Page 20 | Weird shit from an 80s childhood

CheckeredAliceBand · 08/04/2024 23:49

CandidFruit · 07/04/2024 23:04

I remember the melody pops, choose your adventure books and I had a Smurf sticker album. Definitely had the original Rubik’s cube (and could solve them like a pro 😉)

Did anyone have the girls world head? I didn’t, but friend did, and I was insanely jealous! 😂

I desperately wanted a girls world head, and my mum got me a knock off version for my birthday, I should have been grateful and I probably was on the surface (was a goodie two shoes) but I was soooo disappointed underneath. It really wasn't the same as the real one.

Heatherley · 09/04/2024 00:02

Tygertiger · 07/04/2024 23:09

Here’s my favourite toys I can remember…

Boglins - with the box that was also a cage.

My Pet Monster with his orange handcuffs - I still have him, DS has him now.

Pound Puppies. Loved those.

My Little Pony castle.

Collecting little rubbers that came in clear plastic boxes - they were only to be collected, never to be used to rub things out!

Rainbow Brite dolls.

Fashion Wheel - you lined up random heads, torsos and legs (in trousers or skirts) and then rubbed a black crayon over to make a rubbing which you could colour in.

And of course the A La Carte Kitchen!

I had Pound Puppies and Boglins too!

Please tell me you had a Wrinkles as well? I had two, the boy growled and munched his bone if you stuck it in his mouth. He cried when you took it off him! Loved them and still have them and the Pound Puppies!

Lifesprettyweird · 09/04/2024 00:30

@sleepwouldbenice Yes! It was really odd, no idea why I liked it

Also, Round the Twist & Why don’t you

ChishiyaBat · 09/04/2024 00:34

@Lifesprettyweird they recently put Round the twist on prime video.

SmallIslander · 09/04/2024 00:41

ChishiyaBat · 08/04/2024 23:29

@SmallIslander One of my daughters favourite films because I brought her up right😂.

We have a few years to go before my little lad is ready for The Goonies. He was only just brave enough to watch the original version of Superman recently. Have The Labyrinth primed and ready to go.

I'm not so sure about it though. Having watched it as an adult, it's a bit fucking wrong with the baby snatching, budgie smuggling, teen seducing singing sensation that is the Goblin King.

SmallIslander · 09/04/2024 00:41

ChishiyaBat · 09/04/2024 00:34

@Lifesprettyweird they recently put Round the twist on prime video.

This is the best news I've had in a long time!

ChishiyaBat · 09/04/2024 00:48

@SmallIslander she's 23 this year, her fave films are, The Goonies, Lost Boys, Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice. Her and her older brother weren't fans of Labyrinth, but I did try, maybe it's all the issues you pointed out although it didn't do us any harm😂. There's time for your little one don't you worry, he'll be an 80s loving kid i'm sure.
I just checked Round the Twist was still on prime and it is!

TattoedLady · 09/04/2024 00:50

This thread stayed with me today!

Came back to say I also religiously collected all the Kellogg's cereal reflectors and rice crispy figures. And I'm pretty sure there were stickers too, well more like transfers - you had to rub them (we used a spoon!) so that they transferred from the plastic backing onto your copy book. And vague memories of some sort of Kellogs village made from either the cereal box or printed cardboard cut outs?

And I hated Blue Band margarine.

DrCoconut · 09/04/2024 00:53

Some 80s stuff was strange. But a couple of years ago DS did a sponsored "week in the 80s" for charity. We recreated an 80s childhood as far as is reasonably possible. No iPad etc. Just live TV at the right times (I did have to engineer this a bit with the YouTube app to get some classic programmes). I managed to get some limited edition opal fruits. We had melody pops and sherbet. Microchips as the latest fad! Toys he had Rubik's cube, my brother's old masters of the universe figures and Lego. Lots of trips to the park and a weekly visit to the swimming pool. We did his room with an 80s duvet set too. And bought neon socks. It was one of the best weeks ever and he raised nearly £500 too. And ticked off a major item on his wish list which was to be on TV as the local news picked it up.

onwardandupwards · 09/04/2024 02:25

I loved SheRa the Princess of power and ice lolly sticks with jokes on them!

scalt · 09/04/2024 07:15

Spokey-Dokeys were another thing: plastic beads for your bike spokes, which would clatter up and down the spokes when you rode slowly.

The digital watches which beeped on the hour. The head teacher banned them on the spot when lots of them beeped during a quiet moment in assembly. There was also a moment of waiting quietly for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and in the silence, lots of watches beeped at midnight, highlighting the lateness in starting.

Calliopespa · 09/04/2024 07:35

scalt · 09/04/2024 07:15

Spokey-Dokeys were another thing: plastic beads for your bike spokes, which would clatter up and down the spokes when you rode slowly.

The digital watches which beeped on the hour. The head teacher banned them on the spot when lots of them beeped during a quiet moment in assembly. There was also a moment of waiting quietly for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and in the silence, lots of watches beeped at midnight, highlighting the lateness in starting.

