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Five Things You Miss From The 80's

Posted by RTBjr73 • 4/30/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic

MadameX got me thinking about this. (Those darned educated ones always get me.)

The 80's were not that long ago (it's all about perception, I guess, or denial), but there are things about the 80's that seem too distant of a memory. Her are mine.

1) Arcade machines at the local 7-11, Stop'N'Go, etc. - We used to go there all the time for a slurpee and some games on out bikes druing the summer.

2) Boom Boxes - They were on EVERY blacktop basketball court around.

3) Hair Metal - Thank goodness for Sirius radio!! And yes, I miss my concert T-Shirts

4) Halloween - When it was still safe to go Trick-or-Treating

5) Slip and Slides - Nothing further needed to be said for this one.

User Comments

4/30/08

MadameX

"nothing further need be said about this one..."

So you don't want to hear about the time I superglued my grandmother's fingers together trying to make my own slip-n-slide out of plastic garbage bags?

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  ThriftShopRomantic
  
  You were MacGyver growing up, Tiffany? WOW!
  
  Actually:
  1.) I miss MacGyver. Early MacGyver. Before he took on inner-city violence every episode.
2. 4/30/08
  
  MadameX
  
  I'd love to think so, Jenn, but I have this nagging suspicion that if I'd actually BEEN MacGyver I would have ended up gluing together the bags and not an elderly relative.
  
  How in the heck do you spell "glueing", anyway? It looks wrong both ways.
3. 4/30/08
  
  ThriftShopRomantic
  
  Merriam Webster says either gluing or glueing. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gluing
  
  And hey, I imagine even MacGyver has his inventive errors. They're just in the outtakes.
4. 5/01/08
  
  earthlingorgeous
  
  Yeah I miss MacGyver!
4/30/08

DOUGGOFFdotCOM

1. Good drugs
2. Slap bracelets
3. Vans
4. Parachute pants
5. A black Michael Jackson

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  vfanblog
  
  rofl on that last one... hah hah!
2. 5/01/08
  
  lisamcglaun
  
  I'd totally forgotten about slap bracelets..I loved those!
4/30/08

VampireFaust

Hair bands
off the shoulder sweats shirts
Jelly shoes
Miami Vice
Atari

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  MadameX
  
  Aw, man...we're not supposed to wear those sweatshirts anymore?
2. 4/30/08
  
  RTBjr73
  
  MadameX, you show me your shoulder in that sweatshirt, and I'll pull out my Vans, along with my Tony Hawk skateboard.
3. 4/30/08
  
  MadameX
  
  I can't quite work out whether this is an offer or a threat...
4/30/08

daniel23

joe strummer
grand master flash
Class War tabloid
oi music
converse shoes not being wankerishly trendy

[reply]
4/30/08

legbamel

Cons and Vans, pegged jeans, Oingo Boingo, banana clips, and pinball machines.

You can still buy a slip-n-slide. In fact they've created several versions of them. The kids often remind me of that fact. I definitely miss being unselfconscious about zooming across the yard on one, though!

Edited to add that I still have my Atari and my Michael Jackson records, so there's no need for me to miss those.

[reply]
1. 5/01/08
  
  lisamcglaun
  
  I had so many banana clips...every color under the rainbow.
4/30/08

AmyOops

i do miss the hair metal.

[reply]
4/30/08

ender

not having a mortgage
not having a job (oh wait, i mean not needing a job)
high school friends
drama (not like online - i mean acting in plays )
our C-64 and all the pirated games

as for slip-n-slide, i almost bought one last week, but it's a skimboard version ....

[reply]
4/30/08

scifidriver

Latka and Taxi

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  RTBjr73
  
  Thank goodness for Nick at Nite!!!!
4/30/08

myriadlife

Borrowing my sister's clothes, one shoulder dresses. Eastenders when it was good.

[reply]
4/30/08

ender

oh ... and U2 when they were good. (Angel of Harlem just came on First Wave...)

