Why Are You A Child Of The 80s?

This is one page of many, check out the intro at Child of the 80s where you can add your own memories as well.

This page currently edited by: RetroGuyDK. Past editor: MereBear22, Banasy


Man, do I miss the 80s. I was born in '85, but I still got to enjoy some of the 80s. It was the best of times in my little white trailer up on the mountain. I played with My Little Ponies, Ninja Turtles, Gumby, Barbies, and Muppets. I watched the best cartoons in the world- My Little Pony, Ninja Turtles, California Raisins, Gumby, Denver the Last Dinosaur, the Snorks, the Simpsons, Alvin and the Chipmunks ("Alvin, Simon, Theodore, do do do do do do"). I didn't have cable, so I wouldn't know what mtv was like back in the 80s. I heard it was awesome. I loved to play my Atari- Pitfall, Galaxian, The Empire Strikes Back, Pac Man, Kangaroo, Koolaid Man, Burger Time, and Adventure. I remember Centipede too. I always loved my atari, and it still works too, so I have the opportunity to play, unlike many other unfortunate people. Great movies, too. The Muppets Take Manhattan, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, the Land Before Time (might I add that all the sequels to that really suck), Pound Puppies the movie, My Little Pony the movie. The music was great too. I've developed a greater love for music of the 80s in more recent times, but I loved it then too. My sister plastered the walls with Motley Crue... I remember one Halloween when my Mom let her make my hair big and let me wear ripped jeans. I thought I was so cool. I knew all the words to Dr. Feelgood, Paradise City, Master of Puppets. It was great. I wanted to marry Axl Rose... that was weird. The music was awesome though. Guns N' Roses, Motley Crue, Metallica, Aerosmith, Poison, Cinderella, Europe, just to name a few. I'll sure miss those days. You know what else? Everyone seems to look back at 80s fashions mockingly. I thought a lot of those fashion were pretty darn cool! Some of them could've been a bit different, but no one cared then! I'm glad that some 80s fashions are coming back into style, and guys with long hair rock!
From: Linda

I loved the 80's, but not the side that involved hideous colours that didn't match, 'shell' suits, neon,and culture club. The side that was telebugs, superted, He-man, and my plastic castle greyskull, that I dropped cake in, which made it smell funny. Nevermind, I had my battle-action he-man with reversible damaged chest. I drank soda-stream, and played on my zx spectrum 128k. I loved dizzy, and thought the codemasters were some kind of gods. I waited with baited breath for the next episode of Thundercats, and really fancied Teela, and even Evil-lyn, even though she was blue, and looked a bit like a sado-masichist. Those were the days when lager didn't taste nice, and Cider was exiting. Well, some things have improved I suppose. But, nothing beats that feeling after walking home from school, getting a 'sherbet dip' from the shop, eating dinner and watching 'range hill' which was more depressing than the real thing... Oh joy.
From: Joe Hockaday

I'm 27, and this website is telling the story of my life. I, too, had big hair and blue eye shadow. I wore jellies and OP shorts in summer and a pin-covered jean jacket in the fall. I collected Smurfs, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, and begged my parents for a Cabbage Patch preemie. I wanted to marry Michael J. Fox, especially since he was my height at the time. And I watched every episode of Family Ties, Moonlighting and Who's The Boss. Today, I constantly complain about the lack of "good videos" on MTV ("remember when they used to tell stories?" I ask). I get excited when I see Schoolhouse Rock! on TV. And I find myself wishing for a Saturday night TV block as good as The Love Boat/Fantasy Island. Thanks again for this site and all the good memories it generates.
From: Rebecca

this site brings the memories flooding back! i remember everything about the 80s, and i wish i could still be there. i remember cominng home from school and watching all those great cartoons like thundercats, he-man, the real ghostbusters. i remember having a figure of ray out of the ghostbusters, he was my fave. We had a commodore amiga and i used to play all those great games on it! All of the movies were great, i practicly grew up on all those weird sci-fi/monster/action movies. I loved rambo and the a-team, i had some rambo pyjamas. I remember watching aliens and a nightmare on elm street with my mum, but i wasn't scared. I can remember watching that movie predator with arnie and thought it was cool. i can remember watching gremlins and all i wanted after that was gizmo! My idol was michael jackson, Me and my cousin spent hours trying to dance like him, we would stay up all night just so we could watch the uncut version of thriller. I remember though that my favourite movie was the labyrinth, with david bowie, we had it on video and i would watch it every hour of every day and never get bored with it! those were the days!
From: Rishi

