Back in the mid-1960s, the newly-invented marvel of Shake’n Bake coating mixes was kind of a big deal – or at least the shake and bake concept was marketed that way!
1984
Ayds candy debuted in the 40s, and was basically a piece of caramel or fudge that contained an appetite suppressant. For years, the diet candy called Ayds was a big seller… and then came AIDS.
Ready for some good old-fashioned chocolate treats? Here are more than a dozen of our best vintage brownie recipes — lots of fudgy deliciousness with a retro twist!
Skip buying expensive candy and make your own! These homemade chocolate truffles can be whipped at home in no time at all with this simple recipe from the 80s.
Before gummy vitamins existed, there were several other chewable supplements for kids – but none was more iconic than Flintstones vitamins.
You could spot that Laura Ashley Home vibe at a glance – those patterns (often florals) with a warm and cozy English country feel. And in the 80s and 90s, Americans loved them. See dozens of vintage LAH styles here.
Everybody’s doing it. Swingers, congressmen, housewives, businessmen, engaged couples, secretaries and kids. They’re all out there jogging.
This easy and delicious recipe for a cool, rich and creamy double chocolate cream pie comes to you direct from 1982, and has that amazing old-fashioned flavor you might remember.
Here’s a tasty retro chocolate fudge recipe from 1984 for Fudge Krispies — essentially chocolate-covered Rice Krispies Treats! Get the easy how-to here.
This retro cranberry pumpkin bread recipe makes for a breakfast or dessert filled with warm flavor from just the right blend of fall spices, plus a little bit of a tart kick from the popular autumn fruit, cranberries.
Thousands of kids loved these custom-made Vintage Me Books from the 70s, including titles like My Friendly Giraffe, My Birthday Land Adventure, My Special Christmas & My Jungle Holiday.
Anyone who lived through the great videotape format war of the late 1970s to early 1980s will never forget the big question: VHS or Beta? Here’s the Betamax side – the player that ultimately lost.
Take a look back at dozens of the most popular cereals from the 1980s, along with some really random varieties that didn’t last long.
If you think your quest for the best pumpkin pie recipe has only just begun, we have news for you: you’ve just found the vintage recipe motherlode. Which is the best pie? Try some and decide!
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!
On the way to today’s super-simple, pregnancy test sticks that give results in minutes, women had to use these chemistry set-style vintage home pregnancy test kits, then wait hours for a result.
Here’s a hearty 90-minute beer bread that’s ready to enjoy in just an hour and a half. It combines the rich, full flavor of beer with the taste of rye.
Casual vintage ’80s menswear was more relaxed than sportswear, but more socially acceptable than pajamas. But the big new star of this era? Jogging suits. See retro t-shirts, sweatpants & much more here!
Let’s look back at the popular sitcom The Facts of Life – meet the actresses, hear that catchy theme song one more time, and get the lyrics for the hit show’s opening credits!
The Kodak Disc camera was was lightweight, foolproof (with auto-exposure and built-in flash), affordable, and used a brand new kind of film cartridge… but it was only sold for six years.
When small appliance manufacturers started selling vintage automatic coffeemakers, they were taking the popular (but cumbersome) drip method of coffee making and making t so much easier.
Billions of 80s stickers were collected by millions of kids – and appeared on everything from binders to books, cassette tapes to sticker collection albums. Do you recognize any of these vintage stickers?
With seasonings like ginger, garlic and red pepper, this easy walnut chicken with broccoli recipe from the ’80s makes a delicious dinner with a little Asian flair.
Despite a slow start, by the mid-’80s, REO Speedwagon’s hit singles ‘Keep On Loving You’ and ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ had topped the charts, and they were known across the globe. Here’s the story.
What were girls, tweens & teens wearing in 1983? See vintage 80s clothes for girls like preppy polo shirts, ruffle-trimmed plaid blouses, oversized shirt-dresses, dirndl skirts, and drop-waist minidresses.
From the richly ornamental to the whimsical, old-fashioned wood porch bracket designs have enriched the faces of American houses for over a century.
