What was life like in the 1980's?

Post Reply New Topic

talking some secret language here^^?

These days, to qualify as a self proclaimed nerd or a geek, you just have to like Disney's Marvel movies

Ah, good old Chrysler and their K-platform cars...

The first toy obsession I remember having as a kid was the Monchichi dolls that first came out in Japan in 1974, the same year I was born. The obsession lasted for a few years even though the toys weren't very successful in North America and I never actually got one. I didn't know they were Japanese back then, either. It's like I had an attraction to Japanese stuff before I even knew anything about Japan.

Speaking of which, anime was simply known as Japanese animation, or "Japanimation" until maybe the 90's. As a kid I saw quite a bit of french-dubbed anime on the French CBC, which made me think they were really French cartoons. Especially when I learned anime was part of the french word for cartoon.

Hello Kitty was around back then, too. She was also created in 1974. I first remember seeing her as a plush toy that changed color when you put her in warm water. And then in the late 80's there was a kind of cheesy American cartoon called Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater.

I have two baby Monchichi dolls now, dressed up as a bunny and a chick for Easter.

I've had 3 k-cars back in the 80s. they were the cheapest cars around.

in this region on the little farm the sounds of explosions from the cesspit were brutal, also the ongoing prospecting for gas that was happening made other explosions and shakings

All horribly ugly if not for the shine.

in terms of interior room and ride comfort/overall comfort, they [Kcars] were competitive with the offerings from ford and GM, and beat the pants off of most offerings from Germany and Japan. they were a bit slow, though, those 4 bangers didn't have much twist, and they slowed down on long hills. gas mileage was excellent, however.

In the 1980s people looked where they were going and took in the scenery...instead of walking in to doors while staring at their stupid mobile phones

people were, on the whole, fitter then. at least here in amuuurica.

Newspapers were far bigger then than they are now (and I've collected a few lately-- one being a Thanksgiving 1987 Chicago Sun-Times that had a whopping *152* pages, not to leave out all the Thanksgiving shopping inserts; it only cost a quarter as well in 1987 [a dime more than that outside of Chicago]).

I remember, when I was around 2 years old, the mail lady gave me a Hello Kitty toothbrush + case.

Seems like a lot of my memories from the 80s involve friendly strangers giving me things for no reason =) I remember some man at the bar gave me a cube of colby jack cheese, and the concept of a cheese (which is already awesome) mixed together with a different color of cheese just blew my tiny mind. I'm fairly certain that was the beginning of a lifelong addiction.

animated tv shows for kids were starting to become a thing around that time, i think.

3? because they kept breaking down?

my dad had a 1995 plymouth voyager, i think the transmission was made of glass. it soon failed and sat for a few years until my uncle bought it and fixed it up.

i got to drive a 1989 chrysler tc recently, that was probably the king of k cars or something.


the faux wood is atrocious, but i like the angular boxiness and the straight lines, no nonsense design. they're cheap cars and aren't afraid to flaunt it.

bought one [Plymouth Reliant K "America"] new when I was in the army, me and the finance company owned it it was a damned good car for the time that I owned it, a year of good driving until some GD zoned out druggie almost killed me when he rear-ended me at a stoplight. I think god had plans for me because with the gas tank in the rear just like those infamously incendiary Ford Pintos, one little spark would have sent me to the elysian fields, express. gas all over the place. I had just filled the tank up on the way to a job interview, and that full tank probably acted a bit like a cushion that kept me from feeling the full impact [he was going in excess of 40 miles per hour, trying to beat the left turn lane light which had already turned yellow]. I got whiplash outta that, laid up for a few months before I was healthy enough to get outta bed and look for work. got hired by uncle sam's army hospital and hadda get another car, so I found a used Reliant but it turns out it was an older model with a BAD electronic carburetor [remember those?] that leaked gas and was a fire hazard, the overhaul broke my bank account, it started dollar n'dime'in' me to death, so I hadda trade that in [on another used model] on what was the REAL king of all K-cars, the Dodge Dynasty, which had one of those "glass" transmissions you mentioned, after two years the thing would barley shift so I ended up getting rid of it. it rode very well though, floated over bumps like a Cadillac, and was roomy enough to wear a hat inside, nice cushy seats great for the long haul, but still compact enough to park easily anywhere. just the transmission ruined it.

The "K-cars" probably saved Chrysler's hide.

Am I enamored of the 1980s?" No, I'm not. There was lots of cynicism around, biting cynicism. There was an "enlightened self-interest" quality to many people. And lots of apathy, too.

Maybe, to a kid, it was a nice decade because the array of things one can "do" expanded considerably in the '80's.

I liked the 90s a LOT BETTER.