# 80's Nostalgia **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 4, 2000, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700 "2000-04-04T21:09:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/1 "2000-04-04T21:09:00Z")
A friend of mine recieved the following e-mail, which the sender was apparently very enthusiastic about. It made him sick, and he posted it on a BBS, where it subsequently made me sick. And here I go passing it along to you. * * * If you don’t believe that the 80’s was the “Me” decade of materialism and consumerism, read on! WE ARE NOT THE LOST GENERATION Friends, this is one of the best e-mails of all time. If you were born between 1965 and 1977 (give or take a year or two) you will certainly enjoy this as much as I did. Don’t skip a line, read this when you have time to take it all in. I am a child of the 70’s & 80’s. That is what I prefer to be called. The 90’s can do without me. Grunge isn’t here to stay, fashion is fickle and “generation X” is a myth created by some over-40 writer trying to figure out why people wear flannel in the summer. When I got home from school, I played Atari 2600. I spent hours playing Pitfall or Combat or Breakout or Frogger. I never did beat Asteroids. Then I watched Scooby-Doo. Daphne was a goddess, and I thought Shaggy was smoking something synthetic in the back of the Mystery Machine. I HATED SCRAPPY. I would sleep over at friend’s houses on the weekends. We played army with G I Joe figures, and I set up galactic wars between Autobots and Decepticons. We never beat Rubik’s cube, unless you count taking off the stickers. I got up on Saturday mornings at 6am to watch bad Hanna-Barbera cartoons like “The Snorks”, “Jabberjaw”, “Captain Caveman”, and “Space Ghost”. In between I would watch Schoolhouse Rock (Conjunction junction, what’s your function?) On Friday night, Daisy Duke was my future wife. Did your Dad turn from mild-mannered Bill Bixby into the “Incredible Hulk” when he got upset? At the movies the Nerds got revenge on the Alpha Betas by teaming up with the Omega Mu’s. I watched Indiana Jones save the Ark of Covenant. I wondered what Yoda meant when he said, “No, there is another”. Ronald Reagan was cool. Gorbachev was the guy who built a McDonalds in Moscow. My family took vacations to South Florida and collected Muppet Movie Glasses along the way (we had the whole set). My siblings and I fought in the back seat. At the hotel, we found creative uses for Connect Four pieces. I listened to John Cougar Melencamp sing about Pink Houses and Jack & Diane. I was bewildered by Boy George. I was a “Wild Boy” for Duran Duran. MTV actually played music videos. Nickelodeon played “You Can’t Do That On Television”. HBO showed Mike Tyson pummel everybody except Robin Givens. I drank Dr Pepper. I’m a Pepper, you’re a Pepper, wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper too? Shasta was for losers. Tab was a laboratory accident. Capri Sun was a social statement. Orange Juice wasn’t just for breakfast anymore. Bacon had to move over for something leaner. My Mom put a thousand Little Debbie snack cakes in my Charlie Brown Lunchbox and our world was the backyard and it was all you needed. With your pink portable tape player, Debbie Gibson sang back up to you. Everyone wanted a skirt like the material girl and a glove like Michael Jackson. Today, we are the ones who sing along with Bruce Springsteen and the Bangles perfectly and have no idea why. We recite lines from Ghostbusters and still look to the Goonies for a Great adventure. We flip through T V stations and stop at the A-Team and Knight Rider and laugh with the Cosby Show and Family Ties. “What you talkin’ about Willis?” We hold strong affection for the Muppets and Gummy Bears and why did they take the Smurf’s off the air? After school Specials were about cigarettes and step-families. The Polka Dot Door was nothing like Barney. Aren’t the Power Rangers just Voltran reincarnated? We are the ones who still read Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, the Bobbsey Twins, Beverly Cleary. And Judy Blume. Friendship bracelets were ties you couldn’t break and friendship pins went on shoes. Pegged jeans were in, and were unit belts, layered socks, jean jackets, JAMS, charm necklaces and side pony-tails. Rave was a girl’s best friend; braces with colored rubber bands made you rad. The back door was always open and Mom served only the red Kool-aid to the neighborhood kids. You never drank the New Coke. Entertainment was cheap and lasted for hours. All you needed to be a princess was highheels and an apron. The Sit’n’spin always made you dizzy, but never made you stop. Pogoballs were dangerous weapons, and Chinese Jump ropes never failed to trip someone. In your Underoos you were Wonder Woman, Spider Man or R2D2. In your tree house, you were king. In the 80’s nothing was wrong. Did you know the president was shot? Did you see the Challenger explode or feed a homeless man? We forgot Vietnam and watched Tiananmen Square on CNN. We didn’t start the fire Billy Joel. In the 80’s we redefined the American Dream, and those years defined us. We are the generation in between strife and facing strife and turning our backs. The 80’s may have made us idealistic, but it’s that idealism that will push us and be passed to our children-the children of the 21st Century. We had neighborhoods where in the day we could play kick-the-can, ring-o-levio, “guns”, and all of the things that made us “Grownup”. There was always that one field that could be used for either baseball, football, soccer, or just a place to hang out. That was my field of dreams, Mr. Costner. At night we would play flashlight tag, or ditch, and we could trick-or-treat at night without the fear of being killed. We loved orange race tracks…that was until our mother realized she could smack us with them. We collected Cabbage Patch kids, and their ugly offspring Garbage Pail kids. We collected football & baseball cards, but it was because we wanted to be the first in the neighborhood the have the complete set. We played with He-Man and Skelator. Going to get a Happy Meal on Saturday with Mom or Dad was worth waiting the other six days of the week. Was Green Lantern the coolest superhero or Aquaman? “Wonder-twin powers activate!” “Hey, my mom will take if your mom picks up!” This is what growing up in the 70’s & 80’s was all about! So if you are reading this and it ALL hits home then you do indeed have a heritage or a generation. This is what makes us the most unique generation of all. Please pass this on to all who can relate! ---
