Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
89 ’80s Gadgets That Might Unlock Memories You Haven’t Thought About In Decades
Today’s digitally reliant technology is good and all, but many would argue that gadgets from decades ago had their own strong appeal. 1980s tech, for one, easily draws fascination, given how colorful the decade was for many who lived through it.
Here are some examples of those devices that have seemingly stood the test of time. We collected these photos from different corners of the internet where people still relish the gizmos and contraptions that were a hit nearly half a century ago.
Some of these were impressive, while others were quite quirky. Some may also make a few readers wonder how we ever lived without them. Enjoy scrolling through this time capsule!
This post may include affiliate links.
RELATED:
#3
My Grandparents Still To This Day Use A 1984 Model Microwave
The early 1980s were a time of technological innovation. 1983, in particular, had a few new releases that improved people’s lives and gave a peek at what the future would look like.
One of those innovations was the Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100. Released in April 1983, this notebook-sized computer packed features we’d see today into one device: long battery life, address books, calendars, and a to-do list app.
#5
Remember When The Kodak Disc Camera Was All The Rage?
#6
My Dad Has An Analog Clock In His Truck Right Above The Digital Clock
Another notable 1983 release was the HP-150, a pioneer of touchscreen computers. While it isn’t the first of its kind, it was the first touch-controlled device sold to the public and businesses.
The HP-150 became the last touchscreen computer Hewlett-Packard sold until 2002, when it launched the Compaq Tablet.
#7
This 200+ Page Instruction Manual For A Mouse From 1988
Justin Case 1 hour ago
Meanwhile, the Apple mouse instruction manual stated, “1: Point. 2: Click.”
Computers were a hit in the 1980s because mass-market advertising first emerged that decade. According to the Computer History Museum, these devices also became available for personal use as machine costs fell.
Celebrity endorsements also bolstered marketing efforts. Big names at the time included Bill Cosby, William Shatner, and Dick Cavett, among others.
#11
Casio Pocket Television TV-30
#12
Recently Helped A Friend Clean Out Some Stuff, And Got To Acquire Some Things. Any Advice On What To Do With These 4?
The toy industry was also booming in the 1980s. The Teddy Ruxpin toy bear, for one, was the world’s first animatronic toy. It had a built-in microchip that let it speak and move, much like a cartoon character.
According to History.com, it became the best-selling toy in 1985, the year it came out. The Teddy Ruxpin went on to win the same distinction a year later, and eventually had its own animated series.
#13
It Was A Glorious Era Where Every "High-Tech" Clock Radio Featured A Red Digital Display Bright Enough To Be Seen From Low Earth Orbit
#14
Who Remembers Filling Up The Waterbed In The 70s And 80s?
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 hour ago
My parents had a waterbed for a brief period of time when I was a little kid. I loved playing on it and was absolutely baffled by its concept. Was it just a pool of water under the sheets? How did the water not wet the sheets? XD
The appeal of these old-school gadgets today goes beyond nostalgia. Most of these devices stood the test of time because of their durability, unlike much of today’s technology, which is not only harder to repair but also relies on software.
80s gadgets may look primitive, even outdated, by today’s standards. However, one could argue that the machinery and physical engineering at the time were unmatched.
#16
Found A Sealed 1985 “Macwrite * Macpaint” Sorting Through My Dads Old Bookshelf
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 hour ago
I wanted this program SO bad, but we had a PC back then, not a Mac, and my dad worked for IBM so there was no way we were getting a Mac, lol. I still did learn to "mouse-draw" with MSPaint, and to this day, I struggle with modern tablets/stylus drawing methods XD
#17
My Friend's Condo Has A Non-Working Intercom System From The 1980s
#21
Jerrold Remote Control - If You Had Cable TV In The 80s, Chances Are Good That You Channel Surfed With This Hardwired Beauty
#22
For Over 30 Years, Garfield Novelty Landline Phones Have Been Continuously Washing Up Upon A 15-Mile Stretch Of A Beach In France
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 hour ago
We had a Mickey Mouse one when I was a kid. Mickey had one hand raised and the phone's handset was in his hand. You hung up the phone by placing the handset back into Mickey's hand. I loved that phone and I was MAD as a kid when my mom gave it away to one of my cousins!
#24
#25
Found In My Attic
#26
Nissan Nrv-II (1983)
#30
80's Fisher-Price Tape Recorder
#31
Laser Discs
LakotaWolf (she/her) 59 minutes ago
We had a whole laserdisc system when I was a kid! We mostly had the ones with music and lyrics on it (karaoke) and I used to spend hours playing the songs and singing along. I do a mean rendition of "Tie A Yellow Ribbon" and "Blue Bayou" XD
#32
Rgb Crt Projector Circa 1979 - My Sony Kp-5000
LakotaWolf (she/her) 56 minutes ago
We had one of these upstairs when I was a kid! I was absolutely mystified how two circles of colored light produced full-color images on the screen. I loved getting to pull out the pull-out drawer!
