Christmas Vacation, 1989
By Ryan Zimmerman There’s one word that instantly brings to mind the joys and holiday spirit we all look forward to each Christmas season. Just one word personifies family, fun and feasts. That word isn’t “Santa” or “gifts” or “snow.” That word my friends, is “Griswold.” In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, released on December 1, 1989, mistake-prone patriarch Clark W. Griswold throws caution (and previous family disasters aside)...
Latch Hook Rugs in the 80s
By Julie Anderson Latch hooking rugs was an awesome activity for eighties kids. The yarn craft was simple and inexpensive, yet super satisfying. With a single easy-to-master move, we made plush, colorful rug squares. Of course, we didn’t use them as actual rugs… but they were perfect for wall hangings and pillows. The nice thing about latch hooking was that you were pretty much guaranteed a great looking and feeling product....
Chat with Spy Hunter Game Designer
By Dave Ellis One of the most awesome things about video games in the early 80s was that, just about every time you went to the arcade, there was a new game vying for your attention (and your quarters). As far I was concerned, some games instantly faded into the woodwork, while others made an indelible impression. I don’t remember exactly when or where I first played it, but Spy Hunter was a game that hooked me instantly back in 1983....
Coleco Mini-Arcade Tabletop Games
By Thomas Zizzo Birthday parties as a kid usually meant a day at the arcade. I can remember not being able to sleep the night before a friend’s party; the anticipation was too much. The old Atari 2600, sorry to say, just wasn’t the same as that dark, black-lit room, buzzing with lights and beeps and the bright marquees of our favorite video games. Unless you were as cool as Ricky Schroder (I’ve been dying to make a Silver Spoons...
VHS versus Betamax: The Great Format War of Our Time
By Brad Williams Picture yourself at your local video rental shop in 1984 – you know the one, in the local strip mall between the convenience store and the dry cleaners, drab grey carpet and rows of wire shelves filled with propped up cardboard boxes. You head for the new releases to grab something for the weekend and are shocked to see a copy of The Empire Strikes Back, sitting all alone. You instinctively reach for it but stop...
Remembering the Sony Walkman
By Thomas Zizzo I still remember that birthday in the summer of 1982, getting this new device that was all the rage at the time, and how excited my parents were to give it to me. It was a portable stereo cassette player—the infamous Sony Walkman. My Dad was very excited and impressed about the fact that it was stereo sound, and that no one else could hear it thanks to the headphones. I remember too that my parents almost didn’t buy me...
Note Passing in the Eighties
In the 80s, we didn’t have texts or emails to send to our friends during school. Puh-leeze. When our history teachers were droning away about the Battle of Hastings and our minds were focused on anything BUT William the Conqueror, we had just ONE way to let get our message across that expanse of linoleum flooring. We passed notes in class. Here’s the J. Geils Band with their 1981 megahit, “Centerfold,” to help you remember the drill:...
80s My Little Pony and Today’s Bronies
By Julie Anderson Eighties girls will totally remember My Little Ponies, those hugely popular plastic horse figurines. The first herd of candy-colored toy horses was created in 1981. My Pretty Ponies were significantly bigger than My Little Ponies and were nowhere near as popular. In 1983, Hasbro’s My Little Ponies hit the jackpot with the elementary-age girl crowd. They were perfectly sized for little hands and little purses. We...
The Plasma Ball
By Julie Anderson Also known as lightning balls, plasma globes, or plasma lamps, plasma balls were one of the coolest home accessories of the 80s. (And they’re still pretty bitchin’ in my book.) A plasma ball is a clear glass sphere filled with low density noble gases. Inside the ball is an electrode that causes the gases to glow in flowing streaks of colored light. When you touch the surface of the ball, lightning bolts run from the...
Television Workouts of the 80s
By Julie Anderson Sure, fitness clubs were big in the 1980s, but plenty of health-minded individuals were busy with work and family obligations. It was, like, totally difficult to make it to your high-impact step aerobics class if you were slaving away from 9 to 5 every day and then had to go home to feed the kids. For lots of eighties exercisers, living room workouts in front of the television were ideal. Added benefits, of course,...
Mary Lou Retton
By Julie Anderson Okay, eighties kids, close your eyes and picture Mary Lou Retton’s face. Go ahead. Do it. Photo credit: Newsweek Archivist I bet you a gazillion bucks that you pictured her with a big, enthusiastic smile, right? Mary Lou Retton was the embodiment of the happy, healthy, bouncy female athlete in the 80s. Totally. Mary Lou Retton just radiated sweetness and energy, didn’t she? Dude – she STILL does: Retton was born on...
Best-Looking Celebrity Babes of the 80s
By Julie Anderson The dudes had their day in the sun, and now it’s totally time to give the ladies the spotlight. Like Totally 80s Facebook friends and Twitter followers responded enthusiastically to our poll and helped us come up with this list of gorgeous 80s girls. Models, actresses, and singers make up our comely crew, so check it out: did YOUR choice for best-looking female of the eighties make our top ten list? Number Five: A...
Like Totally 80s TV Catchphrases Quiz
By Julie Anderson Watch a little television in the 80s, did you? Remember some of the choice catchphrases from your fave shows? TV in the eighties was, like, FULL of memorable phrases that worked their way into our cultural lexicon. Take our Like Totally 80s quiz to see just how much you remember from those bitchin’ 80s shows, and then click on the answers’ links to hear the phrases in action. 1. At the end of the animated show G.I....
Best-Looking Celebrity Dudes of the 80s
By Julie Anderson Who was the most swoon-worthy celebrity dude of the eighties? Like Totally 80s asked our Facebook friends and Twitter followers. You guys totally came up with a hot, handsome handful of 1980s stars. Some found fame through the movies, some through television, and some made music that melted our teenage hearts, but all of these boys were totally FINE. Number Five: A FIVE-WAY TIE!! Andrew McCarthy We loved him as...
