Bring Back the 80s video

Me age: 3 in 1982

Hmmm. The 80s. Even today it sometimes feels strange to think that time period was 20 to 30 years ago! Back then it was the moment, youthful and carefree for children growing up during this time. I for one was born in 1979. I was 10 years old in 1989. Most of my childhood was in the 80s. There are moments that stick in your mind when thinking back at your childhood. Also, those moments where you think you don't remember until you see an old toy, movie, song, or just a picture you haven't seen in forever and suddenly you're right back there. Feeling that moment you first played with a gooey, plastic octopus and threw it onto the fridge to watch it slowly crawl down until it unstuck and fell to the floor. Even your parents thought they were icky and gross but sort of cool! Well, I know my mother did.

Now I know this is a science fiction, fantasy, and romance blog and believe me the 80s had plenty of all three! As a little girl growing up in the 80s I saw the likes of Transformer toys, great music, E.T. the Extra-terrestrial(a little later from when it first came out because I was only 3 at the time of it's theatrical release),The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride, Back to the Future (which I actually got to see at least one or two of this trilogy series in the actual theater), teased hair, colorful clothes...well colorful everything. Not to mention Nintendo with Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. My cousin had this game and I guess I was a little envious of her but I do remember playing a few times on it and it was awesome. Well, for a kid of that time that is.

Me age: 6 with Shawn my brother in 1985

When I was 5 years old back in 1984, my mom's boyfriend gave me four or five big, toy race cars. One of them had the Mountain Dew logo on it and I loved them! Tony, my mom's boyfriend was afraid I wouldn't like them because I was a girl. Well, back then us 80s girls weren't all girly girls. Well, at least I wasn't. If it was a cool toy I loved it. Didn't matter if it was for boys or girls. Actually, I think I loved boys toys at that age more than girl's toys personally but I really liked basically any toy that could spark my imagination. When I was six I had a bucket of Cowboys and Indians. They were yellow and red but those little guys were by far not the the only things in the bucket. Probably some Happy Meal toys, army men, Bambi toys, etc. I'd imagine elaborate adventures with them all the time but mostly they'd end up fighting in some good vs. evil battle or fall in love and get married. I could spend hours with those toys. I also had a purple, banana seat bicycle! It had purple flares on each handlebar and little beads on the wheels. It was my first bike and I learned how to ride on it. I'd fall and hurt my knee and run to mom and she'd say just go back out there and try again and that's exactly what I did. One of my neighbors had a huge box of original Transformers! Oh my gosh! Those were so fun to play with! They really could change from a robot into something else. I've wondered whatever became of those toys and if my neighbor ever cashed them in. LOL! They might be worth something by now if they're not in too bad of shape. Of course I had Barbies and a Cabbage Patch Doll. Always wanted a Barbie Dreamhouse and car but never got one.

There was another time before my little brother was born when my mother and I would go to game rooms. I was five years old and I remember particularly one place that was filled with pool tables in the big front room but in the very back was a room filled with arcade machines. I wanted to play pool like my mom but she said I was too young so while she played pool with her friends I walked into the arcade room. I distinctly remember the song The Heat is On from Beverly Hills Cop playing in the big speakers at the front of the room. I didn't have any quarters but I would walk up to the machines and pretend I was playing them. I remember the Tron game, Donkey Kong, and one where a man is swinging from vines with alligators trying to eat him from below. That one was my favorite. I wanted to play that thing sooo bad! The first time I heard The Beverly Hills Cop Theme Song was when I was over at a relative's house playing with some children in a driveway. One of the older boys I think had a boom box outside and he was blasting the song. I was also exposed to 80s country music back in the day because of my baby sitter. Every time I went out with her she'd have the radio playing on the country music station. I still love classic 80s country and 80s pop music to this day.

Play Donkey Kong for free here: http://www.tripletsandus.com/80s/80s_games/donkeykong.htm

I think the first time I ever saw E.T. the Extra-terrestrial I was with my babysitter. I LOVED it so much! Seen it so many times since and every time I do watch it I get a craving for you guess it...Reese Pieces! It was so strange watching that brown, long fingered hand picking up the candy and hearing that crunching sound. Boy, did thye know how to advertise! The first time I saw the Gremlins I fell in love with Gizmo and I remember looking and listening to on of the Gremlins children's books on tape. You know the ones that used to start "This is the story of The Gremlins. You can read along with me in your book. You will know when it's time to turn the page when you hear the chimes ring like this." Well, with the Gremlins book it was probably Gizmo saying Bright Light! lol! I've cried with Bastion and Atreu from The Neverending Story and often wondered if they'd EVER make another film. Sadly, they did. Two more times but they were awful. I loved Fred Savage in The Princess Bride and the love of Wesley and Buttercup. We still think of this film and grin whenever someone says "As you wish." Hulk Hogan and of course Andre the Giant were awesome! I think I did watch a little wrestling back in the day mainly because of these two. To actually watch Back to the Future in the theaters is an experience one NEVER forgets. You have no idea how popular this show was unless you actually experienced it.

Wow! This is the actual book I used to have! Here is Part 1 of the story!

I remember selling colored wrist bands to people for a quarter when I was 10 years old. I remember listening to New Kids on the Block and playing with all five of their dolls over at my cousin's house. Believe me, she was a fanatic when it came to that band. She had the covers, curtains, dolls, posters, and etc. I remember watching Moonlighting and hanging out at one of my friends' houses who's bedroom was filled with heavy metal hair band posters! She introduced me to David Bowie as the Troll King in Labyrinth and I will be forever thankful to her for that! Still love that movie to this day! See, kids of the 2000s and up, we didn't have the internet but we did have fun! I'm 32 years old now and I know many of us 80s children have children of their own now. I may not be one of them but for those that do when you tuck in your child with their new little Glow Worms of today, tell them we had one too but we also had David Bowie. There are somethings your children may never understand about us because the 80s were special and some of those 80s days should remain a mystery if only for the nostalgia of it all! :)