In actuality, I am a 90's child and I thoroughly enjoy being one - don't get me wrong. But I often feel like I was born in the wrong time because when it comes down to it, I am pretty sure that I am an 80's child at heart. I grew up watching lots of 80's movies and TV shows. I love all the 80's music. And I don't totally hate the fashion either to be honest. There are so many reasons the 80's were cool. Need proof? Okay, here are 80 reasons the 80's were great. Don't need proof? You are getting it anyway.
FASHION
1. Bright Colored Clothes
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Let's be real. Everyone wants to wear bright green pants and
blue tops.
|
2. The Preppy Look
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| No commentary necessary |
3. Jean & Leather Jackets
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Jean jackets and leather jackets are the greatest.There is simply no other
argument. Basically the main reason I wanted a leather jacket was because of
Mike from Growing Pains. I feel no shame about that. I think the only reason
anyone ever buys a leather jacket is because of Mike from Growing Pains
whether people know it or not. |
4. Big Hairstyles
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I am pretty sure I could be okay with this look coming
back |
5. Chunky Jewelry
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If you are going to wear jewelry might as well make sure people
see it, right? This style is stuff you can see a mile away so
mission accomplished. |
6. Thick Framed Glasses
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| No explanation required |
MOVIES
7. Back to the Future Trilogy
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Honestly, if you have seen Back to the Future after it came out and haven't
cried because you won't ever get the chance to anticipate the next one then I
am not sure you actually saw it. I am pretty confident the greatest thing to
come out of the 80's was this masterpiece of a trilogy. |
8. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
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Who doesn't want a life like Ferris Bueller's? I still watch this
movie every year before school starts and daydream about
ditching class just once for a day like this. However, with tuition
prices I can't justify it anymore so instead I have Ferris Bueller
moments instead of Ferris Bueller days. I fan-girled a lot when
in Chicago this past summer (it takes place there). |
9. Adventures in Babysitting
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Chris gets into a ridiculous amount of trouble which is probably
a part of why I love this movie. I am pretty sure this the kind of
trouble my roommate thinks I am destined to get into.
But seriously if you did not love this movie
or the very least love George Newbern's character I don't
think you were even actually watching it. |
10. Gremlins
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I steered clear of this movie for the first 10 years of my existence
because I vividly remember the moment I first encountered the
VHS tape my family owns of this film. I was like 4 and the cover
was unfortunately not sweet little Gizmo. It was like the most
terrifying gremlin ever. But since then I have gotten over that
trauma and fell in love with this movie. I consider it to be like my 3rd
favorite Christmas movie and before you judge me, yes I do consider it
to be a Christmas movie. I wish I could watch this movie in a big
movie theater and get totally freaked out the entire time. *Sigh*
A girl can dream, can't she?
|
11. The Breakfast Club
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I just got this movie from my roommate for Christmas and
I honestly was stoked. This movie isn't the best movie to come
out of the 80's in my humble opinion but there is no doubt it is
and always will be a classic 80's movie. |
12. E.T.
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Okay, don't freak out but I am not the biggest fan of E.T. I am just not. Maybe that
has to do with the fact that I haven't seen it since elementary school and in those
days if anything was sad I automatically hated it. And there is no doubt
that E.T. is a sad movie. But once again it is an unforgettable film and it
will always make you catch the feels. |
13. Ghostbusters
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| Once again, classic 80's |
14. Dirty Dancing
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Confession: I have yet to see this movie. I am glad I am not saying this in
front of anyone for fear of being slapped or stared at funny. Still, despite not having
seen it I know this movie is also very well known and loved. |
15. Pretty in Pink
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The 80's were truly dominated by John Hughes. This movie was no exception.
