Double Dutch Much?
By Julie Anderson Double Dutch jump roping was totally cool in the early eighties. The basic idea is pretty simple: it involves two turners who hold one jumprope in each hand and get them swinging in opposite directions. The jumper then hops in the middle of the two swinging ropes and jumps both. According to skill level, the jumper might do tricksy foot moves or feats of gymnastics while simultaneously dodging and hopping the ropes....
Slim Goodbody
By Julie Anderson Recognize the guy in the flesh-colored, internal-organ-decorated unitard? Yup, that’s Slim Goodbody, all right. Confession: He totally creeped me out. I think it was all about the visible intestines, to tell you the truth. He reminded me of my brother’s Pulsar, which ALSO creeped me out. Organs, blood flow, view-beneath-the-skin? Totally grody. A little background info about Slim: The “Superhero of Health” was...
Metal Lunchboxes
By Julie Anderson For many of us, back-to-school shopping wasn’t just about wheedling our parents into springing for Nikes, Trapper Keepers, and a couple of new pairs of jeans. We also needed a brand new metal lunchbox (with coordinating Thermos) imprinted with our favorite TV characters. Check out these me-and-my-new-lunchbox pics and prepare for an uncontrollable case of the awwwww’s when you see these totally cute eighties kids: I...
The Clapper
By Julie Anderson C’mon, sing along! Clap on! (CLAP, CLAP) Clap off! (CLAP, CLAP) Clap on, Clap off – The Clapper! The Clapper was the modern eighties way to turn your electronic devices on or off without the hassle of getting off the couch. The switch was designed to respond to a specific acoustic signal: two claps. Joseph Pedott, founder of Joseph Enterprises, Inc., began selling the Clapper in 1985. (You’ve probably heard of Joseph...
Roller Skating in the 80s!
Couples skate, the hokey-pokey, Simon Says and the amazing feeling of cruising around the skating rink backwards – that was roller skating in the 80s. When the weather was bad or you needed a cool escape from the summertime heat, the roller rink was the perfect retreat. It offered good music, a fun activity, junk food a-plenty and the promise of cute boys. Dark and wondrous inside, even in the middle of the afternoon, the roller rink...
Sugar in the Morning … Breakfast Cereals of the 80s
By Julie Anderson Bowl + Cereal + Milk = Big Smiles. What could be easier? In the eighties, my mom initially tried to keep sugar levels low for us at breakfast time. However, when subjected to ultra-bland Rice Krispies, my brother and I improved the “lightly sweet” beige bubbles with generous scoops of white sugar. The gritty gray sludge at the bottom of the bowl helped the Krispies’ flavor TREMENDOUSLY. Mom eventually threw in the...
Fruit Stripe Gum
So, so good, and gone so, so fast. Isn’t that just the way of things? But, despite its lightening fast flavor expiration, Fruit Stripe gum is worth every precious chew. Like no other, the 5 juicy flavors (the originals) are so much more than their names would indicate (cherry, lemon, orange, mixed fruit, and lime). Maybe it’s the painted-on stripes that add the extra fabulousness. Whatever the source of all that flavor, the result is...
Trapper Keepers
By Julie Anderson 05.13.11 It’s mid-August of 1982. You’re with your Mom doing some back-to-school shopping. You want to project just the right level of cool for elementary school. To do that, you need a binder that’s trendy yet functional, well-organized yet hip. You need a . . . Trapper Keeper, baby! Oh, they were just the coolest; a whole new breed of 3-ring binder. The “keeper”, or outer shell, came in bold colors or mega-cool...
Top 5 “Oh I almost forgot about those” of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here – back after a long hiatus and ready to rock and roll with my latest Top 5 countdown. This time around we have the Top 5 “Oh I almost forgot about those” of the 80s. Enjoy! 5. Choose Your Own Adventure Books It’s a book. No- it’s a game. No- it’s a Game Book! A vast array of titles in the series covered the scary, the funny and the always mysterious paths of perplexity, as...
Top 5 “How were these movies PG?” movies of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here. Back with my weekly top 5. This week’s top 5 is “Top 5 ‘How were these movies PG?’ movies of the 80s.” I watched a TON of movies as a kid. I learned quite a few 4 letter words from them as well. As I watch them nowadays, I am quite surprised by the rating given to them back in the day. For some, I think the MPAA might have been on C-R-A-C-K. Here are some of them and why they may have been a...
Top 5 Cartoons of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here, and back with an all new Top 5 this week: 5. He-Man: Masters of the Universe He-Man was THE Man (say “THE” with the long “e” . . . sounds way cooler). He had the power of Grayskull and used his HE-roics to take on Skeletor and his evil empire. When he wasn’t roided up, he was just Adam–boring old Adam. At least Adam wore pants, and not a He-Mana Hammock, but I digress. He also had a twin...
80s Slang: It’s, like, totally bitchin’
Like, Ok. So, this is like a study in 80s slang. I mean, like, the way people talked in the 80s – like, the phrases they used. Ya know? It all started in Cali – I mean, doesn’t everything? In the Valley – the San Fernando Valley, where, like the girls talked a certain way, ya know? Valley Girls. Seriously, what defined 80s slang? What phrases mark the uniquely 80s way of speaking? This was an era long before emoticons and text-speak –...
Top 5 Unsung Toys of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Back again with this week’s countdown. . . . This week: Top 5 Unsung Toys of the 80s. We all know the Rubik’s Cube and Atari and Cabbage Patch Kids reigned supreme on toy shelves in the 80s… but the following are 5 fun toys that played second fiddle, but were first in my heart. 5. Pillow People “Pillow People are lovable . . . Pillow People are huggable. Pillow People are lovable, huggable, friends.” Ahhh —...
Top 5 Candy from the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Back again with this week’s countdown. . . . This week: Top 5 Candy of the 80s. This list was actually tough to narrow down to just 5; there are just so many candies out there that were memorable from the 80s. Keep in mind that not all of these candies were created in the 80s, but they all had a large presence on TV and in the mouths of all of us 80s survivors. 5. Big League Chew Bubble Gum Hey Kids! Wanna be like...
Top 5 Movies That Freaked Me Out As A Kid
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here—back with my weekly Top 5. This week, Top 5 Movies that freaked me out as a kid—enjoy! 5. Child’s Play Picture this . . . you are a child. You are around dolls a lot. Now, you see a movie that shows dolls killing people. Having an ounce of imagination only leads a kid to believe that their beloved LambChop doll could turn into a Lamb “Chop you up doll.” Then, the movie shows you that if you confide...
