Toys and Games - Totally the 80's

A wagon crosses a muddy river beside a glowing vintage computer and scattered medical supplies.

Oregon Trail Game Dysentery and The Fear Behind the Meme

The old classroom computer ran a computer game, an educational video game meant to teach history. Instead, it taught an entire generation one cold, weirdly adult sentence: dysentery could wipe…

A vintage wrestling figure sits beside tools and old blister packaging on a wooden desk.

Pop Culture Action Figures Toys and Games

How to Identify Original 80s WWF LJN Figures

An original LJN wrestler can feel like a small dumbbell with a headlock. These chunky, rubbery action figures were built for bedroom ring wars, couch-cushion cage matches, and the occasional…

Video Games

NES vs Sega Genesis was The Ultimate Retro Console Showdown

The old question isn't really about which plastic box is "better." NES vs Sega Genesis comes down to game libraries, controller feel, and the kind of Saturday-morning magic you want…

Vintage 1980s toys arranged on a thrift-store table with shopping tools.

Toys and Games Action Figures

Where to Buy Vintage 80s Toys Without Overpaying

Nothing spoils a nostalgic toy rush like realizing that $18 He-Man figure needs another $60 in missing gear. The good news is that vintage 80s toys don't have to be…

Voltron and five colorful lion toys posed together on a shag carpet.

Pop Culture Action Figures Animated Saturday Morning Cartoons Toys and Games

Voltron Toys and The Lion Force Every 80s Kid Wanted

Five lions. One giant robot. A sword big enough to make a plastic action figure feel like the fate of the universe rested on your shag carpet. For 80s kids,…

Pop Culture Discontinued Treats Fads Favorite Foods Toys and Games

Squeezit Drinks and the Squeeze Bottles Kids Couldn’t Resist

Some drinks were swallowed. Squeezit drinks were performed. You didn't sip one like a little grown-up. You grabbed the bottle, twisted the cap, squeezed with both hands, and felt like…

Pop Culture Fads Favorite Foods Food Toys and Games

Ring Pop Candy was Sugar Dressed Up as Jewelry

Some candy disappeared the second you tore open the wrapper. A Ring Pops candy stayed on your hand like you'd just won the sugar lottery. That was the whole magic.…

Pop Culture Action Figures Saturday Morning Cartoons Toys and Games

G.I. Joe Toys and the Real American Hero Craze

Before Cobra was a household name, a 3.75-inch soldier could turn a patch of backyard dirt into a full-blown battlefield. G.I. Joe toys did not ask kids to sit still.…

Pop Culture Toys and Games Trends

Strawberry Shortcake Dolls and the Scents We Remember

One whiff of strawberry scented plastic can send an 80s kid straight back to a bedroom floor covered in toys, coloring books, and tiny plastic shoes. Strawberry Shortcake dolls weren't…

A gray Nintendo Power Glove on a dark table next to an NES and a glowing CRT television.

Pop Culture Toys and Games Video Games

Nintendo Power Glove and Why the Future Failed in 1989

The future arrived in 1989 wearing gray plastic, a black keypad, and enough attitude to make every kid feel like they belonged in a sci-fi movie. The Nintendo Power Glove…