30 Things Everyone Had in Their Home in the 80s

When you think back to how your home looked during the 80s, what did it have? Those fuzzy electric blankets with the silk on the ends? Or how about those green, yellow, orange and red tupperware dishes? Of course, we all had that giant TV set sitting on our living room floors with the number pad on the right side.

The 80s home just wouldn’t be complete without these styles, knickknacks and keepsake furniture. Check out this list to see if you can find some of your old things or if you still have them! We’d love to know if you do.

1. Walkman Cassette Players

Invented in 1979, the Walkman was the most advanced, convenient pieces of technology during the 80s. Sony sold over 50,000 units just during the first two months. Eventually, it was changed to play CDs during the 90s, until the mp3 player took over. That was it for this little gadget.

2. Fanny Packs

Fanny packs came out during the late 80s and now they’re back! Super convenient for women who didn’t want to carry around a big purse, they were convenient and stylish! They came in all different kinds of colors, but generally the same shape and size.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Toys

If you were a boy in primary school during the 80s and you didn’t have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures, you probably weren’t part of the “in” crowd. The trend first started from a comic book, then moved to action figures, then mini-series and finally a cartoon series. But even today, these old toys can be sold for the right price if you find the right buyer on eBay or Craigslist.

4. Cabbage Patch Kids Dolls

As one of America’s doll lines with the longest history, Xavier Roberts sold the Cabbage Patch Kids as soft, doll-like toys. The idea first came to him at the age of 21 in art school when he used his quilting skills and the ancient technique of “needle molding” to develop his own line of fabric sculptures. The Cabbage Patch Kids were then manufactured by Coleco, Hasbro, Mattel and finally Wicked Cool Toys.

5. Tupperware

While the form, color and styles have changed over the years, tupperware containers have been in American home cabinets since the 80s. First starting as sturdy, vegetable-colored plastic bowls, they’ve become thinner and clear over the years. Now they’re sold with food in them, like lunch meats, cheeses and lettuce. But then, nothing could crack these babies; they definitely don’t make them like they used to.

6. Recipe Card Boxes

A lot of families still have recipe cards and boxes as they’re super convenient. Most people find recipes for free on YouTube, Google and Pinterest nowadays, but these sites are so filled with ads you can’t even see the recipe! These little cards on the other hand are the best, even when they become stained and crusted with oil, crumbs, butter and other ingredients. That just means they were put to good use and made delicious meals.

7. Bush Radios

Forget Amazon Alexa and Spotify. We spend too much time picking out which song we listen to when it was as easy as turning on your Bush Radio and doing your thing. Life was simpler in the 80s; we didn’t have nearly the amount of distractions we do today. Bush Radios also made chores, crafts, cooking and projects that much more fun and enjoyable.

8. Matching Bathroom Sets

Sanitary? Absolutely not. But stylish? Heck yes! Who wouldn’t want to sit down on a fuzzy toilet cover while storing your favorite accessories on the float tank? Let’s not forget the matching toilet liner and bath mats. Which colors did you have in your bathroom during the 80s?

9. Banana Clips

Banana clips were a life-saver back then. They kept your hair pulled back without having to put it in a ponytail, and it was stylish. They also came in so many different colors, shapes and sizes, almost like collectibles. And surprise! They’re back again today.

10. Character Bedding

He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spider-Man, Care Bears…which character bedding did you have? The only time we slept without them was at our grandparents’ house (and even then, some of us still had them). They also match our hip wallpaper, toys, clothes and just about everything else. Toy companies didn’t have the marketing they do today, so decking out their consumers’ bedrooms was the real deal during the 80s.

11. Matchbox Cars

$1 cars back then, or were they $.50? Regardless, we could play with these things for hours. And when we found them in between the sofa cushions and under the furniture, it was Christmas all over again. Except for the beating we got after our parents stepped on them for leaving them on the floor. They also became corroded after a while, which then began to smell. But who cares, it was super cool to race them through the hallway, off the table and down the stairs.

12. Big Box TVs

Some TVs came with antennas, others had the number pad on the side to switch channels. But as more stations became available and prices dropped so families could afford more than one, it was nice to play Atari in your room while your parents watched The Cosby Show in the living room. Even back then, it was pretty convenient. What shows did you enjoy watching on your bulky box TV?

13. Commodore 64 Micro Computers

If you had a Commodore 64 Micro Computers, you were most likely playing computer games or working on a computer software or some office processing tool. This model is actually on the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest-selling computer of all time, even outselling Apple computer and IBM PCs. While it was chunkier than ever, it’s been compared to the Fort Model T for its role in bringing a new technology to middle-class families through affordable mass production.

14. Vintage Alarm Clocks

Maybe your vintage alarm clock didn’t look like this, but you had to use something to get you up for school or work. Was it character themed? Who was on it?

From ringing bells to digital beeps, the alarms were annoying but I bet you never slept through them. They’re also known for going out of style way before they broke. Does your old alarm clock still work?

15. Vintage Silverware

Instead of being all metal, a lot of vintage silverware had plastic on the end that was some other color than metal. Yellow, blue, white and green, these made the dinner table look a lot more enticing than just simple old silverware. Why not add some color?