Hi i was born in 84 and i had really loved the toys suck as rubber wrestlers,origional GI Joes ect,and the cartoons such as Hogans heros,Ghost busters and my favorite of all time and still is is Thunder Thunder Thunder Cats Ho.Thunder cats is the best there ever will be. Peace Out *0's children PS The old batman was pretty good too.
From: Tyler

This is so weird! I'm so glad I found this website! I play lead guitar in band that plays mostly Heavy Metal. We play stuff by Marilyn Manson, Disturbed, Nine Inch Nails...stuff like that. We're really happy with the music of today because we realize that as the we grew the world grew too. The 90's came and put a final end to the "innocents" that we knew as 80's children. We grew older (I'm 21 for the record) and the world has become a cold, harsh place. The music of today is just a reflection of what we have turned in to. BUT...last night my band was just sitting around talking when someone mentioned breakdancing. Thats all it took. Suddenly we were in this 4 hour conversation (laughing, dancing, imatating each other) about how cool the 80's were and what we missed the most. We remembered how cool it was to walk down the street with one of those really big sqaure Boom Boxes on your shoulder and where LA Gears and Guess Jeans. Remember when french rolling your jeans was the coolest and we paid $50 ($200 today) for jeans that were acid washed and had a million slits in them? If you had LA lights or those red suede Filas you were all that. We wore "fag bags" and buttons of the New Kids On The Block all over our jackets. Corey Haim and Corey Feldman were in every cool movie and Kurt Cameron and Milly Vanilly posters filled our bedroom walls. The bigger you could get your hair the better and we bragged about who used the most hairspray on their hair. Everyone owned a Bart Simpson shirt that said, "Eat my shorts" or "Ay Carumba" on it. We skateboarded with HUGE boards. Skates actually had 4 wheels and everyone who was anyone was at the roller rink on saturday night. In the summer we rode bannanna seat bikes, the tires squeaked or the spokes went "tick tick tick tick tick" and we had those little personalized license plates on them that we pulled out of an Alphabets cereal box. We all wore jelly shoes and one time or those flip flops. When you grew out of them your heel hung off or you would run too fast and break the heel off. Sometimes you'd skin the top of your big toe. I loved Yogi Bear and Scooby Doo. I thought that Koala Yummies were the best food in the world and Pac Man was America's past time. I miss video game controllers that were actually a "joy-stick". Anyways, we spent many hours talking about this and dedided that next weekened we'd have a "back to the 80's" kereoke night. We're all going to dress and do our hair like it used to be and we'll get down to real rock in roll. You know, Twisted Sister, Motely Crew, Guns N Roses, etc. I miss long hair, leather bands. Now I run across this website and I am THRILLED. I just emailed a link to this site to all my band members. Thanx for taking us back down memory lane!
From: $tephanie

