I was an 80s star child if I was to have my moment of glory I certainly had it with the following crazes. The 80’s was a time where children still played outside, made dens and huts, and kicked a ball around for fun. Having a look at the following 1980’s ‘artefacts’ or trends brought back some wonderful childhood memories. Here are some known trends that not only traversed America but also the UK Australia, New Zealand and a variety of places hidden places.
1. Football Stickers.
Having a handful of stickers and shiny badges gave every young kid street cred on the school playground. Groups of kids would be gathered all over trading and searching for the rear stickers others didn’t have. Moments of greatness were forged as children became men in a trading frenzy.
2. Rubik’s Cube.
Nerds and geniuses huddled around in the school yard were at times a sign of the Rubik’s cubes undying flare. Kids took to this infamous cube either with frustration or with intrigue and delight adding a notch to their intelligence and determination. Some pulled it apart and put it together to give the impression they had smarts, others mastered the cube and earned their reputation.
3. Spokey Dokes.
These were the craze of the 80 for kids that loved their bicycle, the noise and the colour gave you that addition of grandeur just like a rare sports car, loud, vibrant and dazzling.
4. Top Trumps.
Top Trumps still live today, something about them still holds people’s attention. Which Trump has the highest scare factor is the name of the game.
5. Handheld LCD games.
The most popular kids unquestionably had the handheld games. Everyone wanted to play them, the novelty took children by storm. Nothing was cooler than having the latest technology, the best Walkman, or the greatest handheld device and a variety of games gave the most popular kids the pick of the crop when it came to making friends. I remember myself always wanted to hang out with the kids that had Tetris and Donkey Kong to see these master in action and with that hope that I too would be able to have a shot at one too.
https://youtu.be/03udgQDpQSA
6. Calculator watches.
Every kid with a calculator watch was super cool, hands down, we all dreamed of having one, perhaps it would give me the advantage in maths class. They gave the impression that we were wiz kids. Sadly that are no longer in production, perhaps the small buttons only made sense for the youngsters of the 80’s. And now with phones that do anything, production on longer exists.
7. Boglins.
Boglins were short lived, they were everywhere and then they ceased to exist, hand held puppets made to scare.
8. Slap bands
Slap bands were definitely a craze, I had them, they made us cool kids, we swapped them, coveted them, even in the wrong hands were lethal weapons. They were a crave that kids pestered their parents for. And when you had one, instantly your coolness factor rose.
9. Monster finger Puppets.
Monster finger puppets with their big teeth and large arms allowed every young kid to play out their industrious imaginative stories. They were the mark of birthday party bags in the 80’s and helped kids forge many stories.
10. Garbage Pail Kids.
These stickers and cards drove me many times to take my change and take what I imagined was a long long walk all the way down to the store on my block to get them. They were fascinating and made for much talk amongst the lads in the school yard. I remember buying so many that I threw the bubble gum with them away. These were the dark side of cabbage patch kids. A must have for those that hated the plain dolls.
11. Mood rings.
A chance for the kids to become self-aware, although they only seemed to go black they changed colour, this was a sign of a darker outlook.
12. Deely Boppers.
Deely Boppers were a great add on for kids that wanted to add their 80’s big hair styles. Or at least, a second chance at winning each day’s beauty pageant on the playground.
13. Pencil Toppers.
Pencil toppers were a great add on to impress other kids with your stationary. They came from cereal packets and certainly drew the attention of other kids.
https://youtu.be/OuiKRAbpObU