The Tootsie Roll has a sweet legacy that started way back at the end of the 1800s, and continues to this day. From the early days, the unique chocolaty chewy candy was a huge favorite with kids. Find out more about them here!
Find out how to make the Hershey’s classic – easy chewy chocolate cookies made with powdered cocoa – in this retro recipe from the 80s!
Vintage Esprit fashions enjoyed their heyday in the late, great 80s, conveying energy, youthfulness and authenticity. Click to enjoy a spirited & colorful nostalgia trip.
Though she was born famous, then grew her fame as an actress, Jane Fonda’s workout videos were one of her greatest successes. Here’s how it happened.
See a dozen cute vintage play kitchens – toys for kids who wanted to pretend to cook, and have fun with mini appliances and plastic food.
In the beginning, The Gap was a completely different store – selling only Levi’s and music. Through dozens of pictures, see how vintage Gap evolved and came to be known for so many trendy styles!
Vintage 10-speed bikes like these were popular bicycles during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Although designed for speed and performance, they were popular with everyday folks who just wanted to get out and ride.
Can you imagine life before bubble gum? Here’s a brief history of vintage gum brands in the US!
In the 70s, vintage Crock-Pot Slow Cookers became popular, because a meal could be cooked for pennies a serving, and cuts of meat could be easily tenderized. Who knew how famous the small appliances would become?!
What did Carowinds theme park look like back in the 1980s? Here’s a look at the vintage Hanna-Barbera-affiliated amusement park that straddled the line between two states.
Anyone obsessed with vintage Strawberry Shortcake probably dreamed of these pieces of sugary sweet delight featuring their favorite gal – dolls and toys, of course, but also bedding, wallpaper, roller skates and more.
Here’s a wonderful cake to make for a special occasion. This almond-raspberry cream roll has a whipped cream filling flavored with raspberry.
Chocolate milk has been loved by kids – and, yes, adults! – since at least the 1920s. Here’s a look back at some vintage chocolate milk brands that have hit supermarkets over the years – some of which you know, but many more than have been lost to time.
For decades after their introduction in 1963, Easy-Bake Ovens showed up on wish lists for Santa and for birthdays, and millions of them were sold. Take a look back!
1980s Microsoft was still growing in 1982 — see how its early software, tools and ads helped shape the future of personal computing.
One of Southern Living magazines’ most popular recipes, the Hummingbird cake is a classic Southern dessert sweet you won’t want to miss! It’s a delicious tropical-style dessert that improves with age.
Homemade truffles = candy from the heart With the season of love just around the corner, we’ve found some easy and delicious vintage candy recipes
Back in the 70s and 80s, the all-new trash compactor appliance was one way to deal with America’s growing trash production — and it probably wouldn’t hurt for it to come back into fashion!
Most of these abandoned malls exist as ghost towns, if they continue to exist at all. Take a peek inside some abandoned malls and learn the history of their demise.
This gigantic collection of vintage wall paneling from mid-century (and beyond) makes for a surprisingly delightful scroll down nostalgia lane!
Indoor malls might be fading, but what hasn’t faded is our fondness for this vintage relic. Take a nostalgia trip back with us to some of the best indoor malls of the 60s, 70s and 80s.
You need only 7 ingredients needed to make this quick, delicious and easy one-pan pumpkin bread recipe – and it’s as good for breakfast as it is for dessert! Get the 1980s how-to here.
Thanks to a simple, happy collaboration between a kid and Mother Nature… we have popsicles! Here’s a look back at the frozen treats we’e enjoyed over the decades.
When you were a kid, there was nothing else like the joy of old-fashioned treehouses or forts: a little getaway that you built (maybe with some help) that could be a clubhouse or castle or spaceship or simply a place for a little peace and quiet.
For two years, Tom Hanks pounded the streets of the city searching for a job. Then he was flown to LA, screen tested, and finally selected for the role of Kip Wilson in ‘Bosom Buddies.’ And so a star was born.
