Perms, perms, and more perms, you could have sailed the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria in some people’s flows. Whether it was big bangs, big curls, or big feathers 80s hair was just big.
High-top sneakers are a cool mix of comfy and old-school style, making them great for any laid-back look.
With their roots in 1980s fashion, they give you both comfort and style, ideal if you're aiming to bring a bit of that throwback feel into your wardrobe.
Whether you wear them with jeans or a skirt, high-tops add that trendy touch by combining yesterday's comfort with today's fashion statement.
The fitness craze of the '80s gave rise to a unique trend in fashion, as activewear became a part of everyday dressing. Inspired by the popularity of aerobics classes and fitness-themed movies like "Flashdance," leg warmers became a must-have accessory for both gym-goers and fashion enthusiasts.
These cosy, calf-length knitted tubes were often worn over leggings, jeans or tights, adding a touch of athleticism to any outfit. The aerobics fashion trend also introduced leotards, headbands, and oversized sweatshirts, all of which embraced the decade's love for fitness and energy.
Leather was a staple in the '80s and continues to reign supreme in the '20s. Think of it as denim's edgier cousin: it's just as versatile but adds a touch of cool to anything you wear. These days, there are tons of ways to wear it, from leather blazers to leather pants to leather trench coats.
1980: Cowboy Boots
Stylish partygoers at Studio 54 confirmed that free-flowing dresses and skirts paired with coordinating cowboy boots are timeless outfit combos. Ganni's extremely trendy cowboy boots with a retro feel are the perfect place to start.
The 1980s witnessed the rise of a cultural movement that would forever leave its mark on music, fashion, and society as a whole – the punk scene. With its rebellious spirit, raw energy, and DIY ethos, the 80s punk scene became a subculture that challenged the mainstream and inspired generations to come.
Necklace styles ranged from large pendants to beaded necklaces in the 1980s and typically featured the same bold, eye-catching details noted in other popular jewelry of the period. Once again, gold was the material of choice in this decade.
Outfits back in the 80s were big, bold, and not to forget covered in sequins. Sparkly sequins and metallic fabrics redefined the era with color, glam, and drama.
It was a cut that shaped a generation. High-waisted, hip-bone-grazing, and cut-to-there, the bikinis and one-pieces of the '80s were unapologetically skimpy, and spoke to the extreme nature of the era's fashion.
Why go big and bold if you’re just going to use muted colors? It doesn’t make any sense. That’s why neon colors were everywhere in the 80s. Plus, the neons really popped at the skating rink during the black light skate.
The original toy, upon release, was such a success that Hasbro released a new Musical Glo Worm and Glo Bug in 1984, and a Glo Butterfly in 1985. A series of story books, night lights, videos and other merchandise was also produced until the early 1990s.
Here is another popular toy from the 80s. According to the records released by Nintendo, the maker of this game console, Game Boy sold over 118 million units as one of the best 80s toys.
The game was first released in Japan on 21 April 1989. After that, the game was also released in America and Europe around this time. At its core, Game Boy features a dot-matrix screen and contrast dial. Also included are the directional pad and adjustable volume speaker.
To say these were popular would be an injustice. Baby Boomer parents still reminisce about the department-store wraparound lines and aisle shoving that accompanied the release of CPK. The "Cabbage Patch Kids" brand has been licensed over 150 times since then for a wide variety of products from diapers to cereal, with varying degrees of retail success. What hasn't varied is CPK's position among the longest-running dolls in history. It also happens to be the only one we know of to be named the official mascot of the US Olympic Team. Use that little bit of trivia next time you're at the pub for a free drink.
Whether you are a pet lover or not, dogs are cool and friendly animals that have had some enjoyable toys built around them. Besides color aesthetics, you’ll find an interesting array of plush stuffed dog dolls online and offline. The pound puppy doll is said to originate from Canada by Mike Bowling around 1984. To attract the admiration of kids around that time, Pizza Hut and other restaurants started offering pound puppy dog toys in their kids meals and coloring in materials at restaurants. Pound Puppies are still going strong today at $12.99
The original toy line ran from 1982 to 1992 in the United States and to 1995 globally, and two animated specials, an animated feature-length film and two animated television series produced during the period up until 1992.
