The 1980s were a decade with plenty of bold styles and fun technology, as well as some unique everyday experiences that are pretty much extinct now. Just the idea of renting movies from an actual store and being unreachable by phone unless you were at home sounds pretty much unbelievable today, right? Let’s look at some of those old things, why they disappeared, and how times have changed.
Playing Arcade Games in Malls
Hanging out at the arcade was the highlight of your weekend in the ‘80s, and pumping quarters into machines was how you competed with your friends and showed off your skills. But with the arrival of gaming systems like the PlayStation, that arcade experience came to our home, making trips to the mall unnecessary. Even so, they may be making a comeback.
Wearing Leg Warmers
You can’t get more ‘80s than leg warmers, as they were what everyone wore back then and a true fashion statement of this decade. As fashion trends moved towards more practical wear, leg warmers went out of style. You might see them in some retro outfits now and then, but they’re hardly the wardrobe staple they once were.
Attending Aerobics Classes in Person
In those days, hitting up aerobics classes was the way to get fit and hang out with friends, all while rocking some sweet legwarmers. But now, you don’t have to leave your house to get a workout, thanks to online fitness platforms. You can just sweat it out right in your living room whenever you want, for better or for worse.
Renting Physical Video Games
If you wanted a video game in the ‘80s, you’d have to make a trip to the rental store and hope that the game you wanted wasn’t already checked out. These days, you don’t even need to put on shoes because digital downloads and subscription services let you play more games than ever, all from your couch. The only limit is how much is in your bank account.
Blowing Into Video Game Cartridges to Make Them Work
Speaking of video games, anyone who played them knows all about the magic puff you need to give the cartridge to get your game going. You had to give it a good blow and pop it back into the system, although rumor has it that it didn’t actually work. But now, the whole cartridge-blowing ritual is history, thanks to digital downloads and game discs.
Old-School Sodas
During the ’80s, we had so many different types of sodas that sadly don’t exist anymore, like the Original New York Seltzer and Slice. These drinks were all the rage until they weren’t, as they quickly lost their fizz among consumers. These days, these drinks are just a bubbly blast from the past that you might see during a nostalgic promotion or two.
Dialing *69 to See Who Called
Whenever you missed a call, you could just press *69 and get the lowdown on who was trying to ring you. It made you feel like a secret agent trying to work out those missed connections. Now, our phones make it clear for us with caller ID. They automatically provide all the details about who’s calling and who’s called, making missed calls less of a mystery.
Using Pogs to Play
Pogs were a big deal at school in the late ‘80s and ’90s, with kids everywhere slamming these little discs down, hoping to win big. Each player had their own collection, and they’d carry them around in cool tubes. Unfortunately, this fad cooled off, and you’re more likely to see kids today playing games online instead of flipping pogs, or at least keeping virtual collections instead of physical ones.
Collecting TV Guide Stickers
Collecting stickers from TV guides was a way to keep track of all the must-see TV without missing a beat, and most of us even traded these stickers with our friends. After all, how else would we complete our collections? But with streaming and digital guides now, those stickers and TV guides themselves have pretty much vanished, replaced by digital simplicity.
Reading Choose Your Own Adventure Books
Before video games were as popular as they are now, people had “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, which were perfect for anyone who loved to control the story. You made the calls, and every read-through could end differently, leading you through jungles or into space. These days, interactive stories have gone digital, with apps and games offering that same choice-driven adventure with just a tap.
Wearing Hypercolor T-Shirts
Hypercolor shirts were pretty popular, and they could change colors with your body heat. Whether it was from the warmth of your hand or a splash of sunlight, these shirts were like a mood ring for your body, although they’ve mostly faded out of fashion. Even so, you might spot them at a throwback party or in vintage shops, where they’re still surprising people with their color-changing powers.
Watching LaserDiscs
LaserDiscs tried to be the next big thing with their better-than-VHS quality, but they were just too clunky and pricey. You had to use special players, and they took up a lot of space, far more than DVDs and Blu-rays. Thanks to streaming, all of these digital movie collections have pretty much gone extinct, giving us all the movies and shows without any bulk or hassle.
Owning Portable CD Cases
If you were a music fan, chances are you had a chunky CD case stuffed with all your songs. Flipping through pages of CDs to find the perfect soundtrack for your road trip was part of the fun. But why lug around a heavy case when all your songs can live on your phone or stream from the cloud? Nowadays, listening to music is far more convenient.
Joining Book Rental Clubs
Once upon a time, you could get books mailed right to your door by joining a rental club. You’d browse a catalog, mail in your choices, and wait excitedly for your next read to arrive. It’s a pretty different experience now, as grabbing a new read is as easy as downloading it to your e-reader, which is pretty popular in America. You barely even have to wait.
Using Typing Correction Paper
Whenever you made a typo on a computer or typewriter in the ‘80, you couldn’t just hit the backspace button. Instead, you had to break out the correction paper to fix those mistakes, carefully aligning it over the error and re-typing the correct letter. Thankfully, with just a few clicks, word processing programs let you edit things on the fly, with spellcheck included.
Renting Cameras for Special Occasions
There was a time when renting a fancy camera for a big event was normal, and once you’d returned it, you just hoped that the pictures had turned out well. These days, we’ve all got incredible cameras in our smartphones, so we’re always ready to snap high-quality pics and videos. We instantly get results that we can share and enjoy.
Recording TV Shows on VHS
When you wanted to watch something, you had to set up the VCR to record your favorite shows. You had to make sure there was enough tape and that no one changed the channel, although streaming services let us watch shows on-demand. You can even pause and rewind live TV, which is something our VHS days could never dream of.
Wearing Pagers
Whether you were a doctor on call or just a teen keeping in touch, you had a pager, as these showed you were someone important and someone needed. Now, even the idea of a pager seems outdated, although they’re still important, as our phones keep us connected while also playing videos and helping us manage our day. They can do everything a pager could never do.
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