I'm back. I have aged 2 years, I no longer listen to Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock, and I still love the 80s. First off-to all the men and women who are ashamed of how they looked in the 80s (big hair, wild clothes), I say don't be ashamed! You all looked awesome and glamorous back then. One of the saddest things about today is that celebrities look back on the 80s with a mixture of humor and humiliation. These people in question, who I love anyway, read like a who's-who of the 80s world; Pat Benatar, The Go-Gos, Pete Burns (of Dead or Alive), Madonna...okay, so I miscounted. Still, the 80's are nothing to be ashamed of. Look what kids around my age are saddled with (my age is 18, for the record): Britney Spears, Papa Roach, Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, 99.9 percent of the rappers out there, Puff Daddy, lame movies and TV shows. Whereas the 80s had: Tiffany, Motley Crue, The Scorpions, Ratt, Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, The Eurhythmics, Run-DMC, Madonna (okay, she's still around, but you know what I mean), an MTV that actually played music, The Go-Gos, Belinda Carlisle, The Bangles, New Edition, Yes, Julie Brown, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Wham!, George Michael...I could go on into the night about music. The 80s had; "Breakfast Club", "16 Candles", "Pretty In Pink", "Ghostbusters", "Back To The Future", "Spinal Tap", "Revenge Of The Nerds", "E.T", "Earth Girls Are Easy", "The Blues Brothers", "Flashdance", "Gremlins", "The Goonies", "The Muppets Take Manhattan", "Lethal Weapon", "Beverly Hills Cop", "48 HRS", "Trading Places", "Fast Times At Ridgemont High", "Working Girl", "Ruthless People", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", "Raising Arizona", "A Fish Called Wanda", "Breakin'", "Krush Groove", "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" ...so many movies, so little time. In closing, 80s fashions and styles being hip again? Good. Let's hope that's only the beginning. Choose Life, Relax, and Chaka Khan! Totally!
From: John Kilduff

I was born in 1977. I still remember Reagan being shot and thinking it was in the Kroger parking lot 2 minutes from my home (hey I was only 3.) I rememeber challanger (we did not see it live - the librarian told us.) I rememeber watching wuzzles and collecting. I watched the Dukes every friday night and I was Bo Duke. I watched u cant do that on television and little house and berenstein bears and saved by the bell and flinstone kids and muppet babies . Gremlins. ET. SIke. \I liked reagan and bush. I remember USA Cartoon express and all the cool shows on Nick too many to name. I AM A CHILD OF THE 80s
From: James M

I just know that I miss the MUSIC! A new radio station just appeared where I live and it plays 80s ALL THE TIME! Now the ride to and from work is a time for regression and and reminisce of these things mentioned above. Smurfs, cabbage patch kids (my dear mom snatched the last one from the K-mart shelf!), Strawberry shortcake, transformers and all of my fabulous gaudy plastic jewerly. Hooray for the 80s!
From: Angie

