Weird shit from an 80s childhood

[CandidFruit]

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 😂

Those whistles were called melody pops (I think!) and the wrapper had instructions on how to blast out "when the saints go marching in" and other songs. I loved them

Yes yes!! Those ones. In fact I think we had that exact one! It looks very familiar. That one is going for £30!!

Ah they were so exciting! So glad the current generation gets to enjoy them still 🙂

My Teddy Ruxpin and Grubby still work!

I still have my collection of Garbage Pail Kids cards! I have the complete first series and quite a few of the others. Sadly they are not worth anything, I did look them upon eBay a few years ago on case I was sitting on a goldmine…

I also loved sticker albums and have my Snoopy, Garfield and WWF (world wildlife fund) ones hanging around somewhere…

I loved it! My brother and I watched it together- on Saturday mornings IIRC. I’m so glad you remember it because I always mention it in these nostalgia conversations and most people don’t seem to remember it. I could still sing bits of the theme tune I reckon.

And yes to lots of the other recollections on this thread. I had the Care Bears sticker album and later collected the Garbage Pail stickers. A lad at school took advantage of my naïvety and pretended he was swapping me ‘Old Gloria’ which was a rare card that everyone wanted. He performed a sleight of hand…a card trick essentially, and gave me some shitty sticker instead. I was FUMING. But funnily enough we’re still friends 35 years on- I saw him a couple of weeks ago 😂

Things kids wore in the 80s:

Ra-ra skirts
Jelly bean shoes
Fluorescent colours
Bum bags
Ski pants
Parka coats with fluffy hoods
Weird tartan skirts with an attached white vest
Cagouls
White plimsolls that you repainted with a tube with a sponge on the end of it when they got too grubby
Shell suits - maybe more early 90s

Anything else?

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! 😂

Oooh what did you say @SmallIslander ??!! 🤣

I don't know if I'm posting too quick or maybe a reference to kids and bum bags in the same post has triggered something 😂

Omg ghost castle! I had that too it was brilliant!

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 couldn’t imagine what you might have said on this thread that could have been deleted so quickly. Unless it was something controversial like Sindy being much better than Barbie, which she was.

Ooooh you are naughty, but I like it! 😂

Ian Livingstone wrote them, you went into whatever fantasy world...

It was about what kids wore in the 80s! I know some 80s fashions were pretty offensive, so maybe there is a shell suit shut down algorithm in the code somewhere.

Cindy had a massive head and a resting bitch face. Barbie was much more beautiful. Her milkshake always brought Action Man to the yard.

Loved Garbage Pail Kids but they were revolting weren’t they? Brett Sweat always comes to mind first for me.

Anyone have Glow Friends? Or a creepy Pierrot bedspread. Later overtaken by Snatch the puppy.

Smelly rubbers. Like fruit flavours.

I had a girls world head.

Sindy with the bed and wardrobe set though my friend had the big Barbie house.

I also had a tiny tears but always wanted the doll that looked like a real baby (can't remember what it was called).

I used to love having the big TV roll out for a lesson too. All of those scary advertisements about not flying kites near pylons and staying away from tractors and silos! Pylons still give me the fear. I'm sure they were in too many TV drama deaths in the 80s.

Did anyone else do the country dancing thing that was either on the radio each week or pre-recorded? I have never ever used these dubious dancing skillz.

I also remember wanting those neon laces that changed colour along the way. Those heat sensitive T shirts where you could see everyone's sweat in neon!

Yes. I still have most of those too! I miss them (and, clearly, should also move on...)

Oh wow, and I have just remembered bath pearls! Usually in shallow baskets with wood wool nests in the bottom. I swear these were very early Body Shop lines, along with quite small and bright guest soaps? Basically what persil capsules are now, but full of bath oil (but the squishy outside never really dissolved).

Lights alive!!

I completely forgot those existed- the lush bath bombs of their day!