Mini LancerHokie was invited to an 80s themed birthday party today. I am the lucky parent who gets to stay at the party with her. Everyone is supposed to be in 80s fashion. She is going to wear her brightest/most colorful t-shirt, jeans or shorts, jellies, a side ponytail with teased bangs, purple eye shadow, and lots of accessories. I am doing a Guns N Roses t-shirt, ripped jeans, flat tennis shoes, side ponytail, and accessories. I have been exposing her to some 80s music and showing her pics from the 80s. This party got me thinking what is everybody's favorite 80s stuff---memories, food, tv, movies, music, etc.?
Here is my list (in no particular order):
Food: Pudding pops, Rainbow Brite cake
T.V.: Cosby Show, Fat Albert, Muppet Babies, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Garfield, Sesame Street, Voltron, He-Man, Fraggle Rock
Toys: Rainbow Brite, Rainbow Brite Kitchen, Strawberry Shortcake, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Big Wheel, Lego, Etch-A-Sketch, Voltron, Popples
Movies: Land Before Time, Little Mermaid, Dirty Dancin,
Music: Bon Jovi, Alabama, New Kids on the Block, Greatful Dead Touch of Grey, Old Time Rock and Roll
Memories: Popples lunchbox, Rainbow Brite birthday cake, MTV actually playing music,Starting Kindergarten, Reading 163 books in First Grade
These are the things that popped into my head off the bat....
Favorite 80s things... And Go!
Comments
I love the 80s horror movies
- Transformers and Ninja turtles are missing from toys and TV, also GI Joe cartoon, knowing his half the battle.
- Sesame Street started in the 60s. (Mr Roger's too)
- I seem to remember hands across america. I don't think this is true though.
- Challenger blowing up.
- Drills at school to hide under your desk.
- Michael Jackson and his new videos being revealed in prime time.
- Madonna.
- Teased hair, and well bad hair all around
- Those color changing shirts (hyoercolor?)
- Lots of denim, ugh it making a comeback.
- Step aerobics and other classes at the gyms with the terrible outfits (Thank you Olivia Newton John)
-Yes, I had lots of Transformers, loved them, just forgot them when I was making my list. Only played with and watched Ninja Turtles if I was at somebody's house
-I know Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers started in the 60s, but I watched them religiously in the 80s--- I could tell time on a digital clock when I was 2 or 3 and knew that when the clock said 8:00 and 4:00 it was time for Sesame Street
-I kind of remember Hands Across America
- Remember watching Challenger blow up
- We only had fire drills when I was in elementary school
-Michael Jackson when he used to look like a person
-Remember tons of Madonna -who from the 80s doesn't?
-The teased hair is part of the party look tonight
-Totally remember the Hypercolor shirts (had one but I thought it was early 90s)
-Yes there was denim everywhere acid washed and stone washed
-And the fitness craze, I remember that too..
The list in my OP was the stuff I personally liked/remembered from the 80s.
I guess I just latched on to the "memories"
Fair enough
TV not mentioned: Reading Rainbow
Movies: Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Goonies, Monster Squad
Edit: I grew up with cable and a father who would let me watch anything. Sure I liked Reading Rainbow but at the same time like Predator and Aliens.
YES!! I LOVED Reading Rainbow.
I forgot some movies too: An American Tail and E.T.
I am sure I will remember more things...
When Reading Rainbow came on TV as a kid, I always said, "It's Geordi LaForge!"
Favorite thing from the 80s? My wife.
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Is she gone? Ok.
Master of Puppets.
My favorite thing from the 80's would be my waistline....(sigh)
Rocky Horror on the weekends, Hall and Oates, parachute pants, tube tops and MTV!
Eddie Murphy when he was funny.
Being in my 20s
Damn, I thought I was old.
Being a kid
80's memories! Woohoo!
Skating rinks, Mr T. and the A-team, wrestling figurines, Knight Rider, Robocop, California Raisins and G.I. Joes. What a great time to be a kid!
Leg for California Raisins! I had the whole collection from Hardee's. The Claymation Christmas special is still one of the favorites in our house. HokieEnginerd found it for me on DVD. I wish it had the 80s commercials.
Other tv: Smurfs, Snorks, Jem and the Holograms
Hah!
I just bought Claymation Christmas for myself last year off Amazon so I could show it to my daughter every year. My parents recorded the original airing in 1987 and was part of my annual childhood Christmas rotation so it's a family tradition that I'm passing along to my kids.
I'm surprised anyone else remembers it!
