The 80s Signoff
By Lori Ferraro Browse through the back pages of any autograph book or yearbook from the 80s and you will find a variety of letters, numbers, periods and slash marks that may not make much sense to you unless you were a teenage girl of the decade. See, you couldn’t just write “Love, Lori” after you signed someone’s yearbook telling them how much you’re going to miss them, to have a good summer, see you next year, etc. You had to use...
The Prom Theme Song
By Lori Ferraro Like many others who graduated high school in the 80s I cannot hear Forever Young by Alphaville without thinking of my senior prom. When I hear that opening, those space age-y chimes, that hollow voice and those dramatic lyrics: “Let’s dance in style, let’s dance for a while Heaven can wait, we’re only watching the skies Hoping for the best but expecting the worst Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?”...
Sea Wees
By Alli Denning Kenner first introduced the Sea Wee dolls in 1979, offering “Oceans of Fun.” But, it wasn’t until Christmas of 1980 that they came into my life. Initially, there were three dolls, Sandy, Coral, and Shelly (see what they did with the nautical naming). Each doll came with its own comb and a lily-pad sponge. The sponge had a convenient hole in the middle so that the doll could sit in the sponge. That way, she could float...
Word Up – 80s Additions to the OED
By Lori Ferraro I was pleased the other day to hear my 8-year-old son come home from school and said that they had been using dictionaries in class – like with cursive handwriting, I wondered if the dictionary would be something of the past. Why look something up in a big ‘ol book when you could just look it up online? I’m pleased to say he’s learning both. I also learned last week through a friend that The Oxford English Dictionary...
Our Most Pinned Stories
Thank you to all our readers that care about the 80s enough to share our site on Pinterest! We love Pinterest too; keep on pinning and spreading the 80s love around. To help you out, we’ve rounded up a list of our most pinned stories from last week to help you find awesome 80s inspiration whether you are planning a party, looking for a costume, trying to find the perfect 80s flick for movie night, or just traveling down memory lane....
Top of My Toy List: My Barbie Styling Head
By Lori Ferraro I loved my Barbie Dolls growing up – like lots of girls, I was kind of fanatical about them. I had a few different versions of Barbie, Ken (with his purple ascot and hot pink shirt), and Barbie’s little sister Skipper too. I also had Donny and Marie Dolls that used to come on over to party with Barbie. And Darci, Covergirl Darci was a bigger, bustier version of a Barbie doll. Donny and Marie dolls But my favorite...
5 Perfect Valentine’s Day Gifts for the 80s Lover in Your Life
By Lori Ferraro When I think of Valentine Day in the 80s my memories go to the following boyfriends/gifts: In eighth grade I bought my boyfriend, Albert, a big gold medallion that said “Libra” and had the tipping scales on it – he was my first real boyfriend and I was super excited to give him this fancy piece of jewelry in a little black velvet box. In the tenth grade my boyfriend Lenny gave me one of those novelty coffee mugs with a...
Scent of the 80s
By Lori Ferraro Like everything else in the 80s, perfume was also little overboard – at least on this teenage girl it was. Subtlety was not my middle name and a little of anything never seemed to be enough…my signature scent was no exception. Walk down the halls of any high school around 1987 and along with the overpowering manly stink of Polo and Drakkar on the guys you would find a sweet, musky mixture of these legendary...
Garbage Pail Kids: Garbage Worth Keeping
When I was little I collected baseball cards – not because I liked or cared about the sport but because I liked “flipping” cards with the boys and winning their cards during recess on the playground. I also liked the flat, powdery bubble gum stick that came with the cards. My love affair with baseball cards was short lived. A few years later another type of card came along that I could really get into. Garbage Pail Kids. Garbage Pail...
Gleaming the Rubik’s Cube
By Lori Ferraro Imagine my surprise and absolute delight when I saw that THIS was on my eight-year-olds Christmas list: Yes. Oh yes…my old friend/nemesis, the Rubik’s Cube. Everybody had one back in the 80s! You did too, right?!? I begged my parents for one for my birthday – they ended up getting me a knockoff pyramid shaped puzzle that I pretended to enjoy for a while. The pyramid was cool and all but it wasn’t the real deal. I...
Christmas, 1987
By Lori Ferraro Below is a page from my diary, dated December 25, the year was 1987. Ladies – how many of you woke up to find one of these blasts from the past under your tree? 1. A few Forenza sweaters. Yes, those hot, chunky cable knit roll neck sweaters from The Limited. I even had my senior picture taken in my favorite, a Peptol Bismol pink number. 2. An Outback Red turtleneck. Again, from The Limited. Outback Red was a hot brand...
The Best Christmas Song Ever
By Lori Ferraro I love Christmastime. I love buying and giving gifts, I love a big old tree in my living room, I love boozy egg nog. And I love Christmas music. Mostly I love traditional Christmas music or carols sung by the Rat Pack, like Dean Martin singing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” or that “Mistletoe and Holly” one by Frank Sinatra. I tend to shy away from anything new – Celine Dion or some random 90s boy bands singing...
2013 Christmas Wrap Up: Gifts for 80s Fans
By Lori Ferraro Is your boyfriend still trying to solve his childhood Rubik’s Cube? Does your b/f/f miss playing hours and hours of Space Invaders? Is your Mom obsessed with Duckie Dale? Here are some great gift ideas that are perfect for the ‘80s fanatic in your life. Cassette Tape Doormat A mix tape you can wipe your feet on – I love this. This doormat will surely relieve the holiday “madness” at your gift exchange. An old school...
A Love Letter to a Big Stinker: Polo Cologne
The other day while on my lunch break downtown, I got caught behind a man wearing a cloud of fragrance that sent me screaming back to the eighth grade. This man had apparently just bathed in a bathtub of Polo cologne, and I was hopelessly left in his wake. At first I coughed – and then I smiled, altering my route to follow him an extra block – no joke. There are few things in life as powerful as a sense memory, and smells rank...
8 Bitchin’ 80s Internet Memes
I can haz ‘80s? Indeed! Here are seven totally fun 80s-based memes. We consider all this Internet attention for our beloved 80s well deserved and proof positive that while we may be 30 years out from the decade that brought us mix tapes and neon, the 80s are still alive and kickin’. Which is your favorite meme? Did we miss a great one. If so, send it to us! #1 – How many chewed up mix tapes were brought back to life by number...
