If you want to reminisce more about this wonderful decade, visit the links page of The 80s Server. There are hundreds of links there and it will probably take you some time to visit all the ones you are interested in. So, it's best to just bookmark that page and visit it whenever you get a free moment. Other than that, I hope you enjoy my favorite things from the 80s!
When my friends and I get together and discuss all the great things we remember about the 80s, I seem to be one of the few who actually remembers Fraggle Rock. I know I wasn't the only one who watched it, but maybe I was the only one who was obsessed with it. I had Fraggle Rock stuffed animals, toys, and even a record. All of which I still own. I still wonder what happened to Fraggle Rock. Like, why it went off the air and stuff like that. I hear there is a petition online to try and get Fraggle Rock into syndication, but I still haven't been able to find it. I did, however, discover that one of my NYU professors knew several people who used to write for the show. Where are these people and why can't I know them???
If you had an obsession with Fraggle Rock back in the day, or if you want to find out what the hell all this madness was about, check out these Fraggle Rock websites: A Few Fraggle Links, Elin's Corner of Fraggle Rock (includes downloadable theme song), Chris's Fraggle Rock Page.
The quintessential 80s movie in my book. I think I've seen it about one hundred times and it just keeps getting better. Molly Ringwald gets prettier, Ducky gets funnier, and Andrew McCarthy gets cuter. There's really not much I can say about this movie except see it, if you haven't already.
There are a couple of really great pretty In Pink sites on the net: Pretty In Pink and Pretty In Pink (original names, don't you think).
The stars of Pretty In Pink also have some really informative websites as well: Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, James Spader. If you know of a website devoted to John Cryer, let me know.
"She's truly outrageous, truly, truly, truly outrageous."
I think it's quite possible that, as a child, I wanted to be Jem when I grew up, a rock star and president of a major charitable corporation all rolled into one. I mean, you just can't get better than that. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, go here first and then finish reading this section.
I used to get so wrapped up in Jem's life. I almost feel as if I lived out a part of Jem's life in my childhood. That is so sad, but I have a feeling that I'm not the only one. Someone else had to be buying all those Jem and Misfits dolls too.
So maybe I was just a TV kid but a lot of my childhood memories revolve around television, particularly some of the wonderful shows that used to come on Nickelodeon. I'm sure not everyone was really into Nickelodeon as a child. I mean, some kids grew up without cable. Gasp! I wasn't so unfortunate. If you would like to find information on older Nickelodeon shows, other than the ones listed here, Ancient Nick is a relatively good resource.
Today's Special: I always used to want to get trapped in a shopping mall and be forced to stay the night. So, watching Today's Special was like fulfilling a secret fantasy. i really wanted to be able to see Muffy's house in the wall in person. I just never understood why it sometimes took them so long to realize that the guy wasn't talking or moving because his hat had fallen off.
You Can't Do That On Television: C'mon, admit it! You always wanted to get slimed. This was possibly the crudest show I ever watched as a child. i would come home from elementary school and immediately turn to Nickelodeon for this one. Does anyone remember the episode where you were supposed to be able to smell through the screen? I was always fascinated by that one.
Pinwheel: Is it just me or was Pinwheel a childhood staple. I used to wish that I could stay home from school everyday just so I could watch Pinwheel. The snail, Luigi O'Brien (the vegetable cart guy), and Simon are things I will never forget. If anyone knows where old episodes of Pinwheel can be found, let me know.
SK8TV: I never watched SK8TV as a kid, but apparently my boyfriend loved it. I think maybe it was a guy thing. He used to come home after school everyday and watch it. I scoured the web for a SK8TV site, but came up with nothing. If you know of one, let me know about it too.
Another great thing about living in the 80s were the toys. A lot of the really great toys were also television shows, mostly cartoons. Sometimes the toy was based on the show and sometimes they based a show on a pre-existing toy. There are a lot of these great toys, so I just picked a few of my favorites and inculded a website where you can get more information:
Popples: These were those stuffed animals that rolled up into a ball. The best thing about popples was that each character had such a distinct personality, almost as if they tried to create a popple that any kid could enjoy.
She-Ra, Princess of Power: The boys got to have their He-Man, but us girls got She-Ra. In my opinion She-Ra was definitely better that He-Man could have ever hoped to be. When I was younger, I had all the She-Ra toys: the castle, the dolls, everything.
Teddy Ruxpin: Remember him, the teddy bear that told you stories. I though this was the greatest invention ever. Only the computer chip in mine eventually broke and I've been heartbroken ever since.
My Little Pony: Was it just me or were there like a million different My Little Ponies out there? I could never get them all. I had the castle and the birthday party set. Another great thing about My Little Ponies was that they weren't really that expensive, so you could buy them with that little bit of pocket money your Grandmother slipped you.
Care Bears: Care Bears were beyond totally great. They were cute. They were funny. They just all around made people happy.
Shirt Tails: I loved the Shirt Tails!! Most people don't remember them and I don't understand why. The cartoon used to come on either right before or right after the Smurfs which is reason enough for them to be totally cool. It's like coolness by association. If anyone knows of a Shirt Tails website, let me know a.s.a.p.
Rainbow Brite: What girl didn't want to be Rainbow Brite when she was a child? Rainbow Brite had style, personality, and she even saved the world in a feature film.
Besides the previously mentioned 80s Server, there are some other really creative sites where you can research things from the 80s: cartoons, TV shows, movies, fashion, music, toys, and basically just about anything from the 80s. Many of them include games or trivia, both are which are really fun if you are a child of the 80s and you have some time to kill. Other than that, enjoy the links!
Product of the 80s
Lisa's 80s Explosion
Valley Girl
80s Cartoons and more
Chuck G's 80s webpage
You Might Be A Child Of The 80s If. . . .
It Came From The 80s (Includes directions on how to break dance properly)
What can I say about 80s music? I think that it almost speaks for itself. So, I guess there isn't really anything that I can say. I mean, we all know the classics: Duran Duran, A-Ha, Nena, Rick Springfield, Corey Hart, Josie Cotton, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Blondie, The Thompson Twins, Tony Basil, Tommy Tutone, Men At Work.
I did some searching and dug up several like, totally cool 80s music sites. Ultimate 80s Songs contains lyrics to hundreds of hits from the 80s, while Slave To The Wave and Bands and Songs of the 80s contain information on various 80s bands.
This page was last updated on May 5, 1999.