Same (along with 'Twas The Night Before Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas & TG, Looney Toons Christmas Special & some others).
Yeah we had Claymation Christmas, Charlie Brown, Frosty the Snowman, Garfield Christmas, Twas the Night Before Christmas, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Which.... actually now makes me realize I have a little bit of digging to do to make sure we have them all for my kids going forward.
Frosty & Garfield, yep! That Garfield had some catchy tunes & music.
Claymation Christmas is one of the first things our daughter wants to watch when we watch all of our Christmas shows. Her favorite part is the 3 camels singing We Three Kings.
That's my favorite part too!
Feels like they modeled them after Camel Cigarettes.
Yes. One of the camels looks exactly like Joe Camel.
I'm playing at an 80's themed HS reunion tonite. Here's the set list:
Their class song (which is actually not 80's) is Let the Good Times Roll, hence it's multiple appearances. Ignore the times/notes.
Set One 48:54
1. Let the Good Times Roll 3:46
2. Don't You Forget About Me 4:20
3. White Wedding 3:34
4. Just Like Heaven 3:32
5. Pour Some Sugar on Me 4:22 (-1)
6. Heart Breaker 3:27 (-1)
7. Sweet Dreams 3:37 (-1)
8. Somebody 4:45 (-1)
9. Wanted Dead or Alive 4:45 (-1)
10. Twilight Zone 4:43 (-1)
11. Home Sweet Home 4:00 (-1)
12. Talk Dirty to Me 4:03
Set Two 47:29
13. Let the Good Times Roll 3:46
14. Rebel Yell 4:48
15. Summer of '69 3:36
16. Hungry Like the Wolf 3:40
17. Stone in Love 3:26
18. Come Sail Away 5:00 (-1)
19. Sister Christian 4:59 (-1)
20. Separate Ways 5:24 Drop D (-3)
21. Jump 4:01 (+1)
22. Livin' On A Prayer 4:09 Drop D (-3)
23. Let's Go Crazy 4:40
Set Three 46:42
24. Oh Sherrie 3:49 (-1)
25. Jessie's Girl 3:12 (-1)
26. Where the Streets Have No Name 4:38 (-1)
27. Voices Carry 4:19 (-1)
28. Sunglasses at Night 5:20 (-1)
29. Kickstart My Heart 4:42 (-1)
30. Working for the Weekend 3:41 (-1)
31. Round and Round 4:26
32. Fire Woman 5:11 (-1)
33. You Give Love A Bad Name 3:54 (-1)
34. Panama 3:30
Encore 15:07
35. Let the Good Times Roll 3:46
36. Kiss Me Deadly 4:00 (-1)
37. No More Tears 7:21 Drop D
Working for the Weekend is an ALL TIME windows down jam.
If I am making an 80s playlist (I have an eclectic taste)
The Specials- A Message to Rudy
Madness- Our House
The Bangles- Walk Like an Egyptian
The Police- Message in a Bottle and Walking on the Moon
Janes Addiction- Mountain Song
George Harrison- Set on You
Queen- Another One Bites the Dust
Oingo Boingo- Dead Man's Party
Miami Sound Machine- Conga
Madonna- Like a Prayer
Bruce Springsteen- Dancing in the Dark
The B-52's- Love Shack
Patty Smyth- Warrior
DeBarge- Rhythm of the Night
Billy Ocean- Get out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car
Kool in the Gang- Celebration
Paul Simon- Call Me Al
Rick James- Give it to me Baby
Living Colour- Cult of Personality
Prince- Erotic City
Phil Collins- Sssssudio
Steve Winwood- Roll With It
Starship- Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Huey Lewis and the News- Hell, their whole damn catalog
Peter Gabrial- Sledgehammer and In Your Eyes
Dolly Parton- 9 to 5
The Escape Club- Wild Wild West
U2- Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Peter Cetera- Glory of Love
Robert Palmer- Addicted to Love
Belinda Carlise- Heaven is a Place on Earth
Guns and Roses- Welcome to the Jungle
Scorpions- Rock You Like a Hurricane
Tom Petty- Free Fallin
Quiet Riot- Cum on Feel the Noize
Don Henley- Boys of Summer
AC/DC- Back in Black and Hells Bells
The Pixies- Where is My Mind
REM- It's the End of the World
(This is as it came to me... lord knows how much this could get expanded.)
Walk LIke an Egyptian was OK, but the best Bangles song was their cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Hazy Shade of Winter" for one of the 80's most wonderfully awful movies "Less than Zero."
I agree with many of these songs.
