The ’80s was one warped and truly magnificent decade. It brought about incredible advancements in technology, music , and home entertainment.
The sad fact of the matter is that most of these have been largely forgotten — until now! Have a look below and check out these 15 things from the ’80s that most of us completely forgot even existed.
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*The Joy Of Painting* with Bob Ross
There’s something almost therapeutic about watching Bob Ross paint a masterful landscape before your eyes, so long as you don’t try to paint along with him. He makes it look so easy, but I assure you — it’s not.
Care Bears
“Care Bears countdown! Four, three, two, one!”
I swear, I can still hear the theme song playing in my head as if it were yesterday. They tried out a reboot a couple of years ago, but it lacked all of the magic of the original series.
Fisher-Price rollerskates
When I was a little kid, all I wanted for my birthday was a pair of rollerblades. What I got was a pair of Fisher-Price rollerskates, which are most definitely not the same thing. Not only did the wheels not turn but they were nearly impossible to balance on.
Disco
When most people think Disco, their minds immediately conjure images of platform shoes and white leisure suits. And while there’s no denying that those aspects are part and parcel with the genre, it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Walkman
I’m still old enough to remember when the first CD Walkman was introduced. Back in those days, you had to have it lay perfectly flat, otherwise, the CD would skip. Then a few years later, Panasonic came out with the Shock Wave and changed the game completely.
Atari
Kids these days will never understand or experience the sheer joy that was Pong. My friends and I used to park ourselves in front of the TV and play for hours on end. In fact, I think I still hold the record in our friend group.
Lite-Brite
I always sucked at Lite-Brite. My impatient brain had a hard time following along with the designs on the box. More often than not, I’d just use it to make swear words to show to my little brother.
Casette tapes
Before the rise of the MP3 or the dawn of the Compact Disc, there was cassette tape! I used to love listening to albums on tape but my goodness were those things ever tempermental. One wrong turn and the whole spool would unravel.
*Mr. Dressup*
Those who didn’t grow up north of the border have more than likely never heard of Mr. Dressup , and that’s a real shame. This Canadian classic was a childhood staple for generations — kind of like how Mr. Rogers was in the States.
VHS
I used to love heading down to the video store with my parents. Renting a couple of movies for the weekend was the ultimate sleepover treat.
The phrase “be kind, rewind,” will forever be engrained in my heart and mind.
Teddy Ruxpin teddy bears.
Teddy Ruxpin was the Tickle-Me-Elmo of the ’80s. There was a Teddy Ruxpin TV show, Teddy Ruxpin toys, as well as these utterly terrifying teddy bears that could talk and blink their eyes. I still have nightmares about it.
Game Boy
I’m so old that I still remember when Super Mario was simply known as Brick Breaker! I used to sit and play happily for hours on end. Now that I think about it, I wonder if I still have one kicking around in the back of my closet?
Fred Penner
Fred Penner is a Canadian treasure and must be protected at all costs. He was a proverbial children’s icon, who is best known for his immortal classic “The Cat Came Back.”
It still slaps, even after more than 30 years.
Floppy disks
Before the invention of iCloud and apps like Dropbox, file sharing looked a lot differently. Information had to be physically shared between users and was stored on small square discs. I feel like a dinosaur just talking about it.
Cabbage Patch Kids
Everyone and their mother had a Cabbage Patch Doll in the ’80s, you simply couldn’t escape them. The sheer mania that accompanied these toys was unlike anything anyone had ever seen up until that point. It made Pokemon look like a drop in ocean.
