Take a look at more than 40 of the cute vintage plush toys and sweet stuffed animals that millions of kids cuddled back in the ’80s.
Vintage advertisements
Scottish plaid seats and a wood-bodied wagon made the 1940s Chrysler lineup stand out in the last two model years before WWII put car production on hold.
See how a pencil mark on a light switch decal led to the Etch A Sketch, plus vintage ads for the red drawing toy and other Ohio Art classics.
Pumpkin cheesecake fans, these two retro recipes from 1977 and 1994 bring maple, pecans and spice to your holiday dessert table.
While other luxury cars shrank, the 1970s Lincoln Continental stayed huge. See the sedans, the Mark III, IV and V coupes and a pre-Magnum Tom Selleck.
Homemade with love! These deliciously luscious pumpkin cheesecake bars don’t take long to make when you start with this classic recipe from the ’80s!
Popcorn balls were a holiday and party favorite for decades. See how these sticky-sweet treats became a go-to homemade snack in vintage America.
The melted plastic Halloween decorations popular in the ’70s were ‘delightfully different’ and ‘captured the happy Halloween spirit.’
These cheap vintage Halloween masks & costumes proved that when you spent a couple bucks to get ready for trick-or-treating, you got what you paid for. But the kids? They loved it.
The 1965 Buick lineup put real muscle in the Riviera and hid its headlights. See vintage ads for the Riviera Gran Sport, LeSabre 400 and Electra 225.
A lot of 80s candy endures to the present, but you’re still going to love these retro ads & packages from back in the day! Which were your favorites?
Before face paint was everywhere, Halloween makeup kits promised kids a vampire or clown face without the sweaty plastic mask. See some vintage 1980s Paas kits.
Make breakfast feel like fall with these vintage pumpkin pancakes from 1989, made with real pumpkin, warm spices and easy pantry staples.
The Chevy Camaro got a new body in 1970 and kept it for 12 years. See how the ’70s models changed, from split bumpers to T-tops.
See how horror movies evolved from silent shadows to spine-chilling scares in the 60s, through eerie posters and promos from the past.
The pregnancy test stick swapped test tubes and two-hour waits for a simple color change. See how it happened, plus vintage kits from the 80s and 90s.
This Halloween Oreo pie made the rounds in 1993, offering a cold and colorful twist on the classic cookie crust dessert.
Look back at dozens of flavors of vintage Shasta sodas – including root beer, sparking lemonade, strawberry, cream soda, pineapple cola and more from the 60s, 70s and 80s!
Laura Ashley home decor once filled American bedrooms and kitchens with English florals — here’s the story behind the look and the brand.
Remember when these popular brands of old granola bars were called natural and wholesome… and seemed they were too delicious to be healthy? Yeah, we were right. But still, so yummy!
These huge 50s station wagons from Ford, Plymouth, Studebaker and Rambler came with fins, chrome and rear-facing back seats for the whole family.
A Cleveland candy maker invented Life Savers candy in 1912, and it has outlasted a world war and five corporate owners since.
Underoos turned plain kids’ underwear into superhero costumes back in the 1970s, and the story behind the name is stranger than you’d guess.
Pin curls turned bobby pins into a full hairstyling kit for 1940s and 50s women, no salon or hot tools required. See how the technique actually worked.
This French bread meatloaf recipe bakes right into the loaf, with a foil trick that makes cleanup nearly effortless.
Before gummy vitamins existed, there were several other chewable supplements for kids – but none was more iconic than Flintstones vitamins.
1950s Packard cars packed in bold engineering like Ultramatic drive and Torsion-Level Ride, even as the storied luxury automaker headed toward its final years.
Columbia House sold generations of music fans on cheap mail-order records, then quietly kept going for decades before finally closing in 2026.
Stereo consoles turned turntables and radios into living room furniture throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
A vintage peach jello salad recipe with a clever two-layer trick, plus two bonus regional variations to try.
The Dodge Omni won Car of the Year, survived a national handling scandal and stuck around for twelve model years. See how it all played out.
“Just add water!” they said. Discover the real story behind Sea-Monkeys, the brine shrimp that fooled generations of kids.
Go-go boots hit the fashion scene in 1964, when French designer André Courrèges sent a model down his runway in white, square-toed ankle boots paired
Here are some delicious dinners to try from the ’50s — three different vintage country-fried chicken recipes that you can make in your oven or on the stove.