Mountain Song should be out Kick Off song.
appropriate for the man who doesn't like cheese
I've been lobbying for us to do Message in a Bottle...it should sound real good live. We do Synchronicity 2 but a lot of people don't know it and the reaction is nothing special.
I think Steve Winwood's best vocals were in the 60's as a teen with Spencer Davis.
80's or not... a true HOKIE dj will put "Enter Sandman" in there somewhere!
Sorry dunk, at the very earliest, an instrumental demo was recorded 8/13/90. That said, it was birthed by a guitar riff Hammett wrote, that was inspired by Soundgarden's '89 album Louder Than Love. I'm guessing probably from the title track & Get On The Snake:
We're in NEFL and sadly, I'm the only Hokie in the band.
The 80's setup consistently gets the best crowd reactions from Let's Go Crazy, Round and Round, Heartbreaker, No More Tears, Talk Dirty, anything Bon Jovi, anything Van Halen, and the sappy songs. Ladies also went nuts over Voices Carry on Saturday. Saturday was our first real rollout for Kickstart My Heart and Rebel Yell. The reaction was very good and we'll likely keep them.
Good set lists— add at least one song from the Outfield, the Boss, and maybe Jack and Diane and it would be complete..
As a big Outfield fan, I agree with adding Your Love to the list. Not my favorite song of theirs, but definitely the most recognizable one.
I'm sorry but rock died in 1980.
And I thought this thread died in 2019.
No Raiders of the Lost Ark or Calvin and Hobbes?
Calvin and Hobbes is timeless.
This needs more legs!
Agreed, and add Bloom County.
Book It. Those personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut were money and I was able to play Pac Man and Galaga on their arcade machine.
Getting a new Atari or Nintendo game for making honor roll was pretty awesome too.
We had Outrun in our Pizza Hut. I loved it.
This was a lot more fun than pole position...lol
That was 33 mins well spent.
Best 80s Things? How about best 80s TV show themes?
Thank you for remembering the best opening credit of the 80's, saved me from having to point out French's glaring oversight. My opinion has nothing to do with me having once been a Navy helicopter pilot stationed in Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii.
Here you go:
And just for a bit of fun & chucks, french's fave 80s movie:
Leg for the Airwolf (one of the coolest intro themes & choppers ever). The show became a regular for my fam & me.
Miami Vice theme needs to be in there. It actually sat on the Billboard Top 100 for awhile.
Miami Vice was great all around with their music scores. Great mood setting tunes, and juxtaposition when needed.
& just for good measure I'll throw in a few more goodies
Beaning Paste to get him kicked out of the game was a great 80s memory.
No replies = me dying slowly inside. Nobody else played Bases Loaded?
I was busy fulfilling the description of being a parent and mortifying my child by dancing to 80s music, then we had a belated 4th celebration with out neighbors.... I don't remember Bases Loaded, but I do remember some of the great t.v. intros.
loved playing bases loaded. Played Bases Loaded II as well. Superb game altough Blades of Steel was better.
nah man, R.B.I. Baseball for me
That, Tecmo Super Bowl, Tecmo NBA Basketball, and Capcom's Gold Medal Challenge '92 pretty much made up my gaming sports youth.
and Blades of Steel was a much better on GameBoy than NES.
Yeah RBI Baseball was where it was at. If I recall correctly, and it has been many many years, I believe the Ryan Sandburg player was almost as unstoppable on that game as Barry Sanders was in Techmo Bowl or Jeremy Roenick was in NHL 93.
I was a Tecmo Baseball guy, although I owned both. I think Tecmo was the only time ever in the history of computer or console baseball games that the Minnesota Twins were any good.
Using the Sears catalog to pick your Christmas wish list
Book stores actually having children's appropriate books on history and biology
Having an actual opening day for trout fishing
Good stuff French, those catalogs were the best...we primarily went to JCPenny's...
"Christmas List" is that what they called it in the 80s?
The 80's gave us the last American Muscle car (well 1979-1993, but mostly the 80's)
Fox-bodies, for me, are kinda like El Caminos; they either look badder than hell or like absolute shit.
Good friend of mine from Tech and Navy Flight School had a black 86 droptop 5.0. I swear he cheated death a dozen times in that thing. He ended up being a back-seater (RIO) in F14's. Picture Goose and Slider from Top Gun. I was always nervous riding around Pensacola with him in that overpowered beast. If you are a TKP'r Gerry, give me a shoutout.
I'm about to pick up an unmolested '89 GT. I'm pretty excited about it. I'll likely do a few small mods to it. But you're right, they are light and the rear end will really get away from you.
