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1980s fads and trends

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This page is a branch page for the exponentially growing "list of fads and trends" page for the 1980s.
List of Fads and Trends
2000s fads and trends
1990s fads and trends
1980s fads and trends

Common Names of this decade: The 80s and The Reagan Years

Contents

Continued from the

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.

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 generoisty.

1982 was marked with the blockbuster hit 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.

The original Glo Worm became a phenomenon in Christmas of 1982.
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The original Glo Worm became a phenomenon in Christmas of 1982.

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.

Cabbage Patch kids were a big hit of the 1980s.
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Cabbage Patch kids were a big hit of the 1980s.

Though author George Orwell prophisized that this year in the book of the same name would be ark, 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 setting of the rivalry between Microsoft and Apple. 1984 was a blockbuster year with such releases such as Amadeus, Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, and The Terminator.

The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, started the PC rivalry between Microsoft and Apple.
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The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, started the PC rivalry between Microsoft and Apple.

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 suprise 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.
The release of the NES revived the video game era that lasted into the coming decades.
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The release of the NES revived the video game era that lasted into the coming decades.

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.
Koosh balls became a popular toy in the latter 1980s
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Koosh balls became a popular toy in the latter 1980s

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 was revived in 1987 and became one of the best sci-fi series of the 1980s and 1990s
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Star Trek was revived in 1987 and became one of the best sci-fi series of the 1980s and 1990s

This was the year that LPs became extinct as CDs became more convenient and wide spread.

1989 was the most triumphant year politically of the post-WWII 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. 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 1990s pop culture due to such a drastic change.
The Nintendo Game Boy started the craze of small screen entertainment.
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The Nintendo Game Boy started the craze of small screen entertainment.

Other Fads and Trends of the 1980s

So many fads are a part of the 1980s that not all of them have been catigorized yet to their proper years, the Age Of Popularity for these fads are currently unknown in Wikipedia. More research can complete the list.

Fads by Deacade:
2000s - 1990s - 1980s

 

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