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Fads of the Eighties

This list consists of anything non-toy related for the most part, and focuses more on the fads that consumed the adults of the time opposed to the children. So far this list is pretty small, but I'm sure it will grow with time.
  • Baby On Board Signs
    The little yellow sign that looked like a yellow warning sign. Soon hundreds of messages appeared. Somehow, these were supposed to make you drive safer around cars that had them, but most of the cars I saw with them drove even worse than the average driver.

  • Baton Twirling
    The cooler the baton, the cooler you were... they could be filled with water and moving shapes, or tinsel and glitter!

  • Boom Boxes
    The "ghetto blaster." The portable radio, with two speakers as a minimum, the heavier and the bigger, the better. Some even came with lead in them to make them seem like they were worth more.

  • BMX(bicycle motocross)

  • Garfield Car Window Ornaments
    Remember these? They spawned hundred of lame knock offs. Basically there were suction cups attached to the bottom of the feet and he stuck on the window of your car. Cute at first, until everyone owned them.

  • Keyboards Played Like Guitars (on strap)
    All those synth groups of the early eighties soon came to understand that watching a guy stand in front of a keyboard wasn't the height of excitement for anyone.

  • Laser Tag and Photon
    The futuristic light game of the future today! Shoot at your friends with infrared light and sensors attached to your shirt. A less messy form of paint ball.

  • Lawn Darts
    Probably one of the most deadly games that could be made for out doors, these were banned in the eighties since little kids had a tendency to run in the path of them when being thrown.

  • Men with Mascara
    Thanks to Adam Ant, Duran Duran, and The Cure, you couldn't go into a dance club in the early '80s without seeing some guy with eyeliner and enough mousse in his hair to keep it in place until the '90s.

  • Rubik Cube
    The toy that was a real pain in the butt to solve, unless you peeled the stickers or pulled it apart.

  • Scooters
    Scooters made a resurgence in the eighties.

  • Skateboarding
    Skateboarding really hit a peek in popularity during the 80s, it seemed like everyone was doing it at one point.

  • Trivial Pursuit
    The game that made people start memorizing useless crap in order to win. Probably one of the biggest crazes when it came out though.

  • Video Arcades
    There are arcades now, but during the 80s, they were the *in* place to hangout.

  • World Wrestling Federation
    Although it has made a comeback in recent years, nothing even compares with the classic years of the WWF, it was so big even my parents knew who Hulk Hogan was. When Demolition wore leather underpants and straps, they looked tough, now they wouldn't look out of place during the Sydney Mardi Gra. That's why the wrestling was sooooo good, big tough blokes making clowns of themselves.


Do you know of a fad I missed?

This page is a list of fads, not specifically toys which have their own page. or clothes

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