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  legbamel
  
  Agreed, on both Eastenders and U2. And I remember bitching about gas prices being $1.09. Of course, I made $3 an hour, which means that technically prices actually aren't proportionally any higher than they were, then. 'Course, I didn't have a mortgage, grocery bills, or insurance to pay, either. But I had to live with my parents. Yikes! What a trade-off.
2. 5/01/08
  
  lisamcglaun
  
  U2..their still my heros.
4/30/08

baldeagle

My hair, my waist, my car (71 Camaro), Miami Vice, laura

[reply]
4/30/08

vfanblog

hard rock music
Jellie shoes, bracelets, purses etc.
an ex
David Addison
Tales of the Gold Monkey

[reply]
4/30/08

machinehuman

The Clash
The last Olympic Games battles between USA and USSR (just the Olympic)
Spielberg's creativity optimum
Long Plays big album covers (we still have, but now it's harder to find)
Atari - but I just a nice memory. I prefer Playstation 3

[reply]
4/30/08

nardeeisms

.Bryan Ferry music
.My first real apartment
.My Pontiac Sunbird
.Wearing Tennis Shoes with Dress Clothes while walking downtown
.Being able to eat anything I want and not gain weight

(I also HAVE to add this: Being the top scorer of Galaga at the local arcade)

[reply]
4/30/08

genopianist54

1. Queen
2. Bill Cosby Show
3. Pacman Arcade
hmmm...
beats me, i'm just a small kid at 80's

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  daniel23
  
  i don't miss any of those things.
2. 5/01/08
  
  auburn28
  
  @genop
  WHOOORAAAH!
  queen!
  We will we will rock you!!
4/30/08

calais50

Definitely the cartoons!

Smurfs
My Little Pony
Rainbow Brite
GEM
He Man
SheRa
Gummi Bears

[reply]
4/30/08

RTBjr73

THUNDERCATS...HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[reply]
1. 5/01/08
  
  chrissred
  
  Yeah, the thundercats... I sure miss them!
4/30/08

Anniepooh

Pac Man
Roller skating every weekend
Journey
Ice Cream flavored gum (leftover from the 70's)
Driving the strip (remember that??? Can't afford it now!)

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  Anniepooh
  
  and the original Dr Who--what's this new stuff?
2. 4/30/08
  
  jafabrit
  
  I don't think you would like the original dr.who (william hartnell, are you thinking the fourth doctor Tom Baker? My fave was Patrick Troughton, but I am rather fond of the new Doctor.
  thecolorist.blogspot.com/2008/02/jafabrit-wins-award.html
3. 4/30/08
  
  Anniepooh
  
  No, I mean the original series as a whole, (which is pre 80's by quite a few years, but I didn't get "into it" until I was a teen--the 80's)not one specific actor. I don't like the new show. The actor who portrays Dr Who right now annoys me to no end--hated him in "Gone in 60 Seconds", too. Of course, you're supposed to hate him in that role, but he just grates me wrong.
4. 4/30/08
  
  jafabrit
  
  I felt the same way about Jon Pertwee. I can't say I liked the original series as a whole because it largely depended on who the doctor was. I adored Patrick Troughton and Tom Baker.
  
  I used to like the original doctor until I got older and realized what a patronizing old goat he was. Yes, showing me age, but I have been watching it since the first episode.
4/30/08

thunderdan

Did anyone mention Gas Price? It would be the main thing I miss the most. lol

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  M7levels
  
  Gas prices for sure
  New Chat rooms with like minded people
  My Harley
  My restaurant
  Walking everywhere without fear
  Housing prices
  Travel
  *sigh* those days are gone
4/30/08

RTBjr73

.81 cents a gallon when I started driving legally, and I was driving a Honda 250cc, which means I was getting over 50 miles to a gallon. I got around all summer on the same amount of cash that I spent on one tank THIS MORNING!!!!!

[reply]
4/30/08

rkoobs

I miss nothing about the eighties at all.
The decade started with them murdering John Lennon.

In the U.S., we had Reagan driving us into war and deficit, and paving the way for the neo-con insanity we have now.

Even the Rolling Stones didn't tour most of that decade.

The eighties basically sucked.

[reply]
4/30/08

wenfri

the Brady Bunch movie

We took family trips BEFORE the invention of the mini-van. We rode in the back of the station wagon and you faced the cars behind you.

Going to keg parties and you didn't have to hide out in the woods when the cops showed up

Can't even add acid washed jeans and jackets cause I still wear them LOL

[reply]
4/30/08

vfanblog

Can I add "penny candy" ?

