesperson, the website sold $80,000 worth of Thunder Lizard merchandise in the first hour, with more than 12,500 hoodies, crewnecks and t-shirts having been sold online. Another shipment of hoodies will be made available Wednesday afternoon.
According to Newsweek, “Stranger Things” costume designer Kim Wilcox found the original vintage sweater online.
“I really loved the Brontosaurus for Dustin, so we bought the original,” she says. “Then we made our own purple hoodie with this great dinosaur art in Gaten’s size.”