'80 Cobra man here, bought it new and still own it. The snap oversteer caused by the rear suspension on those Fox bodies will make you stain your pants. I spun mine around a couple times.
Sweet!
We'll have to connect (I'm in H'burg) when I get this one into town.
You cruise that Foxbody any this summer.
Just a little. It's in really great shape, but since the owner didn't drive it a whole lot it's needed a few little things. We are going to pull in in the garage this fall and really get into it so we can get it ready for next spring/summer!
My former neighbor had a blacked out 93 Cobra that he raced with. And beside it that only lived in the garage, trailer, or at a show, was a 93 Cobra R, less than 200 miles on it. One of only 107 made. I'm not a car guy, but even I thought that was badass.
"Last American muscle car" lol, the Dodge Bros would like a word.
Well, that car is certainly a beast! Chevy has one, and Ford also has one.
But there was a solid 20-25 years between the Fox Body Mustang and anything substantial in that world. And still, I wouldn't put any of the new 'muscle' cars in the same category. Even for its day, the Fox Body Mustang had an "old school" muscle car feel because of its no frills design. It was light, loud, and a bit rugged which, when you drove it, took you back in time a bit. Some guys love that (I'm an old school guy, so I love it), and some guys hate it.
If you're referring to the mustang it's no longer a "muscle car" it's a sports coupe. The Challenger is the last of the breed. Quiet frankly I wasn't impressed until the 2015 models were released, Dodge stepped up their game.
Not to say the Mustang and Camaro's aren't nice....they are, but no longer in the same category. +1 on the Fox body too.
I agree. Mopar is on a whole different level these days. It's crazy really.
I spent much of the 80s coop-ing and then at my 1st eng job at Harris Corp in Melbourne, FL. Was surfing almost every day. I miss Raisin Bikinis, Hurricane swell Perfect Left Barrels, and partying at Screech McVays in Merritt Island. Off. The. Charts!
The Challenger explosion was very sobering.
I found pieces at my home beach and took them to NASA.
French's tunes list is on point! Add Blinded Me With Science and anything from Devo!
Attending the 1986 Peach Bowl victory over NC State -25-24 win on a last second field goal for the very first Hokies Bowl game win ay old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium-then celebrating NYE in Atlanta!!
Was there too with my GF at the time. Such a great game and experience. And yes, she is a Hokie too. She said "yes" the following May, and we celebrate 32 years soon. That game will always have a special place in our hearts.
playing outside until the street light came on!!!!
The Berlin Wall coming down
My 1987 Suzuki Samurai. I didn't get it until 1994, but I loved that stupid car. No power steering. No AC. Just a tape deck and a CB radio and tons of mountain adventures.
My first car was an 88 Ford Escort that I got in 1997. Sadly I only had it for about 2 months before it was brutally murdered 6 frickin days after I got my permanent license.
I remember when we went to Akron, Ohio up 77 talking on the CB...going through WV was interesting...those state troopers dont play..
>ahem<
Yes!
Music/bands. Watching Red Hot Chili Peppers and others at Kings Head Inn. Ramones at the Boathouse.
Hokies winning first bowl game.
More Blacksburg specific - The Noise Boys and Alias at TOTS and S. Main Cafe... until the balcony there fell down.
Ah South Main Cafe (aka 117 S Main) -best place to see a band when I was at VT--the Janitors; steady rollin' Bob Margolin-great memories!
Bob is playing at a Blues show near Staunton, VA this Satuday and I was considering going.
Chef Boyardee roller coasters. Just bring them back.
You mean the best decade ever? The music, the movies, that toys, the video games, the sports, so much is so awesome about the 80's. Stranger Things almost does it Justice...
Taco Bell Chili Cheese Burrito.
Movies: Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, The Terminator, Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Music: Suffer (Bad Religion), Come on Pilgrim/Doolittle (Pixies), Day Dream Nation (Sonic Youth)
Chrome Moly BMX Bikes with Mag wheels. Van Halen - Diver Down. Moving into a practically brand new Cochran Hall dorm on VT campus. The 80's was a great decade.
From my personal experiences:
Food: frozen ice pops. Generic brand preferably.
T.V.: The Real Ghostbusters, Garfield, Fraggle Rock, Elephant Show, David the Gnome, TMNT, Mr Rodgers Neighborhood
Toys: NES, GameBoy, baseball cards, Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars
Movies: Ghostbusters, Flight of the Navigator, The Neverending Story
Music: Genesis... My mom listened to it endlessly, its like the soundtrack of my childhood
The movie trailers do not get any better then the 80's trailers. They were spectacular.
