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


Ah, you see... I got gypped. I was born in 1986 (The Year Of Notorious), and I only caught about three years and nine months of the actual Eighties. I'm the youngest of nine children, so I had plenty of siblings around to make me an instant Duran Duran fanatic (which I remain to this day - especially loyal to the ever-wonderful Nick Rhodes). I have the fondest memories of getting my hair teased by my oldest sister and having her apply my pastel makeup when I was five, watching 21 Jump Street religiously and swooning over Johnny Depp, getting frustrated because I didn't understand the jokes in Cheers, laughing hysterically while watching Diff'rent Strokes, being simply terrified by The Lost Boys... And now - enjoying old episodes of Cheers immensely because I now understand it!, searching relentlessly for places where I can buy episodes of 21 Jump Street, downloading all the old TV themes and cracking myself up, attempting to enlighten my friends and other people my age by introducing them to Eighties music (specifically Duran Duran and The Cure), and Eighties movies and TV - basically just everything Eighties!... it's working! They always respond the same first - "Oh, that stuff is so cheesy and dumb!" But after becoming familiar with it, they obviously all appreciate everything! Some people are a little taken back when they find my objects of adoration (crushes, if you will) are all over 35... I am crazy about Robert Smith, and when some kids at school see these pictures plastered all over my school stuff they're quite shocked! They can't take the big hair or the makeup... I'm still trying to get through to some people... but the majority is interested. I am actually a very angry child - upset that my generation is simply going down... the considered 'cool' things are just dumb now! I wish the Eighties had stuck around... I'm working on reviving its spirit, and an older friend of mine recently told me what her 12-year-old son said, "Mom, the 80s are totally making a comeback! It's way cool!" Ah, what a comment... I'll do my part in keeping it all alive!
From: Caty

Hi I'm a 80s child. And I love the 80s. 80s definitly the best. I love Madonna and dancing to her song Material girl and True Blue. I miss the tight jeans and long hair guys. 80's was a great time to grow up
From: jessica joshi

FRAGGLE ROCK!!!!!!! FRAGGLE ROCK!!!!! California Raisins Great Space Coaster Mr. Wizard Pinwheels on Nickolodean I love my parents for making me when they did. If I hadnt been born in 1978 my life would just not have been as cool. Everything was perfect. I love the flashbacks.
From: Genevieve

Yeap...boy were the 80's awesome. I remember, most of all, all the merchandise and t.v shows. Anyone remember Ice Cream Cone cereal( "no storm stops Ice Cream Jones, from bringin' you, your Ice Cream Cones!")? Or in the transformers commercials, they transformed Fortress Maximus super fast, and it wasn't possible in real life. ^_^ Yeap...dude! Whaddabout "Freakies" cereal? Man...then there was Turbo Teen and Saber Riders and Bravestarr...man do I miss the shows of the 80's...they were more violent than today's for kids under 3 cartoons... Everyone in Transformers had a smart mouth, and I was just plain amazed to hear the grown-up Spike(in the Transformers Movie) say "Oh Shit!" Man...I remember when the Nintendo first popped out...that was THE system that everyone had to have at the time( aside from the Sega Masters System that came out later)...Mario was hell-on-earth for most of the kids, because there were those impossible jumps you'd always miss because you didn't get a running start. Or Megaman...that dude was HYPER. I mean, the box art for Megaman stunk, but the game itself was fun...the best part being that, unlike most of the Nintendo games, you could get your opponents power. Games were so much fun back then. I mean, I like all of these new systems, but now we try to make things TOO realistic, that it takes away from using one's imagination. All our "crappy" systems from the 80's didn't have the advantage of a-jillion colors and stuff. We only had, like 56, and we used it to our advantage. Anywho, then the music was all cool and that...we called a keyboard a SYNTHESIZER..doesn't that sound more technical than a keyboard?
From: Josh

I miss the 80's because now I can't see "Jump" on MTV neither use side ponytail.
From: Estrik