#33
Sony Watchman Portable TV. Who Was Fortunate Enough To Have One Of These?
Rick Murray 6 hours ago
I had one. Quality so d**n good you could read the 2am teletext on it. Sadly the vertical drive failed so it became a bright horizontal line across the screen, and due to the miniaturisation a TV repair place took one look at the insides and said "nope".
#34
This Is The Macintosh Portable, Apple's First Battery-Powered Mac From 1989. It Weighs 16lbs (7.3kg), Roughly The Weight Of Six Modern MacBook Air's
#35
The Clapper
LakotaWolf (she/her) 54 minutes ago
I think I will be able to hear the commercial jingle in my head until the day I díe XD
#37
Alcatel Telic Minitel M2 & M2+ (1988)
Rick Murray 6 hours ago
I have a Minitel! Actually I have three - M1 (basic and a bit crappy), M2 (better but large) and a Magis (nice design but flickery screen). Over the summer holiday I had the crazy idea of hooking a microcontroller to the phone socket to inject pulses at specific frequencies in order to make the Minitel think it was connected to a remote service. It worked! (only on the Magis, because that has a simpler modem that doesn't monitor for the presence of line current).
#41
Spotted In The Supermarket Today
LakotaWolf (she/her) 54 minutes ago
I LOVE balsawood gliders! When I was a kid, my pediatric dentist had a bunch of them on the wall behind the reception desk. Every time you visited the dentist, if you were good, you got a wooden token. You could turn in your tokens to get a balsawood glider (or other prizes, probably, but I only remember the gliders!) I had to get a retainer and headgear when I was a kid, so I was at the dentist a lot and earned a lot of tokens and bought a lot of gliders XD
#42
Who Remembers Those Tabletop Arcade Games?
LakotaWolf (she/her) 52 minutes ago
There was a small, family-owned Chinese restaurant in my town called Gong's. They had one of these in the front waiting area. My family liked eating at Gong's, so I spent a lot of time playing on the tabletop arcade game while the adults chatted and drank tea XD
#44
I Found This Old Nintendo Gaming Console From 1982 In My Parent's House
#46
Video Chat Didn't Happen Overnight. In 1988 This Was A Huge Breakthrough That Didn't Seem To Catch On
#47
The Seiko Uc-2000 Wrist Device Attached To The Other Optional Component: The Uc-2100 Dock With Qwerty Keyboard, 1984
#51
#59
Is This An Original Factory Made Tps-L2 Or Is It Custom Made? I've Never Seen One With The Walkman Branding While Also Having The Lettering At The Top Of The Player
#60
Remember Foldaway Travel Clocks 70s/80s
#61
Who Else Used These When Coming Into Work?
#62
Who Remembers Playing This Game Growing Up In School ??!!
LakotaWolf (she/her) 50 minutes ago
"Wolfy has dysentery! Wolfy has díed!" The best part was getting to write something slightly obscene on the tombstone, so the next kid who played got a good laugh when they found the tombstone XD
#63
Found In The Wild Today At Walmart
#66
The Clear Craze Of The 80's And 90's When Everything Was Clear From Staplers, Phones And Gameboys
crashthegreenhat 5 hours ago
I have a clear GameBoy and I still play it. Updated it to a LCD screen so it looks great to play as well
#78
The Koalapad (1983) Was A Graphics Tablet Released In 1983 For The Apple II, Trs-80, Atari 8-Bit Family, Commodore 64 And PC
#79
Commodore Sx-64 (1983)
This $995 computer was a briefcase-size "luggable" of the Commodore 64 and is considered the first full-color portable computer
crashthegreenhat 5 hours ago
I still have one, with the original keyboard cable. I really need to finish the LCD screen mod.
#83
Anyone Remember This?
Add New Image
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Rick Murray 6 hours ago
As a Brit, disappointing no mention of the BBC Micro/Master that was a ubiquitous fixture in schools across the country (and later the Archimedes, but by then there was competition from PCs).
James016 1 hour ago
The Arch was still better than PCs at the time. I remember someone coming into school to show off a PC running DOS, all of us were very underwhelmed as we had Acorns which had a GUI.
Load More Replies... Rick Murray 6 hours ago
As a Brit, disappointing no mention of the BBC Micro/Master that was a ubiquitous fixture in schools across the country (and later the Archimedes, but by then there was competition from PCs).
James016 1 hour ago
The Arch was still better than PCs at the time. I remember someone coming into school to show off a PC running DOS, all of us were very underwhelmed as we had Acorns which had a GUI.
Load More Replies...
Related on Bored Panda