90s & early 00s were great too. Par exampla this one for The Mask of Zorro:
sorry everyone but the best thing to come out of the 80s is me
In space, no one can hear you scream.
My favorite 80's things -
My VT Acceptance Letter.
The Punk Rock Peak with the Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, and The Clash putting out some of their finest.
Goth Rock rising from those ashes with Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, Bauhaus.
U2's The Joshua Tree.
Summer of 86 getting a great fake ID, and following the Dead in July from Ohio to their 2 night stand at RFK.
Hill Street Blues - Quality time with my Dad.
Knots Landing - Quality Time with my Mom.
Molly Effing Ringwald.
Phoebe Effing Cates.
Brook Effing Shields.
Elizabeth Effing Shue.
Being in the labor/delivery room for baby Hip Hop... Sugar Hill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Whodini, Run DMC, etc.
Pizza Hut actually being good, and going out to eat pizza was still a thing.
Call Waiting. My dad couldn't get mad at me for tying up the phone. (Yes, kids, we used to actually talk on the phone.)
Girls wearing madras shorts. Hot, hot, hot.
Girls wearing Calvin Klein Obsession. See above.
Roger Moore 007.
80's ski attire - I loved my CB jacket.
Ford Bronco II.
We wanted flying cars in the future, but the 280ZX was close.
John Hughes and John Carpenter.
Record Stores.
Celtics vs Lakers
Cowboys vs Redskins
Rookie Head Coach Frank Beamer
I really, really could go on.
Did anyone else notice that the "number 2" bad guy helping Mysterio in the new Spiderman movie was Peter Billingsly, aka Ralphie from The Christmas Story?
I did.
I also watched some Hollywood Reporter type show that he was in. Apparently Pete is a really cool dude, and hangs out with everybody in Hollywood. He gets smallish roles here and there, and everywhere.
Duck Hunt
I have read about this lately and never knew it myself but apparently you could control the duck with the player 2 controller.
Mind blown. I had no idea!
Sorry, but the greatest thing about the 80s was Virginia Tech 48 - 0 LOLUVA, Scott Stadium, '83.
1980 wasn't bad either, 30-0 at Lane. Toilet paper streamers were flying that day.
Great day....in spite of the rain. I remember the next day, the Roanoke Times had an aerial view of the (at that point unfinished) stadium packed. It was a then-record crowd to see a football game in Virginia. I considered the 30-0 score a day early birthday present.
I have a really poor quality photo I took that day from high up east side in the student section. Drizzle and cheap 110 film camera do not make a clear picture. But you can see the streamers.
Ah yes the '83 Squeaker-my freshman year. Tearing down the goalpost at Lane North! (and our 9-2 Hokies being snubbed by the Peach Bowl for UNC who had just lost to UVA on the same field the week before we blew them out.) Good times and my very first UVA-VT game in person.(Damn I wish we had the running game from that day-averaged like 9 yards every first down it seemed!)
Yeah, is there anybody that has any vid clips from that game??? I've looked high & nigh all over YT and no taco.
Frank Beamer returned to Blacksburg...and brought Bud with him
Another great to come from the 80s: The Dirk Diggler Story mokumentary ('88).
I had a bib with "where's the beef" on it.
Beer- better now.
Beer commercials- better in the 80s
"It doesn't get any better than this" was a great slogan/campaign. Those commercials were fantastic.
I can't believe (and correct me if I'm wrong and missed it) that no one has mentioned the two greatest movies of all time that came from the 80s.... Top Gun and Days of Thunder! Tom Cruise classics.
Also, 80s 300zx were the boss.
I referenced TG further up the thread when I posted the Archer promo covering "Danger Zone". DOT was released to theaters 6/27/90.
What is Days of Thunder?
I hope your not serious, but for a short synopsis:
What my badge and sig didn't give it away?
I dunno. I think it used to be a ride at Kings Dominion back in the day.
Either that, or description of summer weather.
I know somebody that has the last film reel from that ride.
There are only two types of people in this world, those that drop the hammer, and those that do not drop the hammer.
Only the single greatest ride at a theme park. Ever. The Days of Thunder movie ride at Kings Island gave 3rd grade me a stiffy.
Days of Thunder Ride
Another great thing that happened in the 80s
Let's not forget the Henson Heave.
Nintendo Entertainment System
When I was actually living in the 80s - my NES
Now that i'm 40 - AC/DC... and memories of having free time to play my NES, which actually still works - just no time to play it.