# Kid's fads, past & present **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 9, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490 "2010-06-09T01:33:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/21 "2010-06-09T15:08:28Z")
[Wacky WallWalker](http://www.drfad.com/images/wallwalker.jpg). You know you had one. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/22 "2010-06-09T15:09:53Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Mood rings, and later Izod shirts, Member’s Only jackets Suddenly I know exactly how old you are. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/23 "2010-06-09T15:21:51Z")
Lollies, slime, cowboy hats (which led to a joke–"How is a cowboy hat like a hemmorhoid? Because sooner or later every a\*\*hole gets one.) ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/24 "2010-06-09T15:34:48Z")
Big Johnson and Coed Naked \_\_\_\_\_\_ t-shirts were both banned at my school. After the ban, I wore a Big Johnson t-shirt and didn’t get a word said to me, because I’m female. Pissed the guys off quite a bit. Hypercolor shirts were also a big deal. These were shirts that changed color based on warmth. The commercials were so awesome–your friend could leave his handprint on your shirt!–but in reality, you ended up walking around with your armpits a different color than the rest of your shirt, for the three times it worked until washing it caused it to stop working. Other things I remember: –Tight-rolling the cuffs of our jeans –Zubaz –Starter jackets –Doc Martens –Tunic sweaters and leggings –One-piece bodysuits that snapped at the crotch, worn as shirts/blouses. Looking back, it was like we were all wearing onesies. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/25 "2010-06-09T15:59:31Z")
Buncha whippersnappers. I remember Super Balls, Rat Finks, G.I. Joe and Hot Wheels. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/26 "2010-06-09T15:59:39Z")
Garbage Pail Kids, Jelly Bracelets (I heard the same sex story _then_ and I heard it _again_ on the radio this year.) Everything in neon. Jam shorts. OP. (OP is back!) ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/27 "2010-06-09T17:59:32Z")
**Drain Bead** and I went to school at roughly the same time. My hypercolor shirt was the orange/yellow one and I loved loved loved it. I don’t remember it not working, though - maybe I was a late adopter. It’s still a matter of pride that I never rolled my pant legs. Couldn’t understand the attraction; it felt rather like a shackle. And I always had someone after me about it: “here! just let me! it’s cool!” Pogs! I haven’t thought about those in years. Also big were those coarse woven poncho things that the grunge craze made huge. We called 'em rugs. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/28 "2010-06-09T18:09:04Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > [Wacky WallWalker](http://www.drfad.com/images/wallwalker.jpg). You know you had one. I _did_ have one of those! It was disgusting after the first time it fell on the floor and got covered with dog hair. Toe socks with sandals. Man those things were uncomfortable but everyone was wearing them. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/29 "2010-06-09T18:10:51Z")
In 1984-85 I was in 4th Grade and the big fad was collecting stickers. We all (boys and girls alike) had photo albums where we’d keep our stickers. We’d trade them and try and get any fancy new stickers we could find. My favorite was a Michael Jackson glove sticker that glittered. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/30 "2010-06-09T19:20:49Z")
Reebok pumps–shoes that had this little rubber basketball-shaped pump on the tongue. When you squeezed it, it would fill the shoe with air, giving you a more snug fit. ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/31 "2010-06-09T19:32:43Z")
[Wacky Packages](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wacky_Packages) ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/32 "2010-06-09T19:51:43Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > … > > –One-piece bodysuits that snapped at the crotch, worn as shirts/blouses. Looking back, it was like we were all wearing onesies. Sweet Jeebus, I remember those. Flattering to almost no one. I think the point was just so you’d neverever get your shirt untucked. Looking back, it wasn’t worth the price. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/33 "2010-06-09T19:56:10Z")