I think the best of times in the 80's was the mid 80's, 84 to 86. I think in the last part of 86 the 80's went trough an identity crisis and that's why the 90's sucked so bad. I was really into Duran Duran, the GoGos, Thriller was cool (but Michael Jackson I thought was so lame), and Glass Tigers Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone. I also loved that song 'Let's Go All The Way'. I remember "getting the girl" was a big thing for boys and getting a Porche 944 for your 16th birthday was a dream. My first car was a Volkswagon Beetle, but I did get the girl...or should I say girls. I remember that if you were picked on by the bully you would start up Karate classes and by the time you were ready to stand up to the bully you grew up to be twice his size or he became your best friend. It was so much better the idea of standing up to the bully with your fists than to bring a gun to school and kill a bunch of other kids that had nothing to do with it. I remember always hearing "I'm gonna kick your sorry butt" in the halls at least once a day. I remember as a guy always talking about someones mother and accusing every other guy of masterbating or they were gay. Every guy grew up with that. I don't know if it's still like that. I wouldn't ask a little kid, "so do you accuse your friends of masterbation and being gay?" You know though, I think kids these days are still the same, at least kids under 10. They are still into video games, trading cards, and chinese made toys. Hey!!! Whatever happened to pizza parlors and every mall, grocery store, and mexican food restaurant having video games? I remember little league baseball and going to pizza parlors like Showbiz Pizza (Chuck E. Cheese). In my day, games only cost a quarter!!! What kid back then on a $5 weekly allowance would play a $1 game that would only last for 30 seconds. Back then if you were good at the game, you could play all night and the game would make your nerves go into hyperdrive and the section between your thumb and index finger would get sore and if you got an itch you would break a sweat. I remember Pitfal, gosh that game was the coolest for Atari 2600. I still like it and sometimes have this desire to find a way to play it again. I remember begging my parent for a Commadore 64, AppleIIe, and Nintendo, and I would hear "but don't you have an Atari?" I never got one of those. I remember these two kids that were lucky to get stuff like that, one got a Porche 911 for his birthday later on, and the other one I knew got a BMW for his. Both were from divorced families. There was this whole thing about the consequence of chilren from divorced families in the late 80's. Remember back in the 80's as a kid starting up a club? You would tell your friends that you were starting a club for some stupid reason and invite everyone you liked and tell the kids you didn't like some stupid reason why they couldn't join. The club would last a day (sometimes 5 minutes) and then it would be forgotten or someone else would come up with another club. If it was a kid you didn't invite from the last one you wouldn't be invited, but you would just wait for the next club to be started. I think it was just more a game then for a cause. I remember crazy and stupid clubs like 'kids against nudity' 'The Cobra Club' 'Duran Duran Club' 'Secret Agents' 'Michael JAckson Club' 'The Say No To Drugs Club' and 'Kids Crime Squad'. None of these lasted for more than a couple days. I remember another thing about the 80's it was Reagan. I remember the campaign ads stating that he wanted to start a nuclear war or something because of military spending (that's what it sounded like what they were saying) and we all wanted Mondale to win. Well I could go on all day about the 80's. One thing I can definately say is better about the 90's is the cars. Even the sports cars then aren't as fast as some of the cars out today. I think the car I'm wanting to buy (Jetta VR6) is faster than a Porche 944 was back then, but a car can't get you laid like it could back in the 80's. If you had a Porche or especially a Ferrari Testarosa, and even if you were really ugly, you could pick up alot of chicks with cars like that, because people were so image concious back then. Hey did anyone else get really pissed and depressed when David went over to Maddies house and Mark Harmen answered the door? Someone please email me, owlofneptune@hotmail.com with some feedback.
From: Christopher L.