[reply]
4/30/08

robinj

I was just grateful when they passed my goddess the mullet haircut and tight pants should be outlawed

[reply]
4/30/08

mikeny07

The music which was the best of any era. I also think people today are more crazy than ever. When I was in school if someone brought a gun to school everyones mouth would be hanging open for hours. I don't know why so many people are insane today. I miss normal people.

Girls though had the best haircuts back then. Big and curly. I give anything to bring those back. Watch the Flashdance movie if you don't know what I mean.

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  ender
  
  meh, i lived in the 'burbs in the 80s and we had several incidences in jr high of kids bringing guns to school ....
4/30/08

hepp2

billy idol
boy george
bow wow wow
99 luftbalons
stray cats
my youth (being younger)

[reply]
1. 4/30/08
  
  machinehuman
  
  Culture Club, Bow Wow Wow, Billi Idol, Stray Cats - great taste!
5/01/08

DocNicole

I miss those sparkly plastic jelly shoes and the fact that my tiny young baby feet weren't bothered by wearing them.

I guess I will need to go look for the $300 adult version

[reply]
5/01/08

earthandeconomy

Hair

Hats

Pants

Shoes

Thundarr

[reply]
1. 5/01/08
  
  nepspeed82
  
  Yes, pictures do speak louder than words. I love this one. LOL.
2. 5/09/08
  
  hepp2
  
  That is way excellent! thank you for the visual trip down memory lane!
5/01/08

chrissred

Glitter Gel
Menudomania
Madonna (during the 80's)
Sweet Dreams Books
VH1

I can think of more. I love the 80's!

[reply]
5/01/08

dotartdude

A barrage of varied musical styles to challenge my ears!

[reply]
5/01/08

shytjan

retro haircut! heeuehe

[reply]
5/01/08

pele1

Time for Timer PSA's ("I hanker fer a hunka cheese...yaahoo!")

Big hair (you could see my hair get progressively larger in each yearbook)

Long, heavy, gaudy earrings that should've ripped my earlobes

I too miss the hair bands. I met many back in the day. Sigh.

MTV playing actual music videos all day long.

[reply]
5/01/08

SportsNarrative

3/4 length sleeved rock t-shirts.

M*A*S*H*

Dimly lit arcades.

[reply]
5/01/08

markstoneman

The hair on the top of my head.

My leaner, fitter body.

[reply]
5/01/08

monkeytale

The nice, or not so nice, depending on one's perspective, is that fads of most decades/generations tend to repeat themselves in a cycle. The mullets are due back in circulation any day now, lol...

[reply]
5/01/08

SportsNarrative

Mullets never went out of style in some places.

[reply]
1. 5/01/08
  
  RTBjr73
  
  don't forget the mullet walk, and the pick in the back pocket...
5/01/08

Mewie

Remember HYPERCOLOR shirts?

I used to breathe hot air on my tops all the time and thought i was cool for changing colors. haha. Those things probably gave us cancer or something... maybe that's why I'm so short today.

[reply]
5/01/08

flamingpoodle

1. Thrash metal
2. He-man and the Masters of the Universe
3. The girl on my block who had Castle Greyskull, from He-man and the Masters of the Universe.
4. My Man-At-Arms and Sorceress action figures from He-man and the Masters of the Universe.
5. The Nightmare on Elm Street series!

[reply]
1. 5/02/08
  
  RTBjr73
  
  Amen to thrash metal...aw the good ole days to a gentler, more peaceful music experience.
5/01/08

roastfrog

1. Pac Man arcade machines
2. Ninja Turtles (original cartoon)
3. Back To The Future Part I
4. Back To The Future Part II
5. The beginning of rap music

[reply]
5/01/08

bnsullivan

What do I miss from the '80s? Hmm. Does "being able to wear a size six" count?