I was born in 1982; but i have memories of the 80s. To me if you were born in the early and mid 80s you are a child of the 80s. I can remember being 3 and waking up every Saturday morning to watch the Smurfs, the Care Bears, Dungeons and Dragons, Muppets Babies, Kidd Video( where the kids turn into cartoons when playing music. It was worth waking up at 6am back then on Saturday. I can remember Nursery school and not wanting to go. E.T. was my alltime favorite movie. And my older brothers used to trick me into watching the Freddy Kruger movies. The 3rd one was the new one back then on video in 1988 and it scared me. Now i can watch them and the other cheesy horror movies of the 1980s. I just graduated from high school"c/o 2000" and there's nothing like the first day of the first grade in Fall 1988. my other oldest brother dropped me off on his way to High School; and also he dropped me off at my graduation. Funny how irony works and I miss the 1980s. It was great.
From: Corey

Ahh yes, the wacky and wild 80s. I remember them like it was yesterday. I don't think there was ever a time when I had so much fun. The fads we followed seemed like they would never be outmoded. Dressing for school was always an amusing experience, especially in the late 80s. I can remember debating on whether or not I should wear my Benetton sweater, Camp Beverly Hills T-shirt, or Coca-Cola rugby with my Guess? jeans. Wigwams and Reeboks went together like peanut butter and jelly. I never decided on which color Reeboks I liked best-but one thing was for sure, they always had to match with my fragrant Swatch watches...strawberry was my favorite! Curling irons and Aqua Net hairspray came in handy when trying to tease my bangs to enormous heights (the bigger, the better!). Combined rubber bracelets garnished my wrists as silver hoop earrings inspired by Jodi Whatley decorated my ears. Revlon's Silver City Pink lipstick was my choice of color along with Wet'n Wild's electric blue eyeliner. My Trapper Keeper kept me organized while my Esprit bookbag made a fashion statement. Thinking back to those days really puts a smile to my face. Even though the 80s may be lost, they will never be forgotten!!
From: Rachael

The 80's were wonderful indeed. Although, I do not remember them well, because I was a child...but I do remember certain things. Like the whole break-dancing phase, Michael Jackson's "thriller!" And my all time favorite thing of the 80's the HORROR MOVIES! I was just a kid but loved to watch them! Friday the 13th's and Child's play were my favorite! Gosh everyone was into horror movies in the 80's!! I still do, I do not like 90's horror flicks I preffer the 80's! Sure they are cheesy but they are great!!! And the 80's was when I discover U2......ahhhhh..my favorite band of all time..all thanks to "With or With out You," and the 80's!! Gotta LOVE THEM!!! (even though I did most of growing up in the 90's! hehehe).
From: Monica

I remember just about everything from the 80s but of course I should I was born right before it began in "79" Wow, I can't believe it 20 years ago. So anyways, about the 80s that I remember I used to play atari the games pacman, space invaders, pong, I watched all the tv shows from Growing pains, Head of the Class, Full House, Knight Rider, Perfect Strangers there are just so many that I can't even tell you all of them and the music oh the music Everything I still listen to now I own a lot of the 80s collection CD's so I still can listen to them anytime I want I just love the 80s being a Child of the 80s is the best The Best Generation Ever! The clothes boy do I remember the clothes that we all wore like the cut off shirts, head bands everything. So thats about all I have to say for right now I just love being a child of the 80s
From: Lisa

I don't remember the 80s with a crystal-clear memory. Hell, I was too young to remember much before the late 80s anyways, but what I do remember was the music. I wasn't big into music at the time, but my friends' older siblings had EVERY cheesie 80s 45rpm single on the market. That's what gave me my interest in music, having my friends sneak their brother and sister's records out so I could "borrow" them. To this day, I can't listen to I MELT WITH YOU without flashing back to Tracy handing me a dusty 45 and saying "Don't scratch it, or Mike's gonna KILL me!" I also remember the movies, and I remember watching them on BETAMAX tapes and CED discs. I think my first movie that I ever saw, or ever owned on tape, was THE GOONIES. It's still my favorite movie. Not only does it have the best music of an 80s movie, but it's the best adventure film ever made (Best because it's the cheesiest. I mean, pirates and Cyndi Lauper doing the theme song??) Which brings me to the next thing I remember about the 80s: like most other kids accross America, stick ball had little or no meaning, unless it was on a 4-bit cartridge. I got an Atari 5200 when I was 3 years old. We didn't have the money to shell out for a video game system, so my parents were able to swing a deal at Sears for one that had been returned. I also had one of the infamous Commodore 64 systems, too. My favorite games were Ms. Pac-Man and The Goonies. After a while, I learned to write my own simple programs on the Commodore, and I still have my Commodore unit in my bedroom, hooked up to my original Commodore 128 computer monitor. I guess you could say I'm still living in the 80s. My music collection consists of about 50 random CDs and about 500 assorted vinyl records, with the occasional 8-track tape mixed into the bunch (which was really a 70s thing, though they're mostly 80s music). I've got a Commodore 64 game console, a PURPLE RAIN poster that came with my copy of the LP soundtrack, an "experimental" hairstyle and color, and all the plaid slacks and plastic jewlery and friendship bracelets I can put on at once. Too bad that decade had to end . . .
From: Chris