I hope someone will read this. What I remember the most about the 80's were the movies. What made the 80's the 80's was trying out new stuff and not worrying about whether it was bigger and better, just new. The 90's seemed to want to make everything bigger and better. The 80's was an uncharted island for movies. Everything now is "big budget." About the only thing that was low budget in the 90's that made it big was The Blair Witch Project. No special effects in that movie and it was cool that way. In the 80's the world seemed big with endless possiblities and anything was possible. That's the reason why action and adventure movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Goonies, The Never Ending Story, Terminator, Rambo, and Top Gun were great. It made me feel like anything could be around the corner and just about anything could happen in this world unexpectedly. Now days and I don't know if this is because I am older now (but doubt it), I feel like anything that happens is expected and very typical. What I notice about 90's movies is that they have to have an explaination about everything going on and why it was happening. You can't really see a movie now without them painting a picture of why something was happening. If you think about it, why did E.T. come to earth? I guess it really didn't matter and I would use my imagination later of what his planet looked like and why he came to earth when I got home. You know if they made E.T. in the 90's they would have made a directors cut with never seen before scenes of E.T. on his home planet explaining why he was going to earth and why everything went horribly wrong when he got there. I've already seen it all and I am spoiled now. Remember when the movie The Day After came out on T.V? That movie scared the hell out of me as a child, because it was a real threat and could happen at any time. It seemed like ever since that movie someone thought of what was worse than Nuclear War? A virus that kills everyone, an astroid collision with earth, machines taking over, ect. ect. ect. That's what really happened to the nineties. Not coming up with anything new, just topping everything out with something bigger. I remember so many times I would go see a movie and not knowing anything about it and would walk out of the theaters with all these new thoughts and ideas in my head seeing something I had never seen before. In the 90's if you'll notice they play the whole movie in one trailer or they will make three trailers showing every highlight of the movie and by the time you see the movie it's almost as if you've already seen it. Let's take Independence Day, when I saw the movie I was thinking "oh this is the part when they come to earth", "this is the part where they blow stuff up", "this is the part when all the fighter planes blow up the ship" "ok the movie is over". Every sequence of the movie was shown in the trailers. When I saw E.T. all I knew about the movie was that it was about some sort of goblin and I didn't know whether he had good intentions or not. When I saw it I thought I was going to go see a horror movie at first. When I saw the preview for Poltergeist all they really showed was some strange stuff going on in a house and a little girl stated that 'they' were here. It made me think "what was was all that strange stuff?" "did the little girl know who 'they' were? and why wasn't she scared?" It really made me want to go see the movie to find out all these questions I had and I begged my parents to go see it. These days they leave nothing to the imagination when you see the trailer and the movie. About the only thing I hear in the nineties about a movie is "the special effects were great!" The coolest the movies had to be The Matrix, but even that movie I didn't see it until it was out on video. It was great, but I already knew what the movie was about and what the matrix was from the trailors. I wish I had seen it in the theaters, because the special effects were great and the sound was spectacular. Not because of the story line. What they should have done was show some wierd stuff going on, some guys doing some super kung fu fighting and making me feel like "what is all this about? It looks really cool so I have to go see it!" Don't tell me what the matrix is and tell me that this guy is the chosen one and expect me to be all excited. Imagine if you met a girl and she told you that she is going to go out with you, kiss you on the first date, sleep with you in 2 months, expect a proposal in 4 months, and have a baby in two years. Not really much imagination there. Another thing that peeves me about the 90's is every remake of any T.V. show or movie. Of course that was handed down from the late 80's when it started to get lame anyways with movies like Batman and Dick Tracy. Even sequels in the 80's were cool like star wars and Rocky 2 and 3. They couldn't even bring back movie magic with the long awaited Star Wars prequel. After almost 20 years since the last movie having plenty of time to think of what they could do, all they could come up with was a two hour long Taco Bell commercial. I knew die hard star wars fans that thought it was one of the worst movies they ever saw and they almost fell asleep. Well that's my praise to the 80's. I sometimes play the Goonies movie in the background and I never get tired of it.
From: Christopher L.

Thats right the eighties were awesome. I was born in 76 and i remember just about everything i remember the great tv shows like silver spoons, knight rider, dukes of hazard, the facts of life and the A-team, magnum p.i and wonderwoman, different strokes, punky brewster. Wow I sure miss 80's television, it was so much more quality programming. The 80's shows didn't throw everything in your face, like todays shows. today's shows don't leave a bit of imagination left for viewers. I miss rainbow brite, Gem, smurfs, He-man, She-ra, pound puppies, G.I. Joe, Transformers, care bares. I miss my atari my doneykong portable video game, and of course the ninetendo which came along in the later 80's. i wish there was an eighties channel. If there is one let me know. I remember growing up in the bronx playing with my friends and not having to think of someone trying to do us harm, my parents didnt worry. Unlike today i constantly tell my younger siblings that they have to be super extra careful while playing. I remember that if you got in a fight at school you didn't have to worry about someone bringing a knife or a gun to school. Everything was so much more innocent in the 80's. Who could forget about the king and queen of pop, michael and madonna, how about NKOTB, i would just die for them, i recorded every cartoon of theirs. Those were the good ole days!!!! Wonder if they'll ever come back? Alicia P.
From: alicia

I was born in '84 so I missed most of that most defining decade! What I remember most from my early childhood were the toys and cartoons. There's a strange emptiness I feel when I walk around a toy store with my younger siblings. It's the same when I switch on the TV on a Saturday morning and see the likes of Rugrats (makes my skin crawl.) Lets face it, the toys and TV of today just don't hold a candle to Thundercats and My Little Pony (I *worshipped* My Little Pony)
From: Nico

