Little Professor
How a Generation Learned Their Multiplication Tables Those of us who came of age in the 80s were little kids in the 70s; and one of the coolest toys of the late 70s was the Little Professor handheld reverse calculator. It was the first electronic educational toy developed by Texas Instruments (which later went on to develop the immensely popular Speak & Spell series). Little Professor was first introduced in 1976, and kids were so...
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...
Test Your 80s Country Music Knowledge
By Julie Anderson Before Taylor Swift and Lady Antebellum made country cool for city kids, it was thriving in, like, the country. We had bodacious country superstars in the eighties, as well as a few crossover artists who tried rad rhinestone cowboy hats on for size. Test your eighties country music knowledge with our Like Totally 80s quiz: 1. Who said, “I’m not offended by dumb blonde jokes because I know that I’m not dumb. Also, I...
Test Your Hair Band I.Q.
Hair Bands were totally awesome and so totally 80s. Dudes in glam rock bands grew their hair out long, and then permed, colored, and teased it within an inch of its life. Many wore heavy makeup to complete the look. We loved the jarring effect of dudes in quasi-drag who were singing hard rock music. Bitchin’! But how well do you know your eighties glam metal? Take our Like Totally 80s quiz to find out! 1. Beavis wore a Metallica...
Test Your Eighties New Wave Knowledge
So, you enjoyed music in the eighties, huh? Consider yourself somewhat of an expert on Depeche Mode and the Thompson Twins? Are you, like, the go-to person for 80s musical trivia in your circle of friends? Test your knowledge with our radical New Wave quiz. Answer key is below. (Duh!) 1. Siouxie and the Banshee’s song “Peek-a-boo” was on the 1988 album called: A. Peepshow B. Peek-a-boo C. Hyaena D. Kaleidoscope 2. In what video were...
How 80s Are You?
By Julie Anderson We know you love the eighties, but how much do you LIVE the eighties? Take our totally fun quiz to find out! 1. Good morning, Sunshine! Time for your breakfast beverage. You reach for: A. A skinny vanilla latte from the Starbucks drive through B. A Red Bull energy drink C. A Diet Coke D. A steaming mug of Folgers with Sweet-n-Low and Cremora 2. You’re a girl. (Pretend you are, if you’re not. Work with us here.) From...
Your 80s New Year’s Resolutions
By Julie Anderson After exchanging mix tapes with your friends, you’re admiring your new checkerboard Swatch while squeezed into your acid washed Guess Jeans. Your Member’s Only jacket is hanging in a place of honor in the closet and your gold Add a Bead necklace is around your neck. In other words, your holidays were totally bitchin’. On to the New Year! Let’s resolve to make it the best one yet, or at LEAST as good as 1984 was. For...
Top Video Games of the 80s
By Stuart Kerr of Liberty Games As gaming evolves and we’re now able to fight our way through realistic warzones, face hordes of undead or stop nuclear attacks from giant robots, I can’t help but feel like video games just aren’t as fun anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love next generation gaming as much as the next guy! However, you have to admit that the 80’s golden age of gaming was a lot more lighthearted and enjoyable than wading...
Hulk Hogan: Larger Than Life
By Michael Nazarewycz In 1982, when I was 13 years old, I saw Rocky III. The action in the film, a lesser entry in the Rocky franchise, is built around the fights that take place between Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Clubber Lang (Mr. T). But in an early scene, Rocky has a charity exhibition “fight” against a professional wrestler named Thunderlips. Seriously. Thunderlips. So, Thunderlips (because repeating it just never gets...
The Twelve 80s Songs of Christmas
So, have you been a righteous dude or babe this year? Hoping that Santa will put some bitchin’ 80s themed presents under your tree? And, of course, it’s the time of year for, like, hot apple cider (and hot toddies), carol singing, and thirty varieties of cookies. (But if Mom thinks I’m putting on that gnarly reindeer sweater again for the family card photo, she can totally think again. I’m so sure, Mom!) Crank up these tubular holiday...
Great Gift Ideas for 80s Fans
We’ve scoured the 1980s time capsule for great gift ideas for your favorite 80s fan and found a bodacious list of things that will make, like, the most totally awesome gifts – ever! Moxi Roller Skates Head back to the roller rink and feel the wind in your hair as you cruise around the floor in these totally cool roller skates by Moxi Lolly. There’ll be no sad-brown-rental-skates for you after you get a pair of these babies for...
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...
Patrick Nagel — Art in the 80s
It’s not often that a single person can take responsibility for defining a large part of a decade’s visual motif, but it would be hard to deny the impact that artist Patrick Nagel had on the 1980s. From his contributions to Playboy to his dabblings with music industry icons, Nagel would create a style so uniquely his own that is work is still easily recognized today. Yet, his style was more than just his own; it would become...
80s Halloween Songs
There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are starting to change, and your neighbor has once again tied weirdly shaped squash to her mailbox. It can only mean one thing: Halloween is just around the corner! After putting together your bitchin’ costume and doing your party prep work, you need to get your eighties Halloween tune list lined up. These awesome eighties songs are perfect for your night of terror and treats. They range from...
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...
