With every passing year, the world keeps changing and developing faster and faster, which is certainly better, but it also makes a lot of us yearn for simpler times. The 80s and 90s felt that way for a lot of folks, especially because they’re tied to childhood and hold so many precious memories.
That’s exactly what we want to revive today, by hitting all of our pandas with a healthy dose of nostalgia, fuelled by the ‘ohihadthat’ Instagram account. Get ready for a warm, fuzzy feeling and a lot of joy as we turn the clock right back.
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There were so many crazy and amazing things from the 80s that aren’t part of our lives today, and according to Ultimate Classic Rock, cassette-based answering machines are one of them. In those bygone days, before voicemail was even a thing, folks could go home and listen to messages on mini cassettes.
You could insert the recorder into the top of the machine like a portable player, and outgoing messages were recorded on small cartridges that fit on the side of the phone. These little gadgets and items were built for convenience and were considered a valuable part of modern life at the time.
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Before phones could show us the time, pretty much everyone wore a watch. They also became a fashion statement, and one of the most interesting was Swatch, created by a Swiss company founded by Ernst Thomke, Elmar Mock, and Jacques Müller. This line was developed in response to the ‘quartz crisis,’ when inexpensive watches competed with European ones.
The Swatches were essentially cool, high-tech, affordable, and also came in vibrant colors, which made a lot of people want to buy them. They were also popular because folks could match them with different outfits.
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Gaming in the 80s was on a whole other level, and even though it might not have been as high-tech as it is today, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly. One example from that time was the Commodore 64, an 8-bit home computer that became so popular that nearly 17 million units were sold.
It was also so beloved because it was sold in regular retail stores instead of only to hobbyists, which brought it to many middle-class households. That’s probably why it holds a Guinness World Record for being the best-selling single desktop computer model of all time.
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Nowadays, when you meet someone new, you either take down their number or find them online through one of many social media sites. In the 80s and 90s, there was a unique way to contact people: phone books, which listed every person, business, and company alphabetically.
They were also big enough to use as booster seats, and were called the Yellow Pages because of their distinct yellow color. Having your phone number listed for everyone to find might seem like an invasion of privacy, but at the time it was a great way to connect with a long-lost friend or find services without saving a lot of numbers.
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The 90s were a glorious time for games, toys, and fun stuff that kept children and adults occupied. According to The Odyssey Online, one such thing was ‘Bop It,’ a line of audio game toys that gave people commands they had to follow at an increasing pace with each level.
This item was based on ideas originally patented by Dan Klitsner, but since its creation, the toy has changed a lot and no longer resembles what it once was. Despite its fairly simple design, children used to love the game and stay occupied with it for a long time.
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Gaming keeps evolving over time, and in the 90s, most children loved playing on their Game Boys. Nintendo developed and marketed this handheld console, releasing it in Japan on April 21, 1989. Later, in North America and Europe, the Game Boy was part of a large marketing campaign that paired it with Tetris, which helped broaden its appeal.
The monochromatic display drew a lot of criticism over time, but Nintendo’s Pokémon series helped maintain its popularity, and multiple redesigns let folks enjoy the console for years.
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Children have always loved making their mark on their prized possessions, and companies tapped into that with the Doodle Bear in the 90s. It was a washable, customizable plushie that kids could draw on with special washable markers, wash clean in the laundry, and color all over again.
It was invented by Ed Kaplan, who founded ‘EKA Associates, ’ which was a toy invention studio, and he based it on the idea from the 50s and 60s when folks would autograph stuffed toys to celebrate special events. Kids definitely loved this idea, but there’s probably a reason why it isn’t as popular anymore.
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Every generation invents weird things, and the 90s were no different, because we got something called the Koosh Ball. It was a toy ball made of rubber strands around a steel-bound core. It got its name from the “koosh” sound it made when it landed in one’s hand.
Since its original release, many different kinds have come out, including the ‘Koosh Kins,’ which featured a set of six characters and appeared in a four-part comic book miniseries released by Archie Comics.
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It’s easy to romanticize the 80s and 90s because so much time has passed, and nostalgia tends to bring up the best memories. There were definitely many things about the past that weren’t that great, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the books, movies, toys, and inventions that made those decades marvelous.
Which decade was your favorite and why? We’d love to hear your stories from that time and memories as well.
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