Cabbage Patch Kids. I wanted one so badly and there was no way my mom was going to stand in line for hours or go to any effort whatsoever for a doll she considered to be hideously ugly. She’s morally opposed to fighting for toys (also Barbie, Costco, and video players in the car). > [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > –One-piece bodysuits that snapped at the crotch, worn as shirts/blouses. Looking back, it was like we were all wearing onesies. I looked really good in those… ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/34 "2010-06-09T21:01:25Z")
I was a child of the 80s, through and through. Most of my list would be hip hop culture. ([gazelles](http://www.karmaloop.com/vendor/CLA/zoom/GAZELLES-GRNzoom1.jpg), [bamboo earrings](http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/5b/3/AAAAAu6lhAMAAAAAAFsxwg.jpg)). The bamboo earrings have actually made a comeback with the youngsters. But I remember all the 80s stuff you guys listed so vividly and fondly. Speaking of jellies, does anyone remember the [Jelly Jackets](http://www.rainwearcafe.co.uk/deedeepreview01.jpg)? Talk about burning up in the summertime! It wasn’t thin material like in that pic. That was just the best pic I could find. Oh, no, it was not a rain jacket, it was a thick, shiney plastic that would feel like lava on your skin, and we wore it in the summer. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/35 "2010-06-09T21:43:26Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > Buncha whippersnappers. I remember Super Balls, Rat Finks, G.I. Joe and Hot Wheels. You must be a guy. I remember the super balls, but totaly ignored the others. For the girls, it was Chinese jump ropes and these things with a ball on a short teather that you strapped on one shoe. You swung the ball around and jumped over the teather, almost jumping rope without using your hands. Oh, and cootie catchers, but you made those. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/36 "2010-06-09T22:12:32Z")
I got my first hula hoop in 1958. I won a contest with my mad hula hoop skillz. They’re a lot easier to use when you have no curves… ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/37 "2010-06-09T22:34:55Z")
I finished sixth grade in 1969. Stickers, especially of car and motor-related companies were tremendously popular with us boys, perhaps because they weren’t that easy to get; at least, you couldn’t just to any kind of store and see racks of them available for the picking. The oval STP stickers were like the Holy Grail; we were awestruck by local lore of one as big as the back of a schoolbus seat. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/38 "2010-06-09T23:01:18Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > You must be a guy. I remember the super balls, but totaly ignored the others. For the girls, it was Chinese jump ropes and these things with a ball on a short teather that you strapped on one shoe. You swung the ball around and jumped over the teather, almost jumping rope without using your hands. > > Oh, and cootie catchers, but you made those. And now I know about how old you are. 🙂 As a child of the seventies (started school in '68), I remember LiddleKiddles lockets, Flatsies, clackers, superballs, mood rings, pet rocks, Izod shirts worn with Hush Puppies or Weejuns and peg leg Calvins with the tag ripped off or kiltie skirts. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/39 "2010-06-09T23:06:06Z")
Hmmmm, lemme see. I was born in '61, so you do the math on that. In high school: Jeans (for girls) that were so tight around the ankles that some of them actually had _zippers_ in the ankles. Preferably worn with stiletto heels. Pumps were good, Candie’s were better. Sweat shirts that had been hacked up, a la _Flashdance_. Neon mixed with black. Mis-matched, bold earrings. “Mall-rat” hair: big, teased, ‘feathered’ back, blow-dried to a fare-thee-well; see: Farrah Fawcett. Pre-engagement rings. What the hell does that even mean? Pot was cool, booze was cool, ‘hard drugs’ were _not_ cool. I’m sure I’ll think of more later. The pot, booze, and cut-up sweatshirts have demented my brain for sure! 😉 ETA: How could I forget _leg warmers_ over your super-tight jeans?? ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490/40 "2010-06-09T23:11:07Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > Siamese rings. > Troll dolls. I actually have an acquaintance that makes a fair amount of money on eBay selling “OOAK” (One Of A Kind) troll dolls. She buys them (the dolls) at Goodwill and such. Hand-sews little outfits for them, braids their hair, etc. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kids-fads-past-present/542490.md?page=3)