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30 Things You Will Probably Recognize If You Were a Kid in the 80s

Your daily dose of nostalgia is being served hot and fresh, ready for consumption.

30 Things You Will Probably Recognize If You Were a Kid in the 80s

Growing up was different for kids in the 1970s and 1980s. Three decades ago, there weren't any streaming services like YouTube, and the only option for watching TV entertainment was the television itself.

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You would purchase a TV program guide, mark the shows you wanted to see, and schedule your week accordingly (unless you had some futuristic VHS device that could record your series for you). Then, a full ritual would be performed.

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Snacks were prepared, the phone was put on speaker, the most comfortable spot on the couch was reserved the day before, and your bathroom breaks were scheduled to coincide with commercial breaks. In the 1980s, even amusement required some effort, but how nostalgic it all seems now.

Daydreaming and nostalgia are the two things that lift my spirits when everything seems to be going wrong. Nothing beats curling up under a warm blanket with a cup of hot tea and some nostalgic treats to lift your spirits when you're feeling down (ideally accompanied by a vintage video game, soundtrack, or other means of setting the ambiance).

If you want to relive those nostalgic moments, we've compiled a list for you. These 30 items were essential in the "surviving 80s kit," and we know they will bring a smile to your face:

1. The Twister box:

1. The Twister box:
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2. Your parents warned you about using the pay phone because it was filthy and infested with germs, and they were, sort of, right:

2. Your parents warned you about using the pay phone because it was filthy and infested with germs, and they were, sort of, right:Barbara Alper / Getty Images
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3. Garbage Pail Kids and the waxy packaging:

3. Garbage Pail Kids and the waxy packaging:TheOldTimeJunkShop/ etsy.com

4. That weird Coleco Couch Potato novelty toy:

4. That weird Coleco Couch Potato novelty toy:jandhcollectibles/ etsy.com

5. Cut and sew dolls

5. Cut and sew dollsVintageBoxStore/ etsy.com

6. When Disney Channel was a premium channel and your parents didn't pay for it, the only time you truly got to watch it was during its free "sneak peek" weekends:

6. When Disney Channel was a premium channel and your parents didn't pay for it, the only time you truly got to watch it was during its free Disney/ ewjxn/ youtube.com

7. Weird-looking dustbusters

7. Weird-looking dustbustersRetroCite/ etsy.com

8. The Kid Stuff logo:

8. The Kid Stuff logo:Jessiejaymay/etsy.com

9. Hostess Ding Dongs wrapped in foil:

9. Hostess Ding Dongs wrapped in foil:reddit.com

10. Time for Timer PSA: "Hanker for a Hunk o' Cheese"

10. Time for Timer PSA: ABC

11. Even back then, Small Wonder was a very low-budget production

11. Even back then, Small Wonder was a very low-budget production20thcentfox / ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection

12. "I saw it by watching you!"

13. Nestle Quik in metal tins:

13. Nestle Quik in metal tins:reddit.com

14. McDonald's McKids clothing line:

15. The Tupperware pitchers that had a button on top that needed to be pressed:

15. The Tupperware pitchers that had a button on top that needed to be pressed:LinzVinzLLC/ etsy.com

16. The DIC logo...

16. The DIC logo...DIC

17. Hands Across America — we all owned the T-shirt whether or not we participated in it:

17. Hands Across America — we all owned the T-shirt whether or not we participated in it:MediumBobCo/ etsy.com

18. The Clapper was the must-have smart home gadget of its era, and you wanted one because of the catchy commercial they played nonstop:

18. The Clapper was the must-have smart home gadget of its era, and you wanted one because of the catchy commercial they played nonstop:Littleboxesvintage/ etsy.com

19. That TV show, Max Headroom, was genuinely creepy:

19. That TV show, Max Headroom, was genuinely creepy:Warner Bros. Television Distribution

20. Rainbow flip-flops:

20. Rainbow flip-flops:EphemereIntemporel/ etsy.com

21. You used to believe that tiny portable TVs were the coolest thing despite having the smallest screen ever:

21. You used to believe that tiny portable TVs were the coolest thing despite having the smallest screen ever:old.reddit.com

22. Corning Ware glass pots and pans with a futuristic appearance:

22. Corning Ware glass pots and pans with a futuristic appearance:AwesomesauceVintShop/ etsy.com

23. The odd Mr. Munch:

23. The odd Mr. Munch:AuntEddiesCloset/etsy.com

24. In the Disney TV movie Not Quite Human, Alan Thicke portrayed a father who built a robot son for himself.

24. In the Disney TV movie Not Quite Human, Alan Thicke portrayed a father who built a robot son for himself.Disney Channel / ©Disney Channel/Courtesy Everett Collection

25. Smurfs glasses - every family seemed to own them:

25. Smurfs glasses - every family seemed to own them:OneJellyBean/ etsy.com

26. You never completely realized that California Raisins were genuinely attempting to sell you raisins.

27. McDonald's coffee spoons:

27. McDonald's coffee spoons:old.reddit.com

28. Novelty phones, which you thought were the coolest thing ever despite being incredibly impractical:

28. Novelty phones, which you thought were the coolest thing ever despite being incredibly impractical:ISpyVintageShop/ etsy.com

29. Mr. Owl from the Tootsie Pop commercial

29. Mr. Owl from the Tootsie Pop commercialTootsie Pop

30. Beverly Cleary books:

30. Beverly Cleary books:MandylaineFinds/ etsy.com

If you’re a nostalgiaholic who loves reminiscing about how things used to be and what we used to have, then you’ve loved our list. And if you are too young to remember them, then you’ve gained essential knowledge of what things were like a couple of decades ago.

They may seem weird, but these times were awesome.

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