[reply]
5/01/08

kdawg68

1. Operation Mindcrime
2. Soleil Moonfrye
3. Mary Stuart Masterson movies
4. Molly Ringwald movies (okay - not really, but I needed to fill out my list).
5. ALF

[reply]
1. 5/01/08
  
  vfanblog
  
  Aww, I liked Queensryche too.
2. 5/01/08
  
  chrissred
  
  oh yes I remember Soleil Moon Frye as Punky Brewster
  And the Brat Pack too especially Molly Ringwald
5/01/08

ekim941

1. Herb - the guy that never had a flame broiled whopper (Just looking at him I think there was something else he never had.)

2. Max headroom

3. Neneh Cherry - Buffalo stance was awesome.

4. Vodka - I used to be able to drink mass quantities.

5. I don't remember anymore because of number 4.

[reply]
5/01/08

jackpayne

Opening up the 1980s is like giving a boozer a key to the liquor cabinet. Moving away from that beautiful decade on the calendar is like getting old: First your forget names, then faces, then pulling up your zipper (it's still worse when you forget to pull it down).

[reply]
5/01/08

recyclecindy

1. The price of gas

2. Meeting and marrying my husband

3. Being a young, healthy woman

4. Birth of my children

5. Natural brown hair

[reply]
5/01/08

TheMrs

1. Filling up my gas tank for $7.00
2. Having my hair look like Valerie Bertenelli's (that was cool then)
3. Matthew Broderick before the pudge set in (he was hot back in the day)
4. Going to the skating rink and wearing satiny-cheap jackets while skating to "Electric Avenue" by Eddie Grant (remember him?)
5. Having a nice young body with no aches or pains and NO grey hairs!!

[reply]
5/01/08

ouztopia

1. Conservatives with a backbone (like Reagan)
2. The stolen base. Guys like Ricky Henderson, Tim Raines. Vince Coleman. That brand of ball was much more interesting than the lets-all-get-juiced-and-hit-homers style of today.
3. Video games that were fun instead of the first-person shooter garbage of today.
4. Eating anything I wanted without gaining weight. I can't do that anymore.

That's basically it. I was in high school then and I hated high school. So there is a lot I do not miss.

[reply]
1. 5/01/08
  
  TheMrs
  
  I loved Ronnie - the end of true conservatism after he left....
2. 5/02/08
  
  RTBjr73
  
  Amen to the stolen base!!!!!
5/01/08

ttiger

arcade game were cool , NES
iron maiden - number of the beast my first concert!!
slayer - hell await and reign in blood the feeling i had at that time when i was listening to slayer was so strong!!
metallica - ride the lightning

[reply]
5/01/08

cooper

nursery school

[reply]
5/01/08

gosmelltheflowers

Twister
Muddy walks
Monopoly games
Watching rain drip down the window pane
Games of football (soccer)

[reply]
5/01/08

MelissaE

I don't think the page is long enough for my list so I'll just second the majority of things mentioned here.

Speaking of the Whopper guy above - I'll have to counteract with the little old lady and "Where's the Beef?" from Wendy's ads. :-)

[reply]
5/02/08

mitch972

I miss MTV actually playing music videos instead of reality tv shows. Bring Back Music Videos!

[reply]
5/02/08

thegoodknife

- drinking milk out of bottles
- pooping whenever and where ever
- being carried places

[reply]
1. 5/02/08
  
  legbamel
  
  I suppose you're too big for your mama to carry around by the scruff of the neck, now. I'd have thought tigers could still drop one wherever they liked, though.
5/06/08

jessblabber

1. A bag of lollies for 20 cents

2. You knew all your neighbours in the street

3. Glass milk bottles

4. Sliding down hills in a cardboard box

5. Fairy Floss tasted better as a kid

[reply]
5/06/08

drdental

My grandparents and my youth. Er, wait. I'm 26, do you still consider that youth?

[reply]
5/06/08

bloggernoob

i miss the brat pack. the estevez brothers

[reply]
5/06/08

PotatoChef

What I miss most about the 80's is that I could remember the 70's back then.

[reply]
5/06/08

sherliez

Menudo
Grumpy old people
Board games (monopoly....)
every paperwork was done manually or typewritten
Glam Rock

[reply]
5/06/08

rightcommentary

Oh I kind of wish those fuzzy sweaters that were so popular for women would come back... although the leather skirts and boots can stay in the 1980's...