Follow us backward through time, and check out dozens of the old roller skates that were so well-loved in the heyday of roller skating!
See how Vintage Kool-Aid soft drink mixes looked over the years, along with all of the flavors they’ve made so far. Plus, see the Kool-Aid man break down some walls!
This retro chocolate caramel nut bars recipe is the best of both of the candy bar classics! And it’s a very easy sweet snack to make at home. Get the vintage 80s recipe here!
Remember that AT&T jingle, ‘Reach out and touch someone’? Hear it again & find out how it came to be
If you remember the old ‘Reach out – reach out and touch someone’ long distance ad jingle, you probably just sang those words in your head! Look back at some of these vintage TV commercials, and find out how the ditty came together here!
In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, anyone who wanted to give their hair a healthy, voluminous bounce could get it with the help of vintage hot rollers like these.
With better quality than fixed-lens Instamatic-style cameras, but far less complicated than standard SLR cameras, these vintage point-and-shoot 35mm cameras were just what people were looking for in the ’80s.
If you lived through the seventies and eighties, you can probably immediately remember the sound that these vintage dot matrix printers used to make. See and hear them again here!
Retro air-pop popcorn makers like these were super popular in the ’70s and ’80s, because they made it so easy to make a big batch of perfectly puffed popcorn. Here’s a look back!
Merlin, the ‘electronic wizard,’ was a red telephone-shaped toy used buttons, lights and sound effects to let kids play a variety of simple games, and was one of the earliest gaming consoles.
Vintage book clubs have been around since before the Depression – and while the titles have changed, the concept behind the membership isthe same. Here’s a look back!
Footloose stars Kevin Bacon as a dynamic Chicago teen transplanted to a morally numb heartland town, where the local ministerhas banned rock dancing.
While boxes of Jell-O pudding pops may be but a memory, we can still remember their glory days through these magazine ads and TV commercials!
In the ’80s, these sweet vintage Dunkin’ Donuts glass jars came filled with Munchkins donut holes, and were meant to live out the rest of their days on a kitchen counter, just waiting to be refilled with tasty treats.
Look back to the ’70s and ’80s at vintage Sea World San Diego, when Shamu the Killer Whale was the ocean-themed amusement park’s star attraction.
The first vintage Etch-A-Sketch toy was made back in 1960. It was a big seller from early on, and over the years, Ohio Art made several other creative, artistic toys – such as those shown here.
By the early 20th century, materials were more readily available to make picture jigsaw puzzles – and the novelties were soon found in households across the country.
Red, pink, gold & beyond – See the top vintage nail polish brands and colors from the 20th century, with shades & styles from decades ago – see how manicures have changed over the years!
These tasty vintage pudding cups were supposedly made for kids… but we know that plenty of adults loved the taste and convenience of these to-go desserts. How many of the flavors do you remember?
Vintage bumper stickers have been a common sight for decades, and were more than just a decoration on the back of a car or truck – they were there to make a statement. Here’s a look back at a few!
Here’s a look back at some vintage 1980s Nike shoes – from the early ‘just plain sneakers’ to the later mega-successes of classic Nike Air Jordans and the well-known ‘Just do it’ slogan.
Want to see some fancy retro footwear? Take a look back at a few of the many styles of women’s shoes from the ’80s, including spike heels, wedges, flats, pumps, penny loafers, moccasins and boat shoes, just to name a few!
Qiana was a silk-like fiber introduced by DuPont during the late sixties, and often used in high-end and designer fashions. See how it looked in some beautiful vintage Qiana fashions from the 1970s here!
Pineapple juice is more than just a drink on its own. It can be used in a variety of recipes – from party punches to zesty meat marinades. Take a look at some vintage pineapple juice recipes and ideas here!
Years ago, companies promoted all kinds of vintage freebies and low-cost mail-in offers, usually requiring some boxtops or proof of purchase. Look back at some of the premiums from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s!
Have a look back at these cute vintage Fisher-Price dollhouses from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s! Take a look at how they changed over the years, and see which one you remember best.