Man do I miss the 80's! I was born in '84 so I haven't lived through much of it, but I really miss the cartoons and shows! I used to watch the Care Bears everyday! Just to relive my early childhood I used to watch the Care Bears every morning before school in 6-7th grade! Disney used to play that! Man was I a happy camper! New Kids On The Blockwas one of my favorite bands, along with Michael Jackson, Boy George, Guns & Roses, Motley Crue, Madonna, Tiffany, Scorpions, and tons more!! That was when music was music, and not all this rap crap that you can't even understand what they're saying! Some of my all time favorite shows were: Punky Brewster, Mr. Belvidere, Howard the duck, Who's the Boss, Family Ties and many more! Thanx for all the memories!! I really enjoyed your site!!
From: Tonya

AAAHHH! What a sigh of relief the 80's what a wonderful time to have lived, life was so much easier then, the best TV shows, Safe At Home, Down To Earth, The Walton's, A-Team (how many ways are there to knock B.A. out anyway?)the cartoons were the best Scooby (Scrappy was the downfall), The Monchichi's, Alvin and The Chipmunks, The Smurf's, Flintstones, Jetsons, Strawberry Shortcake, I remember my mom taking me to the Wal-Mart and tons of girls scuffling over those scented dolls, the Cabbage Patch, a dream Christmas finding a Tandy (cheap high priced) computer under the tree along with the dot matrix printer. Video Killed The Radio Star, I want my MTV buttons, Motley Crue, Scorpions, Great White, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Duran Duran, Tesla and The Great Radio Controversy, Men At Work whom further increased my obsession with Australia, Living In A America where we Fought for our right to party, Police Accademy, Porky's, Sam Kinnison may he rest in peace and on and on. The century we were a part of, in the 1900's it was progression for a modern world, in the 10's establishing your place in the world, 20's brought forth major changes in aviation flying around the world became available for anyone one wanting to try it, in the 30's the great depression, in the 40's war strucken countries, in the 50's rock was young, in the 60's it was peace and free love, in the 70's baby booming, high spirited disco and guitar rock, the 80's a decade never before and sadly perhaps never again, The 90's totally disgusted me. it was too much of a change, bringing too much violence, children killing children, a fear of going to school for reasons other than not completing that special homework assignment that would count for more than half of your grade. 2000 is amongst us now and if anything it's worse than the 90's ever were, for me personally 2000 has brought one good thing I have been to Australia twice since it begin and a third trip in the not so distant future, with the exception of that experience, I would give up everything from the the 70's, 90's and current just to have my 80's back.
From: Tas

I was born in 1976, and I'm a definite child of the 80's. Reading many of the posts on this page has brought back so many great memories! I often think of some of the worst times of my childhood, but I can't believe how many wonderful things I haven't thought of in years! I remember all those weekends my big sister and her friends would let me tag along to the mall with them to spend all our money on tokens playing pac man in the arcades. The thrill of getting an atari game and getting a bunch of games to play on it for Christmas(Shark Shark, asteroids, carnival, space invaders, etc). Going to see Ghostbusters with my mom and sister and then pretending to be a ghostbuster and memorizing the theme song. Watching ET and being sad when I thought he was dead. Learning about tragedy from Challenger. Wanting to dye my hair purple because I thought the teenagers around me who were into punk were way cool. Remember when it was cool to say,"That's rad!"? Being one of the kids in the neighborhood in our own "Michael Jackson Club" where we all wore just one glove. lol. Watching MTV and Nickelodeon when Belle and Sebastian(Rembmer Belle, the giant dog? I MISS that series!) and You can't do that on television(Before anyone ever heard of Alanis singing). Remember when Nickelodeon went off the air at night and Arts&Entertainment came on and that was a sign that it was bedtime. There was no "Nick at nite". Wearing 18 neon braclets, wearing jelly shoes even though they hurt my feet, Collecting garbage pail kids(I Still have a couple of those stickers in an old sticker book around here somewhere!), adoption dolls, cabage patch kids, lite brite...there are just sooooo many things I love about the 80's and miss!
From: Jayna

