A “rift” (portal to the Upside Down) appears on the Empire State Building during a global fan moment to mark the premiere of “Stranger Things” season four on Thursday, May 26, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
(NEXSTAR) – While Netflix’s fourth season of “Stranger Things” has been taking the Internet by storm this month, there was one character and his job in particular that stole the show: Surfer Boy Pizza employee, Argyle.
Now you have the chance to call Argyle.
Thanks to some Internet sleuths, “Stranger Things” fans found you can actually dial the number seen on the side of Argyle’s Surfer Boy Pizza van.
After you call the number – 805-457-4992 – you’ll be greeted by Argyle, played by Eduardo Franco, who tells you that “we make everything fresh here at Surfer Boy Pizza, except our pineapple, which comes from a can.”
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The recorded call lasts for about one minute, and, unfortunately, you’re unable to order your own Surfer Boy Pizza.
However, you can likely find Surfer Boy pizza in a Walmart near you. The retailer is offering four varieties – meat lovers, supreme, pineapple jalapeno, and pepperoni – and a variety pack that includes one of each. The packaging even matches the boxes seen on “Stranger Things.”
Not sure about trying the pizza? Like Argyle says, “Try before you deny, bro.”
During a recent interview with Insider, Franco said he actually tried to land a different role – as another now-beloved character, Eddie – for the latest season of “Stranger Things.”
As a fan of quick and easy weeknight meals, I tend to keep a couple of frozen pizzas on hand for a quick, lazy, meal option. I've tried a large number of the frozen pizza offerings that are typically available at my local Walmart and was shocked and amazed to see the Stranger Things Surfer Boy Pizza stacked up like hotcakes in the freezer bin!
Since season four of the show dropped on Netflix, I still haven't seen any online reviews about the frozen pizza offerings. It seems that not a lot of folks have dared to try it.
This is where I stepped in. I just had to see what this new frozen pizza was all about—so I loaded up two versions into my shopping cart and quickly headed home to throw one of these pizzas in the oven for a taste! I couldn't wait.
Without any press or other reviews for reference, I felt like I was entering this review a little blind. From what I could gather, it appears that the Stranger Things pizza comes in four styles: multi-meat, pepperoni, pineapple jalapeño, and supreme. I purchased the supreme and pineapple jalapeño pizzas.
The packaging is smart with a red and white checkerboard pattern around the top perimeter and also contains the traditional reds, yellows, and oranges that provide a retro pizza joint feeling vibe throughout. The back panel has a pair of fake 3D glasses that you can punch out and wear on your face—definitely marketed to a younger crowd. According to the box, this pizza is manufactured by Palermo Villa Co. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with permission from Netflix.
I was in the mood for something different from my frozen pizza selection so I opted for the pineapple jalapeño version for this review. I am normally a pizza purist and generally stick to plain or just three cheese. I wanted a kick of spice and something totally outside of my comfort zone. This was definitely it.
"Stranger Things" Surfer Boy Pizza (back of the box)
Photography by Charles Kikas
Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 1/5 of a pineapple jalapeño pizza
- Calories: 280
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 20mg
- Sodium: 510mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 35g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 4g (includes 1g added sugars)
- Protein: 10g
Source: Palermo Villa Inc.
Cooking Method
- Traditional residential gas oven
- Preheated 420°F oven
- Cooked pizza directly on oven grate according to package directions
- Cooked for 20 minutes
- Transferred from the oven onto a cooling rack
- Cooled 2-3 minutes before serving
My Unbiased Opinion
After a quick visual inspection, the cheese, sauce, jalapeños, and pineapple looked fresh and appeared to be of good quality. The pineapple was your typical canned variety but the jalapeños were definitely fresh-frozen.
My first impression of the cooked pizza when it came out of the oven was that it looked and smelled highly of pineapple. The crust of the pizza was browned and crispy. The cooking time seemed appropriate as the pizza was completely cooked through with a crispy bottom and slightly browned cheese on top.
My first bite was disappointing. In my humble opinion, this pizza lacked any flavor other than pineapple. The crust definitely had a crispy texture, almost too crispy. Crispy to the point of being dry. The cheese had the taste of decent mozzarella but It was also very bland. The majority of the flavor came from the sweet pineapple which took over everything. The jalapeños had absolutely no flavor or heat whatsoever. Aside from being bland, the bottom crust had the typical frozen pizza taste with an extra side of dry, blandness thrown in for good measure.
Final Verdict
Overall, the Stranger Things Surfer Boy Pizza was terrible. As far as frozen pizza goes, this particular one is definitely ranked at the bottom of my list. The product packaging, as well as Walmart's ability to move high volumes of mediocre products, may keep this pizza around for a bit—but once folks get a taste of it I predict that it won't stay on the shelves for long. Perhaps the other varieties will be better. I don't know, we shall see. Check out my latest review on Delishably: "Stranger Things Surfer Boy Supreme Frozen Pizza Review."
- Appearance: 9
- Taste: 3
- Quality: 5
- Packaging and Marketing: 9
- Overall Rating: 6.5/10
1 / 5
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.