30 Things Only People Who Grew Up In The 1980s Will Recognize

By Media Feed | Published

It’s crazy to think that the 1980s were over 30 years ago. So much has changed in the world since then. Even though we have access to technology that we never thought would be possible back then, we do sometimes still miss the toys, clothes, tech, and food from the ’80s that brought us so much joy when we were younger.

Keep reading to be reminded of stuff from the ’80s that you probably haven’t thought about in decades.

Ben Cooper Halloween Costumes

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Tim1965/Wikimedia Commons

Remember when everyone wanted a Ben Cooper Halloween costume, and then you got one and regretted it when you could barely see or breathe through the mask? They did look cool, though.

Don’t Forget The Fisher-Price Playhouse

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Photo Credit: @OzmaRac / X

What would the Little People family be without their iconic Playhouse? This thing had a working doorbell and a garage that you could really open. There is still no better playhouse on the market.

Swatch Watches

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See-ming Lee/Wikimedia Commons

Swatch watches were the height of fashion back in the ’80s. If you had one of these things on your wrist, people knew you were cool. There were so many different colorful designs to choose from.

Ruffled Socks

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Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

These ruffled socks were a staple for little girls in the 1980s. If you didn’t have socks like this, you probably didn’t have socks at all. These are actually still very cute. I kind of want some to wear now.

Paper Dolls

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Remember playing with these paper dolls and then getting bored of them after five minutes? They were cool, but they didn’t last long. They almost looked cooler in the book than they did after you popped them out.

That First Pair Of Roller Skates

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Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images

We all felt so grown-up the day we got our first pair of lace-up roller skates. Roller skating isn’t as big of a thing now as it was in the ’80s, but I guess it’s like a ’90s kid getting their first Tamagotchi, or a Gen-Z kid getting their first avocado fidget spinner.

Queen She-Ra

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Mattel/MovieStillsDb

We all wanted to be as beautiful and as powerful as She-Ra when we were younger. This woman had it all, including a flying unicorn. What’s not to like? She was amazing.

Girl Talk Books

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Photo Credit: @pastelpaperback / X

Girl Talk books were reserved for older, wiser kids. You only read these books if you were a mature teenager who could handle teenage issues (or if you were an 8-year-old who really wanted to be a teenager).

This Ballerina Jewelry Box

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Photo Credit: @memorialdevice / X

It seemed like everyone had this ballerina jewelry box back in the ’80s. There were a lot of boxes like it on the market, but for some reason, everyone had to have the one with the blue interior and triangular mirror.

Peak Dessert

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cyclonebill/Wikimedia Commons

These ice cream Viennettas were peak dessert back in the ’80s. You knew you were at a fancy event when someone broke out the Viennettta. Regular ice cream tubs just don’t cut it at fancy events.

PVC Smurfs

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Photo Credit: @michaelmercy / X

Everyone had way too many of these PVC Smurf figurines, but nobody knew where they came from. They just seemed to always be in your house and all of your friends’ houses.

Chuck E. Cheese Currency

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Photo Credit: @joshmccormac / X

Remember the feeling of carrying all your Chuck E. Cheese tokens in their waxy soda cups? There’s no other sensation in the world quite like it. You never felt so rich in your life.

Pen Bracelets

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Photo Credit: @jo_linville / X

These pen bracelets were peak fashion in the ’80s. They were fashionable and functional. You could wear them around your wrist and then turn them into a pen whenever you needed to write something down.

Care Bears Books

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Photo Credit: @EKReisinger / X

Remember owning a whole bunch of these Care Bears books? They were always a little preachy, but the pictures were cute, so we liked them. We kind of miss the Care Bears.

Put The Popper Back

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Photo Credit: @_JenKas / X

Remember the struggle of getting your Popper back into its ball shape? Once these things were popped out, it was so hard to get them popped back in. They were cute, though.

Grey Poupon

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Back in the ’80s, Grey Poupon was something that only rich people ate. Now you can get it at pretty much any grocery store. It’s still more expensive than regular mustard.

Cool Off With A Delicious Icee

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No modern-day Slushee will ever be as good as those blue and red Icees. The texture of these things is unparalleled. You can still get Icees today, and they still taste like sweet nostalgia.

Baby Magic Lotion

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Photo Credit: @Beautiful_BH / X

All parents bought Baby Magic baby lotion for their kids back in the ’80s. If you think really hard, you can probably still smell the stuff in your memory. Crazy how that works.

Pictionary Junior

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Photo Credit: @bigmetsfan1 / X

Remember getting Pictionary Junior for your birthday and then never really playing it like you were supposed to and basically just doodling on the pads? Yeah, those were the days.

Sticker Fun Coloring Books

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Photo Credit: @fantasysite / X

Was anybody else grossed out by the taste of the stickers in the Sticker Fun coloring books? Even so, we still kept on licking them. It was the only way to get them to stick.

These Jewelry Boxes

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Photo Credit: @moongrudge / X

In the ’80s, everyone had these jewelry boxes that stood upright and had adorable little hangers for your necklaces. Do you still have one of these lying around your house?