1980s sleeping bags that made sleepovers feel epic
Plenty of these bags came straight from department store catalogs, and they covered a wide range of pop culture. In the early part of the decade, you could find Bugs Bunny, the Pink Panther and Mighty Mouse side by side with superhero groups that included Wonder Woman, Supergirl and even Popeye. Some featured more unexpected themes — like peanut butter and jelly characters, or racing stripes and space designs. For kids who liked animals, there were bags with owls, raccoons, horses and bears. The options kept growing each year.
By the mid-80s, the designs had expanded to cover just about every corner of pop culture. There were sleeping bags with G.I. Joe, Transformers, Care Bears, She-Ra, My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, Garfield, Barbie, Hot Wheels and more. Even food brands and bright neon patterns made appearances, especially in Lisa Frank-style designs. Disney characters showed up too, along with Sesame Street, Pound Puppies and cartoon tie-ins from both Saturday morning and prime time. Whether grouped by “boy” or “girl” themes, the choices usually had something for every kid.
Below, we’ve pulled together a collection of vintage catalog pages and photos that show off the range of 1980s sleeping bags — from big-name superheroes to forgotten snack mascots. Flip through and see which ones you remember dragging to your next slumber party.
Character sleeping bags from 1981: Bugs Bunny, Benji, The Pink Panther
1980s sleeping bags: Spacecraft – Race cars – Tostitos
’80s slumber bags: Peanut Butter and Jelly – Crayola Crayons – Country Kids
80s Superhero sleeping bags: Superman, Wonder Woman
The Wonder Woman sleeping bag also includes Wonder Girl, Supergirl and Bat Girl. And Popeye is somehow included in this Superhero set.
80s sleeping bags: Mighty Mouse & The Amazing Spider Man
Animal characters and body blankets from 1981
Horses, bears, owls, raccoons, frogs, lions & more
A vintage Winnie-the-Pooh sleeping bag from 1981
1980s slumber bags: Includes Alice in Wonderland, Lone Ranger & Tonto, and Sesame Street characters (1980)
Sleeping bags: Unicorn and rainbow, She-Ra Princess of Power, Sesame Street, My LIttle Pony, Alvin & the Chipmunks, Wuzzles, Rainbow Brite (1985)
Vintage sleeping bags: Super Powers, G I Joe, TransFormers, Go Bots, Masters of the Universe, Golden Girl, Knight Rider (1985)
Popular kids’ characters on these eighties slumber bags (1985)
Cartoons included: Care Bears, GLO Friends, Garfield, Care Bears, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Strawberry Shortcake, Hugga Bunch
Vintage TV show sleeping bags (1986)
See Care Bears, Jem, She Ra, Unicorn, My Little Pony, Teddy Ruxpin, My Child, Rainbow Brite
80s sleeping bags: Lisa Frank – Gumball machine & Heart and bear balloons slumber bags (1986)
MORE: Vintage Lisa Frank: Transforming technicolor whimsy into a fun neon reality (1980s & 1990s)
1980s sleeping bags with “boy” themes (1986)
These bags featured Hot Wheels, Centurions, Sesame Street, Pound Puppies, Transformers, G I Joe, MASK, Garfield, Masters of the Universe
Vintage sleeping bags with “girl” themes (1988)
Unicorn, Lady Lovelylocks, Raggedy Ann, My Little Pony, Pound Puppies, Barbie and the Sensations, Bubblegum, Sesame Street, Dinosaurs, Clown, Pee Wee’s Playhouse (1988)
1980s sleeping bags: Classy Duck, Pandas, A to Z, Ocelot, Camouflage, Luv-A-Phant (1988)
80s slumber bags & tents (1988)
Patterns included Disney Mickey’s Express, Duck tales, Roger Rabbit, Bambi, Mickey ‘n Minnie, Magic Kingdom
80s sleeping bags: Alf, Lobo, Hot Wheels, Karate, Snoopy, Superman, Ghost Busters & Garfield (1988)
NOW SEE THIS: See 70 beautiful vintage canopy beds from the 1970s