16. Casserole Dishes

I bet you had a whole set of casserole dishes with flowers on it. Who didn’t? Sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, tuna casserole, there were loads of recipes you could use from your recipe card box and throw them in these stylish dishes. They’re also dishwasher safe, durable and convenient to bring over to family parties.

17. Bottles of Milk

Remember when the milk man came to make a delivery? That was about as close to an Amazon delivery as you could get in the 80s. But regardless, it was fresh milk! You certainly didn’t have to make those late night or early morning runs to the gas stations back then. You also had that thick, delicious cream at the top instead of having it all watered down like those you buy in the store. But over time, local dairies and creameries found it easier and cheaper to sell milk in plastic jugs at the grocery store. Sigh…

18. Bread Boxes

Bread boxes definitely weren’t known for keeping the bread fresh, but they sure were convenient. Even as the crumbs got everywhere, you just had to pull it out and cut a slice, great for an after school snack! There’s also nothing like that smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the house and grabbing it out of the bread box.

19. Electric Typewriters

If you had to type up a paper for school, legal document or any other paperwork, typewriters were the machine to use. If you didn’t have the Commodore Micro Computer, you’d sit down in your hard metal chair with wheels and peck away at this loud, heavy piece of metal. Made a mistake on your work? Grab some white-out!

20. Chrome and Cane Wood Chairs

Despite sitting on a very thin piece of wood with hardly any back support, chrome and cane wood chairs were actually pretty comfortable. There were always food crumbs that fell through the little holes and eventually the wood would rip, but they were definitely stylish in the 80s.

21. Wallpaper

What better to stylize those walls up than wallpaper! Flowers, flowers and more flowers, they matched those black and white stove tops, shaggy orange carpeting and flowery couches you had in your living room. This design was installed in almost every suburban home up until the 90s. But heads up! Like other styles, this might be coming back! Just stay away from those white wooden kitchen cabinets, black and white tile flooring and shaggy orange carpeting.

22. Rubik’s Cubes

Created by Erno Rubik, a professor at Budapest’s Academy of Applied Arts and Design, the Rubik’s Cube was originally called the Magic Cube in 1977. By 1980, it was all over TV commercials as they poured into American’s homes and sat on kitchen counters and coffee tables for days, unfinished. Unless if you could figure out the algorithms, we’d spend hours on this puzzle with only a side or two finished. I still can’t figure it out to this day, but you can Google the algorithms.

23. Trivial Pursuit

It started in 1979, sold 20 million units in one year, then another 100 million after that. Since then, Trivial Pursuit has taken numerous formats and is still considered a popular game night choice for many families today. If you’re not playing Jackbox games on Zoom, you might’ve played this one once or twice during quarantine. Which version do you have?

24. Garage Door Openers

Garage door openers were invented during the rough economic times of the late 70s, but by the 80s, everyone considered them essential. They weren’t easy to install back then, and they haven’t gotten much easier now, especially now that you can connect them to your phone and open them from any location! All you need is the app…

25. Floor-to-Ceiling Mirrors

There weren’t a lot of homes with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, but they did give them a sense of luxury. It was common to see them in tv shows and movies, like Poltergeist III, to show off the rest of the home. Interior designers back then also reported that floor-to-ceiling mirrors also added a feeling of more space while hiding the cabinetry and entertainment center. Interior designers also used them to direct the light as well as their clients’ eyes on the highlights of the home.

26. Polaroid Cameras

Polaroid goes back a long way, but in the 80s, almost every home had one or something similar.  Nowadays, they’re not as popular as high-resolution cameras are built right into your thousand dollar phone. But Polaroid cameras are still available online where you can print your pictures and stick them in photo albums. There’s definitely a lot of nostalgia of going through old photos with your family.

27. Blinds

Almost every window during the 80s had blinds, making up 70-80% of the window-covering market besides curtains. Even then, there were designs of all sorts so they could match those gorgeous flowery wallpapering. They were also great at hiding bad design and structural errors. But today, they’re nothing but a bad design and structural error. Out with the dust-filled blinds and in with the thick curtains!

28. Faux Stone Fireplaces

Fireplaces can add a lot of value to homes, but their design also plays a huge part in the overall appearance of a living room. In the 80s, homeowners began replacing their brick fireplaces with faux stones as well as platform furniture and track lighting: a common setup in the 80s.

29. Hi-Fi Sound Systems

Before the engulfing surround sound systems we have today, hi-fi sound systems were the latest technology in the 80s. These paired perfectly with your VCR, projection TVs and turntables. Now that was an entertainment center. But they surely did come a long way from the boring old radio sets in the 50s.

30. Brassy Chandeliers

Gotta love those brassy chandeliers to match your cotton table cloth and colored vintage silverware. It was certainly elegant, until it became filled with dust and you had to spend an hour cleaning out the tiny corners. But these fall colors were popular during the 80s: brown, orange, red and yellow.

What Else Did You Have?

From the china cabinets to the tall fake ferns in the corners of the room, there were a lot of trends running through every American home during the 80s. We’d love to hear about the style and things you had in your home during this iconic area. Please let us know in the comments below!s