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 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Nostalgia is an incredibly powerful force! The past is an often enticing place where the world seemed like it was far better, with fewer problems, better products and services, happier people, tastier food, and the like. Of course, a big part of this is your rose-colored interpretation of everything. But that’s not to say that earlier decades don’t have their unique charm—they do!
The 1980s had a very particular vibe, and our team at Bored Panda wanted to show you exactly what it was like. So, we’ve collected photos from that decade that show the atmosphere of everyday life, including some of the things—from furniture and technology to toys and knickknacks—that many people owned back in the ’80s. Scroll down for a trip into the past.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Who Had A Spirograph Growing Up?
RELATED:
#2
This Stereo System And Glass Case
#3
Blank Vhs Tapes
Nostalgia can be very profitable, as many people have a strong emotional connection with past decades and yearn to relive the good old days. So, reintroducing old products can be a profitable strategy for companies.
However, this approach is not without its potential pitfalls. For one, many people have very high expectations and have hyped past decades up.
#4
Anybody Remember The Fisher Price Toy Barns That Make The Moo Sound When You Open The Door?
#5
The Puffiness Made Them Better
#6
The Ge Alarm Clock That Everyone Seemed To Have
Therefore, if the reintroduced products don’t quite reach all the hype, they can feel disappointed if the reality doesn’t match their (rose-colored) memories. Oftentimes, the past isn’t as wonderful and magical as we remember it to be.
You may have had a great childhood, for example, but you may simply not have been aware of the bigger social problems that affected this period of time.
#7
Pencils With Cartridges
#8
The Casserole Dish That Every Family Had
#9
Who Remembers The Waterful Ring Toss Game As A Kid? It Was So Simple, But So Much Fun To Me
What’s more, just because an item evokes a certain sense of nostalgia doesn’t mean that it’ll necessarily be successful in this day and age. Context changes. Tastes and trends change, too. Just because you enjoyed a certain video game, design style, or food decades ago doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll bring you the same level of joy as before.
#10
Who All Had These, Candy Cigarettes Growing Up ?
#11
Turned My Spare Bedroom Into A Nostalgia Oasis
My house is a 4 br built in 2007. I was born in 1981 and was trying to recreate the feeling of growing up in the 80s middle class home. Needed a project after my wife passed and it was so much fun putting it together. My teenage girls would let me convert the whole basement.
#12
Tupperware Just Filed For Bankruptcy. Rip To That Set Of Bowls All Our Grandma's Had
Psychology professor Krystine Batcho had this to say to marketing firm Quikly: “The problem is people’s memories are fallible; they’re not perfect. So when the manufacturer brings back the old packaging or the old item, we’re disappointed because it isn’t exactly how we remember it.”
On the flip side, if a product is brought back in a way that’s authentic yet still adapted for modern tastes, you can really make a huge impact in the market.
#13
Did Anyone Else Sleep In One Of These? I Think I Would Have To Be Helped Out Of It Today
#14
Removing The Faceplate Of Your Car Stereo So It Wouldn’t Get Stolen
#15
Pizza Hut's Drinking Glasses From The 80s And 90s!
Furthermore, what you yearn for may not actually be the past but the sense of freedom, opportunity, energy, and fewer responsibilities—all things that you can cultivate in the present, too.
For instance, you could focus on your health and fitness more, finding a good work/life balance, (re)connecting with your family and friends, carving out more time for your hobbies, and disconnecting from your screens.
#16
I Don't Know About You Folk. But, This Was Core 80's For Me
#17
Who Else Grew Up With These?
#18
Beach Chairs From The 80s. Get A Tan And First Degree Burns At The Same Time
You might not be able to turn back time, but you can live a happier, healthier, more fulfilling, and purposeful life no matter your age. A big part of this comes down to being more grateful and appreciative of what you already have.
If you’re too focused on the past, you might become bitter about how things are now in comparison.
Meanwhile, focusing too much on the future can make you anxious. In both cases, you might miss out on the great opportunities that come your way in the present.
#19
A Classic
#20
Trivial Pursuit '81, Spent So Many Winter Weekends Playing This Game
Dusty's mom 8 months ago
If they would just keep making updated cards. The specialty cards aren't as much fun.
#21
Almost Every House In The 1980s Had A Room That Looked Like This
Nostalgia can be healthy in small doses because you’re remembering the positive things that happened to you in the past. It’s wonderful as a coping strategy when things get tough.
However, if you start believing that nothing in the present or the future will ever compare to the past, then you’re setting yourself up for negativity and disappointment. Comparison is the thief of joy.
#22
Who Else Destroyed Their Bedroom Walls, Taping Posters Directly To Them?
You say destroyed. I say decorated.
