11 Side-by-side pictures of the 'Strangers Things' cast from their first episode to today

It's hard to believe that it's been three years since the first season of Stranger Things aired on our TV screens. The Netflix TV series, created by the Duffer Brothers, was a sleeper hit back in the summer of 2016, but since then, the world of Hawkins, Indiana, has only gotten more popular since then.

The show works as a fantastic homage to some of the most beloved pop culture of the 80s, including the novels of Stephen King, the movies of John Carpenter and Steven Spielberg, with a generous helping (and even an ex cast-member) of the Goonies thrown in for good measure.

A lot has changed since then: Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, Great Britain voted to leave the European Union, and the cast has changed a lot. It's always going to happen when your cast is just about to hit puberty, but over the course of the last few seasons, the stars of the series have grown up a lot. Even the adults have changed, styling new haircuts and facial hair in the latest episodes.

If you don't believe me then just take a gander at the following pics to prove it:

1. Max Mayfield - Sadie Sink

Credit: Netflix

2. Joyce Byers - Winona Ryder 

Credit: Netflix

3. Will Byers - Noah Schnapp 

Credit: Netflix

4. Lucas Sinclair - Caleb McLaughlin 

Credit: Netflix

5. Sheriff Hopper - David Harbour 

Credit: Netflix

6. Jonathan Byers - Charlie Heaton 

Credit: Netflix

7. Dustin Henderson - Gaten Matarazzo

Credit: Netflix

8. Eleven - Millie Bobbie Brown

Credit: Netflix

9. Steve Harrington - Joe Keery

Credit: Netflix

10. Nancy Wheeler - Natalia Dyer

Credit: Netflix

11. Mike Wheeler - Finn Wolfhard 

Credit: Netflix

Season three introduced a whole slew of new characters to the roster. But in a surprising twist, a certain smug Russian scientist ended up becoming a firm fan-favourite.

This article originally appeared on vt.co