For those of us who still have our ringtones set as the Super Mario Bros. theme song, or scream “Ghostbusters!” whenever someone inadvertently asks who we’re going to call, this list is for us. A throwback to arguably the greatest fad decade of all time, these 12 iconic images will take any pre-90s Idahoan back in time to the days of neon, Michael Jackson, and hair metal. The good ol’ days never say die… or something like that.
Hold on to your jumpsuits, people.
- Mullets and big hair.
memegenerator But sometimes having a party only in the back just wasn’t enough; hence, the need for aerosol clouds of hairspray to make that ‘do last through even the most intense line dancing sessions.
- How every kid wanted to go on a Goonies-style treasure hunt.
Imagens Portal SESCSP/Flickr You still do, though, don’t you?
- Super Mario Bros., Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong were (and still are) the greatest games ever.
Dylan Baugh/Flickr Enough said.
- The lottery finally came to Idaho in 1988.
ItsElk/YouTube
- Love was a mix tape with your name on it.
DongJun/Flickr Spending hours waiting for your favorite song to come on the radio so you could press RECORD? Priceless.
- Who wasn’t into roller disco?
- Denim. Denim everywhere.
bobby vie/Flickr Acid wash ruled the land, but this bad fashion staple was taken to a new level of cringe-worthy when tucked into boots and topped off with a denim jacket and side ponytail.
- You know you tried to moonwalk from the kitchen to your bedroom.
J-Corrigan-93
- The Etch-a-Sketch: bringing out your inner artist, one squiggle at a time.
John/Flickr
- If you don’t know what this is… you were born in the wrong decade.
Erica…M/Flickr Miss Mary Mack, anyone?
- The soothing vocals of George Strait still take you back to that glorious decade.
STacey Huggins/Flickr Alabama, Willie Nelson, and Randy Travis were all chart-toppers in the ’80s as well.
- GHOSTBUSTERS!
John Wardell/Flickr The ’80s can’t be beat when it comes to classic movies. The Breakfast Club, Back to the Future…
- This was your Google.
Krissa Corbett Cavouras/Flickr Ah, nostalgia.
- Clapping erasers and writing punishments.
Sharat Ganapati/Flickr
- The feeling of satisfaction you got from peeling the edges off of dot matrix paper.
Wikimedia Commons/Kungfuman And then scrunching it into a tiny ball to flick at passerby. Simpler times!
Thankfully, some of these things are coming back. Others are better left in the past.
memegenerator
But sometimes having a party only in the back just wasn’t enough; hence, the need for aerosol clouds of hairspray to make that ‘do last through even the most intense line dancing sessions.
Imagens Portal SESCSP/Flickr
You still do, though, don’t you?
Dylan Baugh/Flickr
Enough said.
ItsElk/YouTube
DongJun/Flickr
Spending hours waiting for your favorite song to come on the radio so you could press RECORD? Priceless.
bobby vie/Flickr
Acid wash ruled the land, but this bad fashion staple was taken to a new level of cringe-worthy when tucked into boots and topped off with a denim jacket and side ponytail.
J-Corrigan-93
John/Flickr
Erica…M/Flickr
Miss Mary Mack, anyone?
STacey Huggins/Flickr
Alabama, Willie Nelson, and Randy Travis were all chart-toppers in the ’80s as well.
John Wardell/Flickr
The ’80s can’t be beat when it comes to classic movies. The Breakfast Club, Back to the Future…
Krissa Corbett Cavouras/Flickr
Ah, nostalgia.
Sharat Ganapati/Flickr
Wikimedia Commons/Kungfuman
And then scrunching it into a tiny ball to flick at passerby. Simpler times!
What are your favorite ’80s memories and iconic status symbols?
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