1980s fads and trends in North America
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This page is a branch page for the exponentially growing "list of fads and trends" page for the 1980s.
Fads and trends in North America |
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1970s |
1980s |
1990s |
2000s |
Some common names for this decade are The 80s and The Reagan Years.
Contents |
[edit] Continued from the 1970s
- Atari (1972 – 1983)
- Bola ties
- Bugle Boy jeans (1977 – 2001)
- Choose Your Own Adventure books (1979 – c. 1998)
- Disco Music (1971 – c. 1983)
- Garfield (1978 – present)
- ESPN (1979: now a popular sports network)
- Flowers in the Attic (1979 – c. 1987)
- Star Wars Original Trilogy (1977 – 1983)
- Rap and hip hop music (1979 – present)
[edit] 1980
The beginning of the 1980s started with new wonders of technology and trends. CNN was launched as the first 24-hour news channel, Teenagers flocked to arcades to play Pac-Man, and the world was shocked and awed by the assassination of legendary Beatle, John Lennon. 1980 was the remembered politically as the rise of neo-conservatism which helped elect Ronald Reagan.
- CNN (1980 – present)
- Game & Watch (1980 – 1991)
- Hair metal (1980 – 1991±)
- Jheri curl (1980 – 1991)
- Pac-Man (1980 – 1988±)
- Post-it notes (1980; now a household item)
- Rubik's Cube (1980 – 1984±; ±2005-)
- Personal stereos released in USA and Britain
- Preppie fashion
- Simon (1980 – 1994±)
- Who shot J.R. (from Dallas) (1980)
[edit] 1981
In 1981 the first space shuttle (Columbia) was launched, opening a new way for space travel. The introduction of the IBM PC was a major milestone of the early computer age. Teenagers were rockin' to music videos on MTV. 1981, was also the year when the horrendous disease AIDS first came into awareness causing both paranoia and generosity.
- CB radio legalized in Britain on 2 November 1981
- Donkey Kong video games (1981 – 2000)
- Erasable pens (1981 – present)
- MTV (1981 – present)
- My Little Pony (1981 – present)
- Strawberry Shortcake (1981 – 1985; 2001– present)
- Spiked hair (1981 – present)
- Smurfs (1981 – 1990)
- Tabloid television (1981 – 1997)
- Techno Music (1981 – 2000; 2003 – present)
- The wave became popular at an Oakland Athletics vs. New York Yankees game in October 15, 1981.
[edit] 1982
1982 was marked with the blockbuster hit E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and the debut of the hit TV sitcom Cheers. People were getting in shape with the help of exercise gurus such as Jane Fonda, Richard Simmons, and Linda Evans, and people were dialing 867-5309 to find out whom Tommy Tutone was referring to as Jenny.
- Rambo and related merchandise (1982 – 1988)
- Chia Pets (1982 – Present)
- E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982 – 1993)
- Jane Fonda workout videos (1982 – 1984)
- Trivial Pursuit released in the USA
- Deeleyboppers (invented c. 1981) are major USA and UK fad.
- Reebok
- Black & White striped shirts
- French braids
- Leg warmers (1982 – 1989)
- Glo Worm (1982 – 1986)
- Yuppies (1982; now a widely-used term)
[edit] 1983
In 1983, once-dominant video game empires such as Atari lost their steam in the Video Game Crash paving the way for a new brand of electronic game called Nintendo. 1983 oversaw the conclusion to the popular war sitcom M*A*S*H with the episode "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen". In lighter news, this was the year when the world was introduced to Madonna, instantaneoulsy becoming an icon. Every girl dreamed of "having fun" as told by Cyndi Lauper. It was also the year people revisted Michael Jackson while dancing to the tunes from his record-breaking album and music video Thriller.