Each pony character was designed to represent a different element and positive aspect of friendship: honesty (Applejack), kindness (Fluttershy), laughter (Pinkie Pie), generosity (Rarity), and loyalty (Rainbow Dash), which come together to form the sixth element of "magic" (Twilight Sparkle).
A classic 80s game which kids loved. This toy was a broad game and had twenty-four cartoon characters on each player boards which could flip up and down. Every player had to pick one card from a deck with all these characters in. The motto of this game was to determine the opponent’s card. This could be done by asking questions about physical appearance. As the game went on you would flip the characters down on your board as you got closer to determining which character your opponent had. The game not only imposed a fun aspect but also helped children to enhance their description skills.
Jenga was one of the most popular games in the 80s and still extremely popular today with over 80 million Jenga games and 4.3 billion Jenga blocks, sold worldwide. The game requires players to be very focused and have great dexterity skills.
Any number of people can play this block game, which is great for both kids and adults. The more the players you have the more challenging it gets but limiting to six is recommended.
The Koosh Ball was one of the most bought toys in the 80s and helps children master their motor skills. The inventor came up with the idea when playing catch with his son and perhaps want to invent something slightly easier for children to catch than your traditional ball.
This rubber ball is naturally made and there are various color combinations you can choose from. In addition to this, the Koosh balls also had cartoon figures! They are available in various sizes too.
What started out as a Care Bear drip later turned into a full-blown waterfall. There are now over 200 in the happy little litter, including Birthday Bear, Cheer Bear, Grumpy Bear, Funshine Bear, and a LOT of other sibling bears.
The characters actually debuted as part of a greeting card line by American Greeting. It wasn't long before the belly-badged bears turned up in stores to the delight of ankle biters everywhere.
Seriously, how cool does a toy have to be to inspire an entire TV series based on it? That's right, the action figure was first, and the cartoon rode its coattails. And then there was the surprisingly awful 1987 live-action production starring Ivan Drago Dolph Lundgren and a post-Springsteen video / pre- friends Courteney Cox.
Okay, we could build an entire list of best original action figures from the 80s (Voltron, Centurions, M.A.S.K., Dino-Riders, etc.)
We've already mentioned one of the best, and we don't want to load up this top 10 with nothing but five-inch agents of destruction. But come on, it's the freakin' Ninja Turtles, y'all! The fact that this was originally a comic book franchise intended to punk other popular superheroes at the time like Daredevil and New Mutants just makes it that much more awesome.
The barbie movie, the Barbie and the Rockers line. Of course, Barbies in general were very popular throughout the '80s, but this Barbie's '80s pop star/MTV look made her a must-have (especially since she was a direct competitor to the Jem and the Holograms line)
Rubik's Cube. Every kid seemed to own one — whether they even asked for one or not — and honestly, they provided about 10 minutes of entertainment before you'd get frustrated with it and move on to another toy.
Speak & Spell. Sure, it was meant for learning, but you definitely only played with this so you could hear its talking-robot-voice feature.
McDonald's Berenstain Bears Happy Meal toys, which were amazing, but also got dirty quickly because of the fuzz they had on their skin:
Nintendo. If you were fortunate enough to get one of these as a kid, then you know you could spend hours playing. And you also probably remember it being the cause of many a fight if you had siblings.
Strawberry Shortcake dolls, which smelled like delicious fruits and that you mainly just sniffed instead of playing with.
ThunderCats action figures. Like the He-Man line, the ThunderCats line was epic and also had a tie-in cartoon that made you want to collect them BADLY.
Smurf PVC figures. These were one of those toys that you probably don't even remember asking for but somehow owned a dozen of them. And like McNugget Buddies, they were perfectly sized so you could fit a few in your pocket and take them everywhere.
Gumby and Pokey bendable figures, which just appeared in your toy box one day and you never knew why.
View-Master. Listen, this might not be the most exciting toy on the list, but the fun was collecting the different reels (which you usually only looked at once or twice before forgetting about them)
Monchhichis. Let's be honest, these were more creepy than cute, but that catchy jingle for the commercial made you want one of these, badly.
