These days technology has improved so much over the years. It’s pretty amazing when you think about it. There are objects that we once used almost on a daily basis that our kids wouldn’t even recognize.
So I thought it would be fun to go down memory lane to look at some of these cool items from the past. I dare you to show this list to your kids, ha, ha!
1. TV ‘No Signal’ Pattern
Oh my goodness, who still remembers seeing this? I grew up in Eastern Europe, so this TV test pattern was something we saw a lot of. And it was really annoying and symbolized that there was nothing on TV to watch. Imagine the horror?
2. VHS Tapes
And here’s another blast from the past. I, too, grew up on VHS tapes. All my beloved movies were on these handy devices. The only problem happened when the tape would get jammed and that I can tell you right now was a huge travesty, alright.
3. Video Rental Stores
If you remember VHS tapes, then you also remember the video rental store. I frequented one at least once a week. It was pretty much like a ritual for me, ha, ha! I thought it was so much fun. Do you feel me?
4. Pagers
I honestly never understood the need for a pager, so I never had one. If somebody wanted to talk to me, they would call me on my landline, and if I was out, then too bad, haha. But I knew plenty of people who couldn’t live without one.
5. Rotary Phone
Speaking of a landline, this was our phone for the longest time. I can guess that kids these days wouldn’t even know how to use one. In fact, I’ve seen a video of that fact, and it was pretty hilarious.
6. Boom Box
This, ladies and gentlemen, was the ‘it’ item of the 80s, ha, ha! If you didn’t have a boom box, did you even go through the ’80s? I don’t think so. I had a few of those babies, and I treasured them all.
7. Cassette Tape
Here’s another one of my beloved gems from the past. Being old enough to own a boom box and cassette tapes was like a coming-of-age event. It was pretty epic. What songs did you have in your mixed tape collection, huh?
8. The CD
Right after the cassette tape went out of fashion came the CD. Now, kids just download their music, but before that, we had to settle for whatever the CD would hold, ha, ha! And I can tell you it wasn’t much.
9. The Discman
When CDs came out, there was a need for a product that would let you carry your music with you. Say “hello” to the trusted Discman. Every kid wanted one and pestered their parents for it, hee-hee. Guilty as charged!
10. Old-School Camera
Just like today’s phones have gotten smaller, so did cameras back in the day. They became so lightweight and portable, but to be honest, the quality of the pictures was questionable. The very old vintage ones still rock today.
11. 35 MM Film
I can tell you right now if you show this to a kid, they wouldn’t recognize it, ha, ha! Yes, this is a roll of 35 mm camera film. That’s right. They do exist, and they did serve a great purpose.
12. The Encyclopedia
Believe it or not, before the internet, there was another place where everyone would get their info from aha. And that was the old trusted encyclopedia. If you didn’t have one in your home, I feel bad for you.
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13. Palm Pilot
Before there were iPads, people would walk around with Palm Pilots. I have to admit I’ve never owned one because I guess I wasn’t cool enough. How about you? Did you get your hands on one of these?
14. Paper Maps
Just like the encyclopedia, there was another way to get around without that GPS. What did people use back then? Oh, yeah — a map! Can you even imagine that? I don’t know about you but I kind of still like that.
15. Roller Skates
Do you want to know how I spent my childhood? Well, this is how. I rolled on these old-school skates pretty much every day until I broke my nose. And then I got up and kept rolling. That’s how devoted I was to this art, ha, ha!
16. Old School Video Games
Here’s one of my favorite games I had growing up. I’m not sure where we got it from, but it was pretty addictive, lol. I bet today’s kids would think it wasn’t advanced enough, but I loved it.
17. Floppy Disks
Who here still remembers floppy disks? Oh, yes! Ha, ha! I have to admit I have at least one of these buried somewhere in my house. On it, there’s an old screenplay I wrote when I was like 18-years old. I kid you not.
18. Rolodex
Today when you want to call somebody, you just look up their number on your phone. But before cell phones got invented, people actually used Rolodexes to keep information like this. It’s a rare sight, but they do exist.
So what do you think about these old gems from the past?
Do you think some of them would confuse your kids now? I bet they would, ha, ha! I would love to see them use a rotary phone or figure out how to play a cassette tape on the old boom box.
