Reminisce With These 17 Relatable Illustrations Showing What '80s And '90s Kids Did
You'll definitely find yourself saying, "Yeah! I did that when I was a kid."
Some childhood memories are so specific that one look at a comic strip can bring them rushing back. For kids who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, everyday life was packed with small, weird rituals that felt completely normal at the time.
From cassette tapes and Walkmans to school-day habits, curtain games, and random household objects turned into toys, these moments capture a very particular kind of nostalgia. Indonesian cartoonist Dhany Pramata has turned those memories into a set of funny illustrations that many '80s and '90s kids will recognize instantly.
Scroll through the collection and see how many of these old-school childhood moments still feel familiar today.
1. "I need to stay on this line or I'll die."
dhanypramata2. It hurts, yet it's satisfying.
dhanypramata3. At school, you didn't like putting your notebook on top when submitting it.
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That school-day logic made perfect sense back then.
4. There was a sense of satisfaction when making this sound.
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5. Just some random things '80s and '90s kids did at school.
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6. Kids in the '80s and '90s loved playing with the curtain, even if it would eventually come off.
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7. This was senseless, but kids did it anyway.
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8. Do you have any idea why '80s and '90s kids did this?
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Some habits were pure chaos, and nobody questioned them.
This also feels like those awkward school photos where everyone hit an embarrassing picture-day phase.
9. They loved listening to music with their Walkmans and cassette tapes.
Back then, children didn't have the internet to source their lyrics from. They could find them on the piece of paper that came with the cassette tape.
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10. Children back then loved Spider-Man. They also liked pretending to be one.
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11. Playing with the glass door cabinet.
Kids could get bored watching TV. That's why they did this.
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12. It was an achievement to be able to balance this pin.
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13. Viewing the world through one color.
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Even the smallest objects became entertainment.
14. Playing with the back of the remote while watching TV. Some people still do this, though.
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15. Trying to hold water.
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16. Treating stairs like ladders.
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17. Taking on this challenge: balancing the switch's off and on.
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That kind of boredom always found a creative solution.
'80s and '90s kids knew life without the internet.
They only had TV, toys, and items at home. Still, they managed to make the most of their time.
They knew how to be patient. Whenever they wanted to watch a movie on VHS or listen to a cassette tape, they had to rewind the tape.
Life was so simple back then. Even when the internet was introduced, the speeds back then were unlike what we currently have.
Did these illustrations make you miss the old days? What's your favorite memory as an '80s or '90s kid?
Old-school nostalgia never really goes out of style.
Want more “built different” chaos? See vintage photos where your grandparents treated safety like a suggestion.