- The A Team and related merchandise (1983 – 1987±)
- Cabbage Patch dolls (1983 – 1987±)
- Cyndi Lauper vs. Madonna (1983 – 1987±)
- Graffiti clothing (1983 – 1993±)
- He-Man & the Masters of the Universe cartoon and action figures (cartoon 1983–1985)
- Madonna (1983 – present) and Material Girls (1983 – 2006±)
- Michael Jackson clothing (1983 – 1992)
- Monchichis
- Now That's What I Call Music! UK:(1983 – Present)
- Snuggles the Bear (1983 – 1991±)
- Swatch Watches (1983 – present)
- Tokyo Disneyland opening in Japan (1983)
- Weird Al Yankovic (1983-present)
- Valley Girls (1983: now a widely used term)
[edit] 1984
Though author George Orwell prophisized that this year in the book of the same name would be dark, it turned out his prediciton was wrong. 1984, came with a bang with Los Angeles hosting the Summer Olympic Games and Ronald Reagan winning a landslide election. Apple Computer released the Macintosh, a computer that set off the rivalry between Microsoft and Apple. 1984 was a blockbuster year with such releases such as Amadeus, Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, and The Terminator.
- Calculator wristwatches (1984 – 1992±)
- The Clapper (1984; now a household item)
- The Cosby Show (1984 – 1992±)
- Designer shoelaces
- Ghostbusters (1984 – 1989±)
- "I'll Be Back" Phenomenon (1984 – 2003±)
- Macintosh (1984 – present)
- Miami Vice clothing & accessories (1984 – 1990)
- Transformers (1984 – 1997)
- "Where's the beef?" from the Wendy's commercials (1984 – 1985)
[edit] 1985
1985 was remembered as the year the video game mogul Nintendo came to power in the wake of the Video Game Crash of 1983. It was remembered as the year in the toy industry when the Care Bears, after the surprise success of its own movie and TV series became a hot toy like that of the Cabbage Patch Kids. Also, in the summer of that year, many people both in the outdoor concerts and on TV were touched and generous as a result of the Live Aid concerts in Philadelphia and London.
- Acid wash jeans
- Calvin and Hobbes (1985 – 1995±; 2005)
- Care Bears (1985 – 1989±; 2002 – present)
- Jolt Cola (1985 – 1992±;)
- Kidsongs (1985 – 2001±)
- Live Aid (1985; 2005 as Live 8)
- Madballs (1985 – 1988±)
- Max Headroom (1985 – 1990±)
- My Buddy (1985 – 1988±)
- Nintendo Entertainment System (1985 – 1991±)
- Pro Wrestling (1985± – present)
- Super Mario Brothers (1985± – present)
- Teddy Ruxpin (1985 – 1988±)
- The De Lorean and the Back To The Future Series (1985 – 1990)
- VH-1 (1985 – present
- Mario Video Games (1985 - present)
[edit] 1986
1986 was one of those prime years in history. The space shuttle Challenger exploded, Chernobyl became a major focus of giving and generosity when a nuclear power plant suffered a meltdown, and the Iran-Contra Affair leaked out creating minor political paralysis in the Reagan adiminstration. Nevertheless, the year was booming as fuzzy rubber balls called Koosh became a growing fad. This year was also recognized in the television industry as the year of Oprah's debut and the launch of the FOX television network, the first network created in more than 30 years.
- ALF toys, books, and related merchandise (1986 – 1990±)
- Baby On Board car window stickers
- FOX and related television programming (1986; now a major television network)
- Garbage Pail Kids
- Koosh products (1986 – 1991±)
- Obsession by Calvin Klein (1986 – 1996±)
- The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986 – present)
- Pound Puppies (1986 – 1989)
- Walk Like An Egyptian (1986 – 1987±)
[edit] 1987
In 1987, America was "hearing through the grapevine" with help from The California Raisins. The Tracy Ullman Show on FOX premired which featured The Simpsons animated shorts foreshadowing the coming success of its own television series two years later. Star Trek made a big comeback on television this year with the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- AIDS quilt (1987 – 1996)
- Catskills moves inspired by Dirty Dancing (1987; 2004)
- The California Raisins (1987 – 1993)
- Ernest movies (1987 – 1998)
- Fabio (1987 – 1994±)
- Full House and the Olsen Twins (1987 – 2004)
- The Legend of Zelda (1987 – present)
- Lolo balls (1987 – 1989)
- Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! (1987 – 1990)
- Star Trek Television BOOM! (1987 – 2005)
- Where's Waldo puzzles and books (1987 – 1993±)
[edit] 1988
This was the year that CDs became more convenient and wide spread.