**Author:** ![Vestal\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@Vestal\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vestal_Blue)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/2 "2000-04-04T23:37:00Z")
We loved orange race tracks…that was until our mother realized she could smack us with them. My Mom was beating us with Hot Wheel tracks in '69! Ah, those were the days. * * * VB Some people say that cats are sneaky, evil, and cruel. True, and they have many other fine qualities as well. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/3 "2000-04-05T12:48:00Z")
Have to say that I relate to a lot of that. The 80s may have been about materialism, but so is childhood. Besides, last week I got my Jem t-shirt from e-bay, and my week was MADE. (she’s totally outragous!) ---
**Author:** ![the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f1d935/32.png) [@the\_Scarlet\_Pimpernel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Scarlet_Pimpernel)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/4 "2000-04-05T12:53:00Z")
A while ago I asked a friend of mine, born in '79, “Whatever happened to deely-bobbers?” She responded, “I think they went the way of thing-a-ma-jigs…” _sigh_ We’re only four years apart, but there’s a generation between us… * * * Hey, sweetie! You want a Danish with that coffee? – _another custom design by the mind of Wally_ ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/5 "2000-04-05T14:05:00Z")
The most identifying characteristic of a child of the 80’s, no doubt, is that we were raised on the real Sesame Street, with **no Elmo!** And, when we hear someone refer to a fictional prehistoric “Barney,” we think “Rubble.” * * * Chaim Mattis Keller [ckeller@kozmo.com](mailto:ckeller@kozmo.com) “Sherlock Holmes once said that once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the answer. I, however, do not like to eliminate the impossible. The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it that the merely improbable lacks.” – Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently, Holistic Detective ---
**Author:** ![Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trout_Mask_Replica)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/6 "2000-04-05T14:11:00Z")
I still bear a deep grudge against the teacher who took away my Garbage Pail Kids cards. * * * **TMR** _If you believed in yourself, and tore enough holes in your pants, there was always a mist-filled alley right around the corner._ ---
**Author:** ![John\_Corrado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a88e4f/32.png) [@John\_Corrado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Corrado)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/7 "2000-04-05T14:15:00Z")
Sigh. I’m actually nostalgic for Hall & Oates. How the hell did that happen? I think I’ll swing by my parents’ tonight and pick up my old Cars and Huey Lewis vinyls… * * * JMCJ Give to Radiskull! ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/8 "2000-04-05T14:17:00Z")
deely-boppers. Ah. I have a friend who is a mere three years younger than I, and he doesn’t remember ANY of the cool cartoons we had. No Thundercats, no He-man/She-Ra. He remembers Transformers, but they were on forever. He also doesn’t remember The Electric Company on PBS, and only vaugely remembers The Bloodhound Gang on 3…2…1… Contact. Feh. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/9 "2000-04-05T15:15:00Z")
Ah, yes, how fondly I recall the Eighties of my girlhood! Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee! Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show! Coming home after school and playing “bingo” by the new electric lamp, or playing lawn tennis in the summer! New York was so exciting then—Journeying by elevated to see the new Brooklyn Bridge; stopping by Tony Pastor’s on 14th Street to hear Lillian Russell or the Irwin sisters sing! And the authors——Messrs. Stevenson, James and Doyle, and the clever Miss Burnett. And did any of you see those new “Impressionists,” or try that new “Cocoa-Cola” or pourable salt? I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who looks back nostalgically on the '80s . . . ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/10 "2000-04-05T15:32:00Z")
“The Day the Earth Stood Still” Well, sorta. It was based on a story “Farewell to the Master,” which had a great surprise ending line that I shall not repeat here, lest I spoil it for someone who hasn’t read it. ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/11 "2000-04-05T16:10:00Z")