This movie gave hope to the world because it broke the friend-zone. You are a
hero Duckie. I mean really, "may I admire you again today?" What a line! |
16. Footloose
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Who doesn't love this movie? The remake they did a few years back is a total
disgrace compared to this gem. Nothing can beat Kevin Bacon. |
17. Say Anything
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This movie is one of the many 80's movies that completely destroyed my
average relationship goals. Now thanks to this movie and others I have even
more completely unrealistic romantic dreams. But at least Lloyd is always
there for us and standing with a boombox outside our windows. |
18. Better Off Dead
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Who didn't feel terrible for Lane? This movie is definitely a reminder
that life isn't SO bad. |
19. Pee-wee's Big Adventure
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There's a lotta things about him you don't know anything about. Things you
wouldn't understand. Things you couldn't understand. Things you shouldn't
understand. But one thing we all understand is that we love Pee Wee. |
20. The Money Pit
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This movie warned us against fixer-uppers. And we have steered clear since then.
Thanks for the warning Tom. At least this home renovation was filled with laughter
on our end. |
21. National Lampoon's Vacation Movies
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Who doesn't love watching this family's antics every Christmas?
And who isn't thankful that their dad isn't quite as crazy as Clark was when
they finally got to Wally World? |
22. Short Circuit
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Johnny Five became the love of our lives after this movie. How could the world
be great without him? |
23. Rain Man
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| This movie was simply great |
24. Batman
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There have been like a dozen Batman movies but this one was definitely
my favorite. I mean, honestly Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson were in it! |
25. Clue
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I have seen this movie probably ten times. I am not joking on this one. I love
the dark humor, cast, constantly changing direction, and various endings. This
was definitely a win for the 80's. |
26. Can't Buy Me Love
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Once again, this movie gave us unrealistic relationship goals
but it was still way worth it. Plus, look at young Patrick Dempsey. |
27. The Land Before Time Movies
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Not only did the 80's give us romantic goals it also gave us childhood memories.
Who didn't grow up with these dinos? |
28. Kiki's Delivery Service
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Jiji (voiced by the one and only Phil Hartman) was the star of this unforgettable
movie |
TV SHOWS
29. The Smurfs
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| Another childhood treasure |
30. Ducktales
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| Along with this |
31. Growing Pains
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| This show was simply the best |
32. Family Ties
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Yet another family sit-com that will always be a reminder of how good the
80's were |
33. The Facts of Life
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This show alone made all girls wish they had gone to a boarding school to have
Miss Garrett as our housemother and these ladies as our roommates |
34. Gimme a Break!
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| This is simply a classic 80's TV show |
35. America's Funniest Home Videos
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This show, which makes us laugh at things we totally shouldn't, got its start
during this glorious decade so you can thank the 80's that you get to watch
people running into trees and flying off of trampolines. |
36. Charles in Charge
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| Let's be honest we all wanted Charles in charge of us after we saw this show |
37. Saved By the Bell
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Any day gets 10x better when Saved By the Bell is a part of it. There is no
arguing with it. Any day I have morning class cancelled and most weekend mornings
I grab some breakfast, climb into bed, and put on an episode of this awesome show. |
38. Kate & Allie
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This show was definitely one of the many reasons the 80's were great - except
the last season. That was ridiculous. |
39. Saturday Night Live
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| This has been on for forever but the very best of it occurred during this decade |
40. Cheers
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This show rocked because sometimes you really do want to go where everyone
knows your name and is glad you came |
41. Press Your Luck
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To date, this is still one of the best game shows ever. I still look for it every time
I am watching someone else's cable TV. |
42. Knight Rider
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Although, I must admit that I enjoyed the 2008 Knight Rider reboot more than
the original it would not even exist without this first version of the series and a
world without KITT would be much less enjoyable |
43. ALF
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Although this show made us never want ALF to crash into our garage, we also
grew to love him despite his love of eating cats and making messes all the time |
44. Mork & Mindy
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To continue down the alien theme, we all loved Mork too. We loved him not just
for his sweetness but also for his purely hilarious antics. |
45. Three's Company
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Jack Tripper made the whole show himself but the rest of the cast added
greatly to the story as well |
46. Murder, She Wrote
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This was a mysterious crime show that showed one doesn't have
to be young and spry to wrap up a crime and take down the
criminals |
47. Dallas
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| Dallas is a timeless drama. It lasted 14 seasons for a reason. |
48. Dukes of Hazzard
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| This show is timeless for its own reasons |
I mean, just look at the link. Commercials were so terrible yet so great in the 80's.