What was 1950s train travel really like, from Pullman sleepers and dome cars to the fares families actually paid before jets and highways took over?
Tinkerbell cosmetics brought little girls their own lipstick and nail polish decades before “tween beauty” existed. See the vintage ads and kits here.
The original Rice Krispies treats were invented in the 1930s. By 1940, the recipe was known across the country — and their popularity has hardly waned since. Here, get the original version of the treats recipe, along with some modern variations!
An old pregnancy test meant test tubes, droppers and a nervy two-hour wait. See how women once found out they were expecting.
Vintage ads show California wine’s uphill climb from Prohibition wreck to postwar dinner table staple, decades before it beat France at its own game.
80s cereal mixed video game mascots with a new low-sugar sweetener. Here’s the real story behind the decade’s strangest cereal aisle trends.
Six 1982 salad dressing recipes turn peaches, plums and nectarines into creamy toppings for meat, poultry and fresh fruit.
Catsup’s history runs from fermented fish sauce to a 1906 food safety scandal — see how the condiment (and its spelling) changed over time.
X-ray shoe fitting once let shoppers watch their toe bones glow on screen. Here’s how the fad took over shoe stores, then eventually vanished.
Consisting of lots of lettuce, browned hamburger, a variety of vegetables, sauces and dressings, a taco salad is a meal in itself.
Kitchens once matched their paper towels to the walls. See how colored paper towel designs went from plain white rolls to full-blown decor pieces.
A 1961 ad insisted Coke keeps you thin, comparing a bottle to half a grapefruit. See the wild vintage commercial and its surprising staying power.
This 1978 coconut cake mixes convenience with crunch — toasted coconut, pecans and cream cheese frosting make it a retro standout.
From a Kansas farmer’s 1911 biplane to Wichita’s twin-engine giants, vintage Cessna planes once ruled small airports and corporate runways alike.
Turn an empty carton into a lacy homemade candle. This milk carton candle craft uses ice, wax and a few kitchen basics.
These little vintage plastic wading pools were the perfect size to help introduce babies and children to water fun in the safety of their own shallow kiddie pools!
Pull the ring and hear her talk: See the 1960s talking dolls, from Chatty Cathy to Mrs. Beasley, that ruled toy chests for a decade.
Reel-to-reel tape recorders ruled home audio for decades — see the vintage machines and ads that trace their rise, peak and fade.
Pineapple pie has a surprising vintage history — see the old-fashioned recipes that made it a home baking favorite for decades.
Step back in time to see antique baby carriage designs, from wicker bassinets to ornate Victorian prams.
See how branded freebies worked back in the day, when a few box tops and a buck could get you real swag by mail.
A century of vintage toothpaste ads and tubes, from 1890s tooth powder to Crest’s fluoride breakthrough and beyond.
Model planes went from carved balsa wood to plastic kits sold at Woolworth’s, and the shift changed how a whole generation of kids spent their afternoons.
Miracle whip chip dip, straight from the 1980s — onion, shrimp, spinach, bacon-cheddar and more. Mix, chill, serve.
Vintage food processor ads and history from the ’70s & ’80s — how Cuisinart went from trade show curiosity to the most coveted appliance in the American kitchen.
1970s Playskool toys like Dressy Bessy, Tyke Bike & Alphie didn’t happen by accident — here’s the story behind the brand that taught a generation through play.
Hide-a-bed sofas turned a regular couch into a guest room overnight. See vintage styles and ads from the 1940s through the 1970s.
The old-fashioned Lustre-Creme shampoo was famous for hiring famous actresses to promote their product. Here’s a look at some of the stars!
Cheddar baked beans go right on the grill in this easy 5-ingredient recipe from 1973 — plus a sweet orange bean bonus!
What is the secret of this rich, moist, delicious cake? Here’s a hint: It’s known as chocolate mayonnaise cake. Get this surprisingly tasty recipe from 1985!
Before email, people wrote letters — and Hallmark made sure they had stylish paper to do it with. A look back at the vintage Hallmark stationery sets.
The TV remote control went from a wired ankle-hazard in 1950 to an ultrasonic curiosity to an infrared staple — here’s how it all happened.
Vintage dining room sets from the ’40s & ’50s were compact, colorful and built for small postwar homes. See 50 original chrome dinette ads and photos.