Oh, I too fondly remember the 80s! The ash from Vesuvius had settled, and the beaches in the south were gorgeous again. The lazy days in the just-finished Colliseum, watching lions devour Christians. The early days of Domitian, before the reign of terror…ah, those were the days! Rome was the _only_ place to be in the 80s. I remember getting drunk on sweet Cretan wine at the opening of the Arch of Titus: was I ever so young! * * * I’m your only friend I’m not your only friend But I’m a little glowing friend But really I’m not actually your friend But I am ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2000, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/12 "2000-04-06T16:14:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by SwimmingRiddles: > \*\*…He also doesn’t remember The Electric Company on PBS, and only vaugely remembers The Bloodhound Gang on 3…2…1… Contact. Feh. \*\* ah yes, the electric company. I remember that show fondly. Where else can you see a song & dance number superimposed on a giant pinball machine? And nobody could see snuffleuppaghus (or however the hell you spell that) because he was big bird’s imaginary friend, not a regular character. Buying vinyl LPs in EVERY music store, not specialty DJ shops. rumble on the football field between the freaks, jocks, breakers, and rockers. hahaha clique fights. * * * ## Joe Cool Full speed, right ahead Don’t stop, you can sleep when you’re dead ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2000, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/13 "2000-04-06T16:18:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by SwimmingRiddles: > \*\*…He also doesn’t remember The Electric Company on PBS, and only vaugely remembers The Bloodhound Gang on 3…2…1… Contact. Feh. \*\* ah yes, the electric company. I remember that show fondly. Where else can you see a song & dance number superimposed on a giant pinball machine? And nobody could see snuffleuppaghus (or however the hell you spell that) because he was big bird’s imaginary friend, not a regular character. Buying vinyl LPs in EVERY music store, not specialty DJ shops. rumble on the football field between the freaks, jocks, breakers, and rockers. hahaha clique fights. * * * ## Joe Cool Full speed, right ahead Don’t stop, you can sleep when you’re dead ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2000, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/14 "2000-04-06T16:20:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by SwimmingRiddles: > \*\*…He also doesn’t remember The Electric Company on PBS, and only vaugely remembers The Bloodhound Gang on 3…2…1… Contact. Feh. \*\* ah yes, the electric company. I remember that show fondly. Where else can you see a song & dance number superimposed on a giant pinball machine? And nobody could see snuffleuppaghus (or however the hell you spell that) because he was big bird’s imaginary friend, not a regular character. Buying vinyl LPs in EVERY music store, not specialty DJ shops. rumble on the football field between the freaks, jocks, breakers, and rockers. hahaha clique fights. * * * ## Joe Cool Full speed, right ahead Don’t stop, you can sleep when you’re dead ---
**Author:** ![Stella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5fc32e/32.png) [@Stella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stella)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/15 "2000-04-08T03:05:00Z")
**YES!!!** It looks like the Eighties **are** coming back! _L_ We’ve been wondering about it from early February ( [http://pub2.ezboard.com/fbraydirectorygossip.showMessage?topicID=127.topic](http://pub2.ezboard.com/fbraydirectorygossip.showMessage?topicID=127.topic) ), and I’ve noticed similar discussions here and there, and Channel4 (UK telly) will start a series on New Romantics tomorrow… _woohoo!_ Oh, I still love Boy George, nowadays especially those HATS! ---
**Author:** ![Beauxeau\_IX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@Beauxeau\_IX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beauxeau_IX)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/16 "2000-04-08T15:07:00Z")
> [@](#): > > ah yes, the electric company. I remember that show fondly. Where else can you see a song & dance number superimposed on a giant pinball machine? And nobody could see snuffleuppaghus (or however the hell you spell that) because he was big bird’s imaginary friend, not a regular character. Do you actually remember Electric Company? Sounds like you are getting it confused with Seseame Street. The Electric Company had Morgan Freeman as Easy Rider. And, of course, the live action Spidey comic books. My personal fave was: **Man in Black:** You must pay the rent! **Damsel in Distress:** I can’t pay the rent. **Man in Black:** You must pay the rent! **Damsel in Distress:** I can’t pay the rent. **Man in White:** I’ll pay the rent! **Damsel in Distress:** My hero! ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/17 "2000-04-08T15:28:00Z")
Note to a certain Doper who knows who she is: I _told_ you I was old… :: sigh :: * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![Wicked\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/2acd7d/32.png) [@Wicked\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wicked_Blue)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/18 "2000-04-08T19:55:00Z")
Anyone remember 'The Great Space Coaster"? I loved that show…I can still sing the theme song. Is the great space coaster come aboard! to the great space coaster we’ll explore!.. Rose 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/19 "2000-04-08T20:25:00Z")
The guy who painted numbers on balloons and things --\> was that Electric Company or Sesame Street? It was my favorite segment and I always looked forward to it and now I can’t even remember which show it was. That 30th birthday is fast approaching and I’m apparently going senile. ---
**Author:** ![Ophanim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8491ac/32.png) [@Ophanim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ophanim)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2000, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700/20 "2000-04-08T20:36:00Z")
Anybody remember pinwheel? * * * ## **Ophanim** Not Voted, \*\*Coolest, Dumbest, Happiest, Drunkest, Surliest, Gayest, Most Godly, or anything else! \*\* Damn you all to HELL! Where’s my side of FUN!? Kisses! Ophy [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/80s-nostalgia/15700.md?page=2)