“ cruisin’ with spokey dokeys, crusin’ with spokey dokeys. Get out there and have some fun… “

Still remember the jingle but never was allowed these.

Lifesprettyweird · 09/04/2024 08:18

Does anyone remember the bubble gum with jokes inside? I think they were in white and red wrappers and had sort of cartoons on? I think you could ask for them in 10p mixes, was so exciting at the time

Mairzydotes · 09/04/2024 08:37

Was anyone else in Brownies? I was the last cohort to wear the brown dress.

greasypolemonkeyman · 09/04/2024 08:37

CandidFruit · 07/04/2024 21:56

Reading through the retro sweets thread reminded me of some other random stuff from growing up in the early 80s.

Who else remembers the garbage pail kids? (I mean, Cabbage patch kids was bad enough!)
Now that is some seriously weird shit!

Mind you, I bet anything if you have the full set, you’ll probably be able to pay off your mortgage 😂

I've still got a series of garbage pail kids cards , that was right up my street as a kid. My sister and I watched the movie a few months ago and they couldn't get away with it now, putting "different " kids in the State Home For The Ugly, no matter WHAT they looked like!

Calliopespa · 09/04/2024 09:24

Mairzydotes · 09/04/2024 08:37

Was anyone else in Brownies? I was the last cohort to wear the brown dress.

Yes. I was a hopeless brownie. My mum didn’t always take us if it was a busy week so Brown Owl hated me to death.

TorroFerney · 09/04/2024 09:44

SoundTheSirens · 08/04/2024 14:58

Did anyone else's family not own a tele in the 80s? We actually rented one for many years until we got our own in the 90s. That was very fancy as it had a remote control.

Yep, from Radio Rentals or Rumbelows!

My parents in law rented one til very recently - must have cost them thousands. I walked past an electrical shop in town yesterday who were advertising a rental tv for £12.50 a month.

TorroFerney · 09/04/2024 09:46

MarkWithaC · 08/04/2024 15:08

I still miss Pacers and no one else ever seems to remember them.

Show quote history

They were, if I remember rightly, a cross between chewing plastic and tooth paste. They were excellent!

Lifesprettyweird · 09/04/2024 09:59

I was a brownie for a year I think

Heatherley · 09/04/2024 10:24

ComputerInitiateJump · 08/04/2024 08:41

I remember the head teacher going along the line for school photos combing everyone's hair and fiddling with their collars and ties.

We had no water at school apart from a water fountain outside at playtime that would have huge queues on hot days.

No lunchbox police. You could have a chocolate spread sandwich, crisps a trio, a kit kat and an um bongo for lunch and no one bat an eyelid. You would probably have had a packet of crisps at playtime too.

Old tyres to play with in the playground. The smell of hot tyres in summer transports me right back.

Gosh I had totally forgotten about the primary school water fountain! I honestly don't remember taking a drink to school but I guess I must have done in on of those character lunchboxes with the flask!

SydneyCarton · 09/04/2024 10:31

@REP22 I’m 99% sure that for the last episode of Willy Fogg Andy Crane dressed up as all the characters in turn and did a song and dance routine to the opening credits.

@SmallIslander A few years ago I looked up Labyrinth fan fiction in all innocence and was HORRIFIED

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 09/04/2024 10:40

Mairzydotes · 09/04/2024 08:37

Was anyone else in Brownies? I was the last cohort to wear the brown dress.

Yes but I didn’t like it much. Too cliquey. But I did get my homemaker (for having afternoon tea with homemade cakes) badge!

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 09/04/2024 10:41

Heatherley · 09/04/2024 10:24

Gosh I had totally forgotten about the primary school water fountain! I honestly don't remember taking a drink to school but I guess I must have done in on of those character lunchboxes with the flask!

Show quote history

We had ice cold milk in bottles in crates but this was more 70s.

Heatherley · 09/04/2024 10:45

Figment1982 · 08/04/2024 10:07

I was round my dad's house recently and randomly found my old Tomytronic 3D in a drawer.

The hours of fun playing with this when essentially all you did was click left or right.

Unfortunately I can't get it to work, so instead of gathering dust in my dad's drawer it's now gathering dust on my shelf instead.

We had one of these each, me and my brothers.. Mine was a shark one and there was a car one and think another maybe spaceship? One was maroon coloured. We absolutely LOVED them and spent hours on them!

MarkWithaC · 09/04/2024 10:55

SmallIslander · 08/04/2024 23:29

And yes to a walkman! Although we were a bit poor, so mine was a Sanyo or something. Eventually got my hands on a midi hifi with not one but two cassette players! Tape to tape baby! Who wants a copy of my recording off the radio of Especially for You by Kylie and Jason????

I had a Boots' own Walkman rip-off
My worst nightmare was the prospect of the batteries dying 😱