MUSIC
50. "Jessie's Girl"
Rick Springfield's song made guys
want Jessie's girl and girls want to
be Jessie's girl
This song served as the theme song for The Breakfast Club and so it is therefore synonymous with it, which of course makes it a classic
Who doesn't love a little (or a lot) of Michael Jackson? And this song is definitely one of his best.
54. "Bad"
This one was another MJ hit
56. "Don't Stop Believin'"
I am pretty sure 95% of Americans have heard this one a plethora of times and a majority of them know the lyrics by heart
57. "Eye of the Tiger"
This one's track record is probably not too far off from the previous song's track record
59. "Kokomo"
I first heard this one sang by Kermit the Frog. If Kermit sang it, you know it must be good.
60. "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now"
Nothing's gonna stop this song from being great. The only thing that could make it better would be bonding it to
Mannequin in some way, which totally happens in this music video.
Few songs make me want to dance around the room like this one and I don't think I am the only one
63. "867-5309 / Jenny"
Even those who never knew Jenny forever remember her number better than their best friend's number
64. "The Power of Love"
This video that brings together two wonderful things (music and
Back to the Future) only deepens my great love for this timeless song
65. "La Bamba"
The movie and Ritchie Valens version of the Mexican folk song are both amazing. But be warned, the movie will not make you want to party like the song will. In fact, it will probably make you want to cry.
66. "Thriller"
Now I think just about everyone is very familiar with this gem too. Most are as well acquainted with the dance moves too. Kids for generations to come will be hearing this one at every dance ever held. (At the very least, it was played at every dance I ever went to in high school)
67. Michael Jackson
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This man was the legendary king of pop and a star in the music industry in
the 80's with hits like "Bad", "Billie Jean", Thriller", and "Beat It" |
68. Aerosmith
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Aerosmith has had its own share of hits too like "Dream On", "I Don't Want to
Miss a Thing", "Crazy", "Sweet Emotion", "Walk this Way", and "Cryin'".
They got their start in the 1970's but kept going strong throughout the 80's. |
69. Queen
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This band also got its start in the 70's then went on to dominate in the 80's too.
They had hits like "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Will Rock You", "We are the
Champions", "Another One Bites the Dust", "Somebody to Love", "Crazy
Little Thing Called Love", and "Killer Queen". |
70. Bon Jovi
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"Livin' on a Prayer", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Runaway", and "You Give Love a
Bad Name" - enough said |
71. Duran Duran
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With "Hungry Like the Wolf", "Girls on Film" and "Rio" these guys won't soon
be forgotten |
72. Rush
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Hits like "YYZ", "Tom Sawyer", Spirit of Radio", "Limelight",
and "Xanadu" plus having amazing concerts til this day make
this Canadian band more than memorable |
VIDEO GAMES
73. Bubble Bobble
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This is one of the games that gave my mom carpal tunnel so it must have
been pretty good |
74. Donkey Kong
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No one needs to be reminded what this game is and no one has ever been so
angry at a monkey and barrels as they were when playing this game |
75. Frogger
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| And here we never hated cars or water so much |
76. Pac-Man
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| This one will forever be an arcade classic |
77. Q*Bert
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This little guy was a well-known 80's figure too and keeps coming up
over the years |
78. Test Drive
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| This game taught me that video game driving is much harder than actual driving |
79. SimCity
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| This is where our current journey with the Sims began to take off |
80. Super Mario Bros.
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These brothers are probably the most famous brothers of the 80's and that is for
a reason |