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Things from Childhood that you loved but are no longer around/popular/often seen?

33 replies

ImOnlyHereForTheCapybaras · 23/02/2020 04:44

I was born in early 80s, so very much an 80s/90s child. Another thread has got me reminiscing about things from the past which I loved but are now no longer available or popular/often seen? My childhood wan't the greatest in many respects and there are some gaps in my memory where thankfuklly I have been able to block some of the nastier things out but I did have some wonderful memories, mostly centered around books, TV or food!

What were your things that you loved as a child but are now obsolete?

I remember as a child at Primary School being part of a book club (Puffin books) and we were given a catalogue for the week and we would choose which books we wanted. I loved reading and was so happy when my books arrived each time. I think it was once a month or maybe every quarter?

Milk jelly/blancmange in the shape of a rabbit

socks with ladybirds on them- think Woolworths did them? (or am I dreaming)

Bagpuss (You can get them on DVD now and Youtube have them I think but they don't make TV like that anymore, do they?)

ditto Pigeon Street

roller discos!!!

Magic Steps shoes with the key at the bottom. All the popular girls had them. I badgered my mum until I got mine

Katz cartoons on little cards that came with the ballet shoes from the dance accessories shop. They had cats doing different ballet poses on them!

Those Keepers toys. I wnated the swan one for ages.

Children's World shop. They had a play area too.

OP posts:
longtimecomin · 23/02/2020 05:59

Funny feet lollies

Blondie1984 · 23/02/2020 06:06

Watching Fun House, Shoe People, Going For Gold

Spokey dokies in cereal packets
Cartoonies biscuits

Polly Pocket
Pound Puppies

Empty egg boxes and washing up bottles being exciting...

sawyersfishbiscuits · 23/02/2020 06:14

Toys in cereal packets! My kids have never had that joy.

Cadbury's Spira (and Cadbury's tasting nice!)

Things being a treat and having to wait for something which then meant so much more.

10p mixture from most newsagents

sawyersfishbiscuits · 23/02/2020 06:17

Tuning into the radio at school for music lessons BBC singing together... I remember so many of the songs still.

BikeRunSki · 23/02/2020 06:20

Ice Magic

lettersbyowl · 23/02/2020 06:22

Ohh magic key shoes 😍 I was so gaping with I finally got a pair!! And a I loved Pound Puppies!!!

lettersbyowl · 23/02/2020 06:23

Gaping 🙄 HAPPY

Queenoftheashes · 23/02/2020 06:25

Mighty white bread. I can see why but they could have just changed the name

Sicario · 23/02/2020 06:30

Black Jacks and Fruit Salads.

Mammyloveswine · 23/02/2020 06:33

I never got the magic key shoes Sad my mam said they were too expensive!

Mlou32 · 23/02/2020 07:35

I never got the magic key shoes either - my feet were massive and they didn't go up to my size! Honestly think I was the only girl in my class without a pair 😭

ChessieFL · 23/02/2020 07:37

I remember the advert for the magic key shoes, set in a forest with a girl defeating a witch to get the shoes. I can’t remember if I ever had any myself though!

vampirethriller · 23/02/2020 07:43

Cremolia hand cream, my grandad used it after gardening and it smelt wonderful.
Jelly sandals.

xenophilius · 23/02/2020 07:56

Traffic light lollies/penny lollies
Mr blobby juice
Wizadora
Barney!
Chocolate teddy cereal (Safeways I think)
Polygon connecting shape toy (I think that’s the name)
Stickle bricks
Duplo (sold all my old stuff for about £500 a few years ago)
Animal Hospital toys/Puppy in my pocket and Littlest Pet Shop
SRA reading lab
50/50 TV show
Glitter babes Make up
Tammy girl/MK One/international
Mizz Magazine/Girl Talk
Letterland
The Weakest Link - always on just as my mum was cooking tea/finishing homework
The tree in mothercare
Sleepover club and Ally’s World books

bookmum08 · 23/02/2020 08:34

Weekly comics -
Bunty
Mandy
Judy
Tammy
Nikki
I miss these loads.

GetTheSprinkles · 23/02/2020 09:04

Pogs, tamagotchis, stickers, penny sweets, Mizz magazine, stick on ear-rings, hairbands, thick scrunchies, trip to the local CD shop to buy a copy of the newest single, video rental store on a Friday night to browse for an hour and then pick a movie me and my friends would all watch together, roller blades

JigsawsAreInPieces · 23/02/2020 09:17

Funny feet lollies.
Bunty comic on a Saturday morning.
Having 10p to spend in the corner shop on sweets and choosing the ones that were 2 for a penny to get as many sweets as I could for my money.

BatleyTownswomensGuild · 23/02/2020 19:24

Novelty rubbers in the shapes of biscuits, sweets etc. I had a huge collection of them.

Reversible jumpers

Scratch and sniff stickers

The Muppet Show

Fame

The MiniPops (anyone remember that show?)

Ice Magic

Gordon the Gopher

Taping the top 40 on a Sunday afternoon on a C90 cassette

BikeRunSki · 23/02/2020 20:01

@BatleyTownswomensGuild, DD (8) still collects them. Last year a lovely MNer Seb’s her her old collection too.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 23/02/2020 20:07

I have lively memories of books... Animal Ark, Babysitters club, goosebumps, point horror, point crime.... The children's section of our local library was massive, and there was a separate but for teenagers. Then I went to secondary in a different borough, which meant two library cards.

The children's section of our local library now is tiny in comparison. That library I went to as a child closed a few years ago, moved into the town centre. It's about half the size.

Binterested · 23/02/2020 20:07

I was in the Puffin Club. Loved it (had a poem printed and got sent a postal order - even then that was a bit of a mystery Grin)

Top of the Pops was an absolute must for everyone - and then the Friday chat about it in the playground. I still miss it.

Goodnighttv · 23/02/2020 20:12

Epic thread! I was literally trying to describe those magic key shoes to my DH yesterday - how weird! Shame they don’t still make them, my DD would absolutely love them Grin

Does anyone remember slap bands? And those neon friendship bracelets that everybody had?

Ahh take me back!

Popsicle27 · 23/02/2020 21:09

Those pop magazines like Smash Hits where you got sheets of 1000s of tiny stickers each with a different pop star/band on, we would cover everything in them!x

BikeRunSki · 23/02/2020 21:26

@Goodnighttv - slapbands are still very
much a thing!

TrainspottingWelsh · 23/02/2020 21:47

Loads already mentioned.

Fraggle rock
Chocolate mice
Candy cigarettes
Braided friendship bracelets- I never wore them or cared for the sentiment but they were my version of a fiddle toy.
t-shirts with a holiday destination emblazoned across them.

The cam catalogue, a mail order tack shop.
Clacky petal westropp over reach boots for horses.

I had two pairs of magic steps shoes, black for school and the other pair were white iirc for best. I hated them and didn't want them, I wasn't remotely into anything girly. The black school pair kept slipping off my skinny feet, so I ended up with a third, even nastier pair with a t-bar.