- Chucky and the Child's Play movies (1988 – 2004±)
- Hypercolor shirts (1988 – 1993±)
- The Loco-Motion (1988 – ?)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1988 – 1993±)
- Tetris (1988 – present)
[edit] 1989
1989 was the most triumphant year politically of the post-World War II age in the United States rivaling to that of the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. The Berlin Wall was torn down in Germany marking the end of the Cold War and the collapse of Communism. The pop culture of 1980's came to a screeching halt as many people quickly abandoned it and created a new trend that would evolve into the 1990's. Besides politics, the popular animated series The Simpsons debuted this year which had earlier been in the Tracy Ullman Show as animated "skits". In fact, 1989 is sometimes regarded as the beginning of the "Roaring 90's" due to such a drastic change.
- "All your base are belong to us" (1989 – 2002±)
- Animation Renaissance (1989 – 1995±)
- Baby Dolls including Betsy Wetsy and Tiny Tears (1989 – 1993±)
- Batman Renaissance - as a result of the Batman movie (1989 – present)
- Disney Sing Along Songs (1989 – 1997±)
- Energizer Bunny (1989 – 1997±)
- "Love Shack" and "Roam" from the B-52s (1989 – 1990±)
- Micro Machines (1989 – 1995±)
- Nintendo Game Boy (1989 – 1996±)
- The Noid (1989 – 1990)
- Power Pad and dance pads (1989 – present)
- Sega Genesis (1989 – 1994±)
- Sim City series (1989 – 2003±)
- Slap bracelets (1989 – 1994±)
- The Simpsons and related merchandise, especially T-shirts (1989 – present)
- 1989 World Series "I Survived the Quake" T-shirts (1989)
[edit] Other Fads and Trends of the 1980s
So many fads are a part of the 1980s that not all of them have been categorized yet to their proper years, the Age Of Popularity for these fads are currently unknown in Wikipedia. More research can complete the list.
- Afrocentric clothing
- Aviator glasses
- Bandana worn as a headband
- Betamax
- Big Johnson T-shirts
- Biker hats
- Black & White striped shirts
- Bleach blonde hair
- Bow headbands
- Break dancing
- Broomstick skirt
- Chic jeans
- Color Me Beautiful
- Converse sneakers
- Cutoffs shirts
- Doc Martens
- Fade haircut
- Fashion plates
- Freezy Freakies
- Friendship bracelets
- G.I. Joe dolls and action figures
- Gitano clothing
- Hair Crimping
- Hair teasing
- Imitation car phones: popular in Japan
- Iron-on decals
- Jenga
- Keds sneakers
- Keytar
- Kid Sister
- Leather jackets, pants, and boots
- Lycra fashion
- Members Only jackets
- Micro Machines
- Monster trucks
- The Mullet
- New Romantic attire (Primarily in England)
- New Wave fashions
- Ocean Pacific
- Parachute pants
- Preppie fashion
- Press on fingernails
- Punk fashions/the mohawk
- Rat tail
- Ribbon barettes
- Ripped jeans
- Satin jackets
- Ski goggles
- Shell suits – UK (especially Merseyside and North of England) and Europe
- Stirrup pants
- Striped stockings
- Telephone Party Lines
- Trapper Keeper
- Tube skirts
- Wacky Wall Walker
- Women's work suits
- Spearies
- Sebegos
Fads and trends | ||
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1980s fads and trends by region. | ||
North America - Europe - UK - Japan - Mexico |
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1990s fads and trends by region. | ||
North America - Europe - UK - Japan - Mexico |
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2000s fads and trends by region. | ||
North America - Europe - UK - Japan - Mexico |