The ’70s Chevy Nova went from muscle car holdover to police fleet favorite — here’s the full story of this decade’s most dependable compact.
Fruit snacks exploded in the 1980s, with brands like Fruit Roll-Ups, Sunkist Fun Fruits and Del Monte all competing for kids’ lunchboxes. Here’s how it happened.
This 1940 cinnamon apple cream cake layers whipped cream, egg whites & red cinnamon candy-spiced apples. A vintage fall dessert worth reviving!
Let’s consider for a moment the soap-on-a-rope phenomenon — a peculiar fusion of the useful and the whimsical that once occupied a prominent place in
Electric typewriter history from Edison to IBM’s Selectric — how a humming office machine with a golf ball print head came to dominate American workplaces.
80s shoes for women ranged from tailored office pumps to Reebok Freestyles — see the full range of styles, colors and trends from a footwear-obsessed decade.
Whether you call them 7-layer bars, magic cookie bars or something else, It’s just layer after layer of delectable ingredients, spread on top of the other right in the baking pan. No mixing!
The Macintosh computer launched in 1984 with a mouse, a graphical interface and a famously skeptical press. Here’s how it almost failed — and what saved it.
Burnt sugar, chocolate malt, pink lemonade, black walnut — vintage cake mixes once offered flavors you’d never find on shelves today. Here’s how it all happened.
Vintage jukeboxes ruled American bars, diners and drugstores for decades — here’s the full story of the machines, the makers and the music that defined an era.
Sprite launched in 1961 as Coca-Cola’s long-shot bet against 7-Up. Here’s how the lemon-lime soda went from Ohio test markets to a global top-three bestseller.
Before the microwave, there was the gas range — and in the 1950s, it came with automatic pilots, built-in timers and two-tone colors to match.
Miracle Whip launched in 1933 as a Depression-era mayo alternative — and by the 1950s, it was turning canned peaches into “salad.” Here’s how that happened.
1960s flats finally let women dress up without high heels — see vintage T-straps, slingbacks, ballet flats and brocade slippers from the era.
Wacky Packages were the sticker craze that outperformed baseball cards in 1973. Here’s the full story behind the parody packs that kids couldn’t get enough of.
1847 Rogers Bros made silver plate flatware a middle-class staple. Here’s the history behind the brand, the patterns and the Connecticut company that built it.
Card tables started out as elegant colonial furniture and ended up in nearly every American home. Here’s how they got from one to the other.
Vintage Converse shoes outfitted Olympians, NBA legends and baseball stars for decades. Here’s the full history of America’s original athletic shoe brand.
Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down — and they’ve been proving it since 1971. Here’s the full history of this classic Hasbro toy.
The Oldsmobile sedan dominated American roads in the late ’70s. See the Delta 88, Cutlass Supreme, 98 Regency and Omega Brougham up close.
The Toys R Us catalog was serious business for 80s kids. Flip through the 1986 Out of this World Toy Book and holiday catalogs from ’87 and ’88.
Home hooded hair dryers were a real game-changer for women in the 1960s & ’70s. See the vintage models that made salon-style results possible at home.
Old peanut butter brands have a longer, wilder history than you’d think. See the vintage ads and forgotten names behind America’s favorite spread.
Check out the classic Ford Pinto, a coupe hatchback auto that was super popular, that Ford said proved a small economy car didn’t have to be ugly. (They didn’t have to explode, either, and we cover that, too.)
80s arcade games took over America one quarter at a time. See the vintage ads & photos that capture that golden era of Pac-Man, Space Invaders & more.
These are the vintage alarm clocks – ranging from the mod to the digital – that used to wake people up during the workweek. Take a look!
This no-bake mocha chocolate chip cheesecake from the ’80s skips the oven but delivers big on coffee-chocolate flavor. Classic retro recipe inside!
Actual carpeting – and even shag rugs – in the food prep area? Yep, it was a thing, as these vintage kitchen carpet photos will prove!
Dungeons & Dragons changed how a generation played — and socialized. See vintage ads, photos and original articles from the game’s heyday.
80s nail polish was bold, specific and heavily marketed. See original ads from Cutex, Revlon, Maybelline and more — and the colors that defined the decade.
The range of 1950s board games surprises people — cold war strategy to Candy Land. See the vintage ads and box art from a prolific decade of family game night.