Before the Pepsi company introduced lemon-lime Slice (starting in 1984), Storm (1998) and Sierra Mist (2000), they hit the market with Teem soda — a fizzy lemon-lime soft drink that seemed much the same, but with a different name.
Since 1952, Mad Magazine has poked fun at everything from Superman to Yoda, M*A*S*H to hippies. But it’s about more than humor – it’s big business, too.
Trans World Airlines, better known as TWA, was one of the major US airlines, moving millions of people to destinations around the globe. Find out the history of TWA, and see this collection of vintage ads to see how exciting flying used to be.
When the Disney Channel started in 1983, it was a cable subscription service with shows like Mousercise and Mickey Mouse Club, along with many of the famous Disney movies. See some of the schedules and more here!
Books in a home once signaled that the residents were intelligent, worldly, and could afford to collect their favorite volumes. Look back at some vintage bookshelves from the past!
For years, electricity was produced by burning coal because few options existed? Peruse these vintage ads to see how the pro-fission profession once professed their preference for the promotion of nuclear power.
Look back at these cute vintage Tinkerbell manicure kits, BO-PO (Brush-on, peel-off) nail polish and other beauty treats marketed to little girls back in the ’70s and ’80s. Lots of memories here!
Back in the seventies and eighties, these vintage Fisher-Price dolls enchanted millions of little kids. They were available in a few different sizes, styles and colors, and you could get them a lot of different outfits.
Take a look back at some Pontiac Bonneville automobiles, and see how they changed from the fifties to the end of the 20th century.
In the mid-1980s, Co-Ed magazine took on a problem facing a lot of high schoolers: the coolest clothing styles didn’t fit well. So here are the retro ’80s fashion tips for teens that they recommended… in all their eighties glory.
Do you remember these vintage Mad magazine back page Fold-Ins – where, with a couple of folds, you could change the page’s picture, and its message? Look back at a few of these clever pieces of art created by Al Jaffee.
They toasted! They cooked! And, most important of all: these vintage toaster ovens warmed up TV dinners without needing to heat up the full-size oven. See how the little kitchen appliances evolved over the years, right up through the 1980s.
The 1970s arrival of old-school food processors like these vintage Cuisinarts – along with similar small appliances from other companies – were some of the most beloved kitchen tech tools since the invention of the stand mixer.
Gen X kids got to prove that these 1980s fruit snacks – non-perishable packaged sweet and chewy treats – would be big sellers… and the forerunners of the dozens of similar snacks on the market today.
Although it seems to be everywhere now, Sprite, Coca-Cola’s lemon-lime soft drink. was only introduced back in the sixties. Even back then, though, it wasn’t a guaranteed success.
Back in the eighties, these cute vintage Mr Culver’s Sparklers stained glass air fresheners took the problem of ugly room deodorizers, and made them look like little works of art that you could hang in the window.
Combining Southern icons like moonshine running, muscle cars, car chases and country music, The Dukes of Hazzard TV series ran for seven seasons between 1979 and 1985. Rewind and remember the show here!
Here’s the original press release that a small company called Apple released back in 1984, announcing the launch of their new Macintosh personal computer – the first mass-market PC with both a graphical user interface and a mouse.
How many of these cool vintage scratch-n-sniff stickers do you remember seeing? Can you vividly recall their scents, too? Here’s a look back at a collection of more than 50 of the decals.
Originally envisioned as a beer garden, this Florida destination has grown and grown. Here, see what the famous vintage Busch Gardens amusement park was like from the 1950s right through to the 1990s.
Take a look back at these cute plastic retro Rubbermaid food storage containers, mixing bowls, measuring cups and other kitchen gadgets that lived in kitchens during the seventies and eighties.
On this 1982 sitcom, the Square Pegs were Patty Greene (a young Sarah Jessica Parker) and Lauren Hutchinson (Amy Linker). Patty was the smart, skinny, nearsighted one; Lauren was the one with baby fat and braces. The round hole was Weemawee High School.