Born in '79, I have vague memories of the early part of the 80s. Most of the decade was pretty good. My only complaint of the whole period was the popularity of leg-warmers.
From: Peter

I love everything 80s. Living in Boston, every Friday night Mix 98.5 has a back to the eighties friday night. It is great, songs from the eighties. I miss Miami Vice and Fat Albert. I love the eighties. John
From: john

Born year of the Dragon, so I was a young one in the 80's. Punky Brewster copied my dress code. I dressed like Cyndi Lauper for Halloween, & friends dressed in painted garbage bags as M&M's. Munchichies(sp) had a theme song I can't get out of my head, and noone else I know remebers it. I hated the NKOTB. My brother had a crush on Rainbow Brite. I loved getting happy people out of my Arby's happy meals, like Mr.Tickle, Miss Sunshine, Mr. Happy & Ms.Polite.
From: Chandra

I am born in Dec 68 in LA. Everything you guy have said hits the nail right on the head. I wish to God I could go back to that time. I don't know why I feel sad reflecting about that time...but I do. Alpha Ville- Sooner or later they all will be gone, why don't they stay young..... Forever young I want to be forever young.
From: Eric

Born in 1977 I remember growing up in the eighties when big hair was the thing and kool-aide had cool stuff to order. Playing outside all day, not wanting to go inside, to playing atari on a rainy day. MTV was the coolest thing since the eight-track of the seventies. NKOTB was the boy band for all girls to playing with peaches and cream barbie. Getting yelled at for staying insde all day to getting yelled at for playing outside all night. It was the best!!!! Halloween was about staying out past your bed time and getting pillowcases full of candy and eating till you got sick. Not having to worry about bad candy, because it was gone before you got home. Collecting baseball cards and hopeing that there was a stick of gum in there or buy pieces of gum for less then a nickel and getting those temporary tatoos in them. A lot of people today say that the 90's where the best time, but I would have to say that the 80's WERE AWESOME and RADICAL. I hope some of you can relate to some of the things I recaptured. Don't let the memories dies, once an 80's child always an 80's child for life.
From: Michelle

This is a cool site! I made it through "high" school and graduated in '85. What a decade! The music, the hair, the clothes. Being born in '66, my formative years were the 80s. I lost my virginity, got out of high school, got married, had 3 kids, and joined the service. What a trip it was. What was the 90s? Did it even exist? Kidding. My biggest memory from then is the Challenger. I was in the Ron Jon Surf Shop parking lot (Cocoa Beach, FL where Im from), when it blew. Man was that crazy!! Rumors were going around that terrorists had shot it down, or had sabotaged it! That was when Khadaffi was in full power, so the rumors were flying. The funniest thing happened to me in Bakersfield, CA. I was in a toy store in the local mall with my kids, it was 1996 or 97. This kid, about, 10-11, was watching me. Finally, he nervously asks me, "excuse me, did you grow up in the 80s?". I laughed, but when I realized he was serious, answered yes. He wanted to know what it was like, the things I did, the fun stuff. That was really funny, I will never forget it. Alright Dudes and Dudettes, Im makin' like a tree, and gettin' outta here!! Bill
From: Bill

Yes i was a teenager in the 80's. I was born in 1969. I remember good TV shows of the 70's. like: "the Six Million dollar man". Cartoons like: "Superfriends". Toys like: g.i. joe action figures. I remember comics like: "Crisis in the infinite earths" of dc comics. But of the 80's i remember the pop music of Michael Jackson, Steve Perry, New Kids, Genesis, Police, Bananarama, Menudo, Cindy Lauper, Depeche Mode. Movies like: "the Empire Strikes Back". "Back to the future". "Alien". "Superman". etc. Now in the 2000 i have 30 years old. And i love 80's songs. Mtv. Cartoon Network. Mac Donalds. DC comics. etc. I still feel like a child (in my heart). Also the 80's have all. !!!The Eighties RulesĦĦĦ
From: manuel

This is one page of many, check out the intro at Child of the 80s where you can add your own memories as well.