[reply]
5/06/08

JillSaxon

Journey (I will forever LOVE Steve Perry)
Trapper Keepers
Stirrup pants (I am STILL a proponent of these)
Side ponytails
Hello Kitty Pencil boxes

[reply]
1. 5/06/08
  
  Anniepooh
  
  Thank God, another Journey lover lol I was all alone until you posted! OMG-Trapper Keppers! the MUST HAVE in the 80's -- or you were a true loser. Remember Addidas bags and SpaceSacs? Or is that too far back?
2. 5/06/08
  
  JillSaxon
  
  Oh yeah. Journey is King
  
  Hahaha, I remember Adidas bags! And what about LA Gear Hightops?? I had some sweet purple ones... and remember the tag that came on them attached by that metal chain? I never took mine off!
5/06/08

brigid

Gosh, I was born in '83 so there's really not much I remember from the 80s.

...

He-man I sorta remember. It'd be nice to see that again.
I don't really remember The Raccoons, but I'm told I loved that show when I was little. I'd like to see that, too.
MacGyver is awesome, but I discovered that show in the late 90s when it was rerunning on TVLand.
I kinda miss how big everything seemed back then. (I was, what, about 3-4 feet shorter back then?)
Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

[reply]
1. 5/06/08
  
  JillSaxon
  
  I used to love MacGyver! My mom did, too. It was one of those shows where I definitely needed to be seen and not heard.
2. 5/09/08
  
  brigid
  
  MacGyver is the coolest! What's so great is that most of his tricks are based on real science. (A little exaggerated at times and with key ingredients missing from the more volatile combinations, but still real science.)
5/06/08

kdawg68

I know - the Baltimore Orioles as a winning baseball team (Brigid's 1983 reference made me think of O-R-I-O-L-E-S magic!)

Of course, the magic's been a little thin these past, oh, what, say 25 years?

[reply]
5/06/08

TimMc

5 things I miss about the 80's:

1. The ranch. I grew up working on a 3500 acre ranch. I moved away in high school. It was an awesome place. I've been back with my own kids now, which is cool.
2. I miss being able to play basketball all day, wake up the next morning and hop right out of bed. I can still play ball all day, but I fall out of bed the next morning, unable to walk.
3. I miss having the inseam of my pants be a higher number than the waist size, hehe.
4. Acting on a whim. I can't do that anymore with 4 kids, a wife, a dog, a cat, 6 fish, a mortgage, etc, etc.
5. Remember the New York Seltzer drinks? (I'm sure that's not the complete name.) I liked the cream flavored ones.

No regrets though. I love my life now and I certainly wouldn't go back. The 80's were weird too, haha.

[reply]
1. 5/07/08
  
  legbamel
  
  I remember the New York Seltzers! They were everywhere for a while. I loved the Black Cherry ones. I'd forgotten all about those.
5/06/08

PetLvr

I think I really missed the first two years of University back in the early '80's... (had fun!) - but, I never missed the other 8 years of University at all .. although, I did miss a lot of classes ... Ah .. beer bashes .. those were the daze!

[reply]
5/09/08

davet

Reagan, high school girlfriend, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, 80s music, sleeping in until a noon college class.

[reply]
5/09/08

focusorganic

1. I have to agree with anyone who said Atari!
2. Slap bracelets were awesome.
3. Anyone remember Fraggle Rock?
4. Penny candy
5. Smurfs

[reply]
5/09/08

mayjah

Night Flight video show
Jelly shoes
Pop Rocks candy
Rockin my New Wave asymmetrical bob
Mismatched earrings (one long, one stud)

[reply]
5/09/08

TimMc

Swatches...were they the 80's or early 90's, I can't remember.

[reply]
1. 5/10/08
  
  legbamel
  
  Ooooh, yes, they were definitely 80s. Well, they were far cooler in the 80s. I had one with a banana-scented band and no numbers on the face.
5/13/08

focusorganic

Ha, for anyone who DOES remember Fraggle Rock, I had to post this: www.zap2it.com/movies/news/zap-weinsteincofragglerock,0,1987316.story

[reply]
5/13/08

katelynjane

1) The wicked cool dancing
2) Spandex in puclic
3) Joan Jett (for real, she's amazing!)
4) My first birthday (who wouldn't want to start over again?)
5) Leather without shame

[reply]