I got a kick out of this...

Do you ever see an old toy or TV show that just sends you into a series of flashbacks until you suddenly snap back into reality and realize that you've been standing there smiling to yourself like an idiot? That happened to me the other day when I was at Walmart looking at the shoe-aisle and found a pair of high-heeled jelly shoes! I remember when jelly shoes were a summer-time must-have for me and my sisters! Of course, I tried them on; but no, I didn't buy them! ;)

Crazy Fads from the 1980's

Jelly Shoes
If you were a little girl that grew up in the 80's, then chances are you owned a pair of jelly shoes. These were flexible bright-colored shoes that you could wear without socks. A very popular fad during this decade.

Strawberry Shortcake
A popular 80's cartoon character. Every little girl that grew up in the 80's not only owned the doll, but also had either a Strawberry Shortcake lunchbox or blanket or even clothing with this character imprinted on it.

Care Bears
Colorful, adorable, furry friends with a caring mission. These cute bears taught us how to care. Every bear came with a bright colored tummy picture that told who they were and what their special area of caring was. Care Bears became "America's Teddy Bear" with over 40 Million Care Bears toys sold between 1983 and 1987 alone.

PSYCHE!!
This word was used very often during the 80's. It was used as another way to tell someone you were just kidding or pulling their leg about something. For example:

Larry: Hey Bob, who did you buy that ice cream for?
Bob: I bought it for you.
Larry: Really??
Bob: PSYCHE!! ...I bought it for me!

Big Hair with lots of Hairspray
Big hair was definitely in and so was Aqua Net hairspray to keep the hair up all day. In the early 80s, the New Romantic fashion styles kicked off the decade with great hair experimentation. For a while there seemed to be a competition to see who could build the tallest hair, have the strangest angles, or how much plastic, metal and mousse you could fit into your hair and still keep your head upright. Many accessories were available to assist with this process, such as teasing your hair and sticking it up with mousse. Some mousse even contained glitter or other sparkle pieces to give your hair 'extra interest and individuality'. And don't forget that you needed a matching headband or large bow to match every outfit!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
A hit cartoon about a bunch of hip turtles who loved eating pizza and could also fight well. People bought lots of related dolls, stickers, lunchboxes, etc.

My Little Pony
Colorful toy ponies marketed to young girls, and produced by Hasbro. The toys were first introduced in 1982, following the related "My Pretty Pony" toy which was introduced in 1981. They became enormously popular throughout that decade. They were plastic ponies with brushable manes and tails, generally bright-colored and often had multi-colored manes and tails. They had specific symbols on their hips that allow them to be identified. "My Little Pony" was one of the most popular collectible toys of the 1980s.

Tetherball
A tetherball is similar to a volleyball and is tied to a ten-foot, vertical pole by a slender rope. Two players, who each get half of the area surrounding the pole, try to hit the tetherball ball repeatedly in one direction so that the rope wraps completely around the pole.

Hacky-Sack
Coordinated enough to kick a beanbag but too wimpy to be a jock? Hacky-Sack was your sport. The world record holder for consecutive "kicks," kicked the sack 63,326 in eight hours, fifty minutes and forty two seconds on June 14, 1997. Get a life!

Koosh Balls
During the 1988 Christmas season, the Koosh ball was the hottest toy on the shelves. The Koosh ball was a rubber ball filled with a jelly-like plasma and its outside consisted of hundreds of rubber spikes making it look like a soft and flexible porcupine that did not hurt to hold or squeeze. When someone squeezed the object, the plasma caused it to squirm around in his hand while the spikes provided something to grip in one's hand.

Smurfs
Blue elflike creatures, dwelling happily in the forest. Creatures with names like Jokey, Greedy, and Brainy Smurf. The went through adventures, sought advice from Papa Smurf and found themselves captivated by the perky Smurfette, the only female in the clan. During Smurf Mania, they out sold Star Wars, Garfield, Snoopy, Annie and Mickey Mouse.

Cabbage Patch Dolls
Cabbage Patch Dolls were the doll craze of the 80s, and one of THE fads of the decade. I still have mine....do you? ;)

Slap Bracelets
A flexible metal with a colorful cloth over it. You would smack these on your wrist and it would wrap around it.

Neon
Pretty self explanatory. Socks, shirts, hair accessories, bracelets, shoe laces, store signs etc.

Hope you enjoyed my stroll down memory lane! :) Hopefully these items brought back as many funny but happy memories as they did for me!