#23
The Tomato Pincushion Our Grandmothers, Mothers, And Aunts Had
#24
How Many Of You Owned This Bad Boy??
According to the Admind agency, different people might be nostalgic about the 1980s for different reasons.
For example, some might miss the economic prosperity, while others might focus more on pop culture, music, movies, and entertainment, the popularization of video games, or the new technologies that came out that decade.
#25
Electric Carving Knife
#26
Fantastic Setup
#27
If You're Interested In Dust, Here's A Quaint Little Piece From The 1980s, It's Called A Dustbuster
Which of the pics that we’ve featured here do you personally feel evoke the vibe of the 1980s the best? What do you personally miss about the ’80s if you lived through the decade? If you weren’t born then, what do you think you’d have enjoyed about it the most?
If not the ’80s, what decade do you miss the most and why? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Scroll down to the comments to share yours.
#28
Making Orange Juice From A Frozen Paper Can
I can remember my mom getting this out of the freezer, into a Tupperware gallon jug, adding water and you you had to stir it all up.
#29
If You Know, You Know. If Not Then I Feel Sorry For You
#30
Tape Recorded Answering Machines
#31
In The 80s Lots Of Us Learnt To Type With A Manual Typewriter. I Used To Dream Of Becoming A Writer And Even Folded Pages And Used To Craft Handmade Books
Agfox 8 months ago
I lived in Papua New Guinea for almost 4 years in the early 70's & was doing my Degree externally through a Uni in Australia. I had to complete my written assignments using a small, portable typewriter & had never typed previously. Also, while almost all the Lecturers sent printed notes, one guy used to send tapes for his Monetary Economics unit & the tapes always started with Pink Floyd singing Money. I feel nostalgic just making this post
Poppy 8 months ago
Our typewriter was very old and the keys were incredibly stiff. I learned to type having to slam each key to get it to make a mark on the paper.
veirdbuttrue 8 months ago
Yes lol. I learned to type at high school on a typewriter the same as what you have described. Needless to say I was not very enthused by typing.
Load More Replies...
Upstaged75 8 months ago
My first year at college my roommate had an electric one that I used. In high school we mostly hand wrote everything.
T'Mar of Vulcan 8 months ago
I still have my p mom's old spreadsheet typewriter that she got from the bank she worked at. It's pre-1969.
Lady Eowyn 8 months ago
I learned to type in the early 70s, on a manual typewriter. I actually typed part of my first book with a manual typewriter, it was published in 1991.
Nikki Gross 8 months ago
I also have a Sears version tucked away in the same carrying case that Mom got that it came in.
Beth Wheeler 8 months ago
I still have my old Smith-Carona electric typewriter that used cartridges instead of the regular ribbon. It's blue and came with a plastic carrying case.
BarfyCat 8 months ago
My mom had one at home, but it was so big and clunky I preferred to hand write my assignments. I still have the writing bump on my middle finger, but it's not nearly as big as it used to be! In college I had a very fancy electric typewriter that had a tiny screen that allowed you to correct mistakes if you caught them before it got printed on the paper!
#32
Old Polaroid We Found From The 80s
#33
I’m This Old
#34
Who Remembers Bristle Blocks?
#35
Anybody Old Enough To Remember The Whee-Lo?
#36
What Was It Like Growing Up In The 80s? The 80s:
#37
Humble Beginnings
#38
Slap Bracelets
#39
No Early 80’s Kitchen Was Complete Without A Set Of These Bad Boys:
#40
Visiting The Cousin’s House Circa 1986-88
#41
Radio Shack’s New All-Electronic Cordless Phone (1982)
#42
The Clapper
#43
This LEGO Windshield
#45
Finger Monsters
#46
Who Remembers These Switchblade Combs?
#47
Anyone Else Still Have A Cabbage Patch Kid Lying Around?
Crissy Newbury 8 months ago
Yup. Up in the attic with My Little Ponies, Popples and Light Sabres.
#48
These Cereal Bowls I Used To Eat Out Of As A Kid
#49
You Guys Hate Carpet In The Bathroom? I Can One Up That. My Parents Have A Bathroom With Carpet That Goes Up The Bathtub Walls! Bonus Points For The Terrible Wallpaper
That is impressive preservation of 80s interior design.
#50
Remembering A Time When People Would Debate Over Fullscreen vs. Widescreen Vhs Tapes For Movie Releases
#51
80’s Care Bear Found In A Bin Of My Old Things
Bi.Felicia 8 months ago
This is in superb condition, especially if it's been stored in a bin all this time.
#52
This Pattern Really Takes Me Back
#53
How Awesome Were The 80s? This Awesome
#54
Who Had Teddy Ruxpin?