The eighties were the coolest!! I actually remember Gargamel's cat's name was Azriel...Smurfs were blue and Snorks lived under water. Thundercats HO!! She-ra and He-man were the best sister/brother heroes I ever seen. Scooby Doobie Doo..where are u? Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Ponies, Transformers (more than meets the eye), Mork and Mindy (nah noo nah noo)!! Gosh I'm relapsing! This is awesome!!
From: Alicia

I like Rainbow Brite she is the best I wish that she was still on tv still.I remeber watching her on tv and I had movies,dolls, books and other Rainbow Brite things.My Favorite Color kid is Rainbow brite she is so cute. and do you kmow where I can find my Rainbow Brite movies, Books,dolls and other things.from Colleen Goodrich PS Rainbow Brite Rules.
From: Colleen Goodrich

OMG...reading all of this brought back so many memories! I remember Peaches N Creme Barbie and Tiffany, Debbie Gibson and Madonna were the best! I went roller skating every weekend and wore my hair in a side ponytail with long bangle earrings. I remember lite brite and riding my bicycle with streamers and those neon things on the wheels that made noise as they slid up and down the spokes. I loved Voltron and wanted the evil guys castle on he man (what's his name? skuller or something?) Garbage Pail Kids were so ugly and boogery. I remember the charm necklaces and bracelets with goofy plastic things hanging everywhere. How about the curly shoe laces that came in neon colors? And tucking your jeans into your scrunchy socks. This is making me feel so old...but all warm and fuzzy!
From: Jeannine

I was born in 1981, the tale end of Generation X. Yeah, my parents were one of the half or so of "your friends" who got divorced (numerus times). I have the clasic selfish Babyboomers for parents. We are the classic eighties home. One boy. One girl. Nice home. Two working parents. Daycare. Microvable meals. Horrible life. I will admit nothing compared to 80's cartoons but I will never miss the music or "style". The eighties was my whole childhood and I just remember feeling very out of place in the culture. Now that I stand at the edge of my second decade (gosh remember when you couldn't even say 'ten years ago...') I am very proud of Generation X. I can't wait to see where we take it from here. I hope we will be more human and love more than our parents... but isn't that what OUR parents said? Maybe the only two things that are changing is technology and self disipline.
From: Susan

Hi i'm a child of the 80's and i used to always watch Rainbow Brite, Snorks, Scooby Doo, and i love Sheera. Imiss all my favorite cartoons.
From: Suzanna

i miss the 80s so much....who could forget checkerd vans...vally girls...not to mention all the kick-ass cartoons that where on in the 80s.Around 1986 is when i got into punk rock...it changed my life. It seems like the attitude in the 80s was to make a differance...to change things for the better. Now nobody givs a shit about anything...its all about "what will my freinds think if I did or said anything MTV dosent do." so people...please...think for yourselves...your not a bunch of mindless robots...glued to the BULLSHIT of MTV fashion...or are you?????!!!!!!!
From: dave

I was born in 1976 so I have so many fond memories of the 80's. I remember when Mr. T was at the height of his career. My brother, mother, father and I stood in line for hours on end waiting for Mr. T to come Honest Ed Mirvish's store on Bloor Street in Toronto, Canada. I was almost crushed in the flurry of people that were waiting in line to see him and I started crying afterwards because in the crush of people I had hurt my hand. It wasn't worth getting crushed over but then again my brother and I idolized Mr. T. He shook our hands and we got his autograph. M.T. was all he had time to write. When I told my friends at school the next day they didn't beleive that I got to shake the hand of every 80's kid's idol. My friends said that "they wouldn't let anyone shake Mr. T's hand!" I said "they did at Eddie's on Bloor St. If you had gone to Eddie's on Bloor St, you would have had the chance to shake Mr. T's hand." I still have the book that Mr. T autographed, around somewhere; and I wouldn't part ways with it for all of the gold in Fort Knox!
From: Celeste Keenan

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