#55
My Mothers Kitchen Mixer/Blender From Early 80s Still Work Flawlessly
#56
A Bowl Of Beaded Fake Fruit That Everyone's Great Aunt Had
#57
Unboxing A New 80s Nintendo Entertainment System. With A Legit 80s Toy Store Sticker
#58
A Very 80s Phone
#59
My TV Tray In 1980. Hangs In My Garage Now
#60
I Know You All Remember The Spacemaker Pencil Box!
Weasel Wise 8 months ago (edited)
I'm 40yo. I still have my SpaceMaker from 3rd grade (8yo, 1993). It's still fully functional, unbroken, and currently holds my crafting scissors. I grew up REALLY poor and learned to take great care of the few things I had because, in my trauma-brain, there's a good chance you'll never be able to replace it.
#61
The System That Started My Love For Portable Gaming
I still play Super Mario and Tetris on my Gameboy.
#62
Managed To Get My Hands On A Sealed 1980’s Rubik’s Cube!
#63
Micro Machines
#64
I Do Not Remeber Why, But These Country Goose Designs Were Prominent In The 1980s
Manic Mama 8 months ago
If you're in Australia: one of the supermarkets used to give them away, along with the matching dinner ware.
#65
The Flowbee Haircutting System “Attaches Easily To Any Canister Vacuum Cleaner”
#66
You're Definitely Old If You Know What That Slot Is For
#67
Had A Talkboy Growing Up, Best Toy Ever
#68
Holographic Pog Slammers
#69
Early 80’s School Lunch Box… Mine Was E.t… What Was Your’s?
#70
Kelloggs Star Wars Spoons
#71
Found A Box Of Cookbooks And Recipes From The 80s (?) In The Garage Attic. Some Of These Are Pretty Cool…! What Do I Even Do With All This?
Robert Beveridge 8 months ago
You use the recipes, you make the food, you eat the food, then you start tweaking and making notes in the margins, of course.
#72
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Action Figures Series 1 (1988)
#73
Who Here Has Fond Memories Of These Pink Art Deco Table Lamps From The 1980s?
Robert Beveridge 8 months ago
Stayed in a Rodeway Inn a couple years ago that's still rocking these
#74
42 And Still Using My Gi Joe Thermos
Still using my childhood thermos from 1987. Wish I still had the whole kit with lunchbox.
#75
Anyone Out There Had Construx As A Kid?
#76
Thought You Guys Might Get A Kick Out Of My Around-The-House Home Improvement Tape Measure I've Used Since I Was 3
#77
90's Big Screen TV
#78
Stepdad Hooked Me Up With His Classic Nes Collection. Any Favorites In Here?
#79
Ninja Turtle Pies!
#81
A Photo From My First Digital Camera In 1998
Add New Image
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Warren Peece 8 months ago
Bored Panda Staff: "Let's repost this list every month. It is easier than finding new content. And some people will pay for a Premium subscription regardless of what we post."
nottheactualphoto 8 months ago
I know you have this in a file, ready to paste.
Load More Replies... Weasel Wise 8 months ago
Is this our cue to applaud? Sometimes I miss social cues.
Load More Replies...
Jessica Rabbit 8 months ago
What about the talking Teddy Bear phone?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpRxxh84k98
Erik Godfrey 8 months ago
this is a good list, but there are a lot of things from the 80s also.
Weasel Wise 8 months ago
Aw, the nostalgia...of all the things the other kids had but my family couldn't afford. Takes me right back to that lovely, traumatic period of my life. 🤣🤣🤣 Still enjoyed the post though.
Warren Peece 8 months ago
Bored Panda Staff: "Let's repost this list every month. It is easier than finding new content. And some people will pay for a Premium subscription regardless of what we post."
nottheactualphoto 8 months ago
I know you have this in a file, ready to paste.
Load More Replies... Weasel Wise 8 months ago
Is this our cue to applaud? Sometimes I miss social cues.
Load More Replies... Jessica Rabbit 8 months ago
What about the talking Teddy Bear phone?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpRxxh84k98
Erik Godfrey 8 months ago
this is a good list, but there are a lot of things from the 80s also.
Weasel Wise 8 months ago
Aw, the nostalgia...of all the things the other kids had but my family couldn't afford. Takes me right back to that lovely, traumatic period of my life. 🤣🤣🤣 Still enjoyed the post though.
You May Like 130 Questions To Brush Up Your 80s Trivia Knowledge 49 Fascinating Photos Revealing What The World’s Capitals Looked Like Way Before Modern Times 50 Toys From The '70s, '80s And '90s To Transport You Back To Your Childhood
Aivaras Kaziukonis
Viktorija Strelciunaite
Miglė
Related on Bored Panda
