About This Quiz
For children who grew up in the 1980s, it was a magical time. Classic television shows and toy store merchandising seemed to align perfectly. Trying to explain how great certain shows (like "Double Dare" and "Muppet Babies") or certain toys and promotional tie-ins (like "Garbage Pail Kids" or Ecto Cooler Hi-C) were to a co-worker or a family member who just wasn't around for it can be exasperating. But hey, it's not your fault. You grew up in the '80s.
We get you. That's why we've compiled a nostalgic trip to see just how much you remember about growing up in the decade of decadence. Think your childhood was the quintessential '80s experience? Take this quiz to find out.
Maybe you've hopped online to find some of those throwback toys you once had and lost. Maybe you're now a parent, and you're starting to share video games and television shows you used to love with your little ones. Either way, we're throwing an '80s party with this quiz, and you're invited.
So synchronize your Swatch watch. It's time to go back to the '80s. Take the quiz today!
The signature of Xavier Roberts, the Cabbage Patch Kid creator, is stamped onto the bare bottom of every doll. The iconic dolls utilized “needle molding” which was a method of shaping fabric that hailed from 1800s Germany.
The Garbage Pail Kids trading cards were a send up of the popular Cabbage Patch Kids from the Topps Company. Spiegelman, who spent 20 years working for Topps, was also the creator of the "Maus" graphic novels.
A creation of graphic artist Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario was an early opponent of the titular character in the arcade video game "Donkey Kong" back in 1981. In the early years, Mario was called Jumpman.
Advertisement
"Family Ties" first aired in 1982 and told the story of two former hippies now bringing up a family in suburbia. The show starred a young Michael J. Fox before his "Back to the Future" days.
Set in a Boston bar, "Cheers" had an 11-year run on television and won six Golden Globes. A spin-off series called "Frasier" was set in Seattle and ran on television for another 11 years.
The theme song of "Who's the Boss?" is called "Brand New Life." The show ran for eight seasons and told the story of a former baseball player who takes a job as housekeeper for a Big Apple ad exec.
Advertisement
Starring Alan Thicke and Kirk Cameron, "Growing Pains" was a 1980s classic that ran for seven seasons and was nominated for three Golden Globes. Did you know? The show also featured a very young Leonardo DiCaprio for 24 episodes.
Originally created by General Mills back in the 1930s, Kix is a puffed corn cereal that only boasts three grams of sugar in a serving. Today, you can get Honey Kix or Berry Berry Kix.
Toucan Sam could always lead you to a nice bowl of Froot Loops. These days, Kellogg's also makes Wild Berry Froot Loops and Froot Loops with Marshmallows. The current marketing has embraced the fact that Froot Loops cereal makes for an excellent evening snack.
Advertisement
"Happy Days" ran for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984. Many contend that "Happy Days" started taking a turn for the worse when Fonzie literally jumped over a shark while on water skis in an episode that aired September 20, 1977.
For eight imaginative seasons, we got to explore the nursery with the "Muppet Babies." Interestingly, two 1980s comedians also gave voice to the character of Animal: Howie Mandel followed by Dave Coulier.
The California Raisins hit primetime with the "Meet the Raisins!" television special in November 1988. Continuing the music trend, co-director Will Vinton is also credited as a producer on Michael Jackson's "Moonwalker" from 1988.
Advertisement
She-Ra was introduced after Mattel and its multimedia partner learned three out of every ten He-Man fans were young girls. As a result, they introduced She-Ra. (Toy stores were slightly baffled where to shelve her.)
Created by an ex-journalist named Francine Pascal, the Wakefield twins are both blond, blue-eyed and impossibly beautiful, but Elizabeth is the goody-goody and Jessica is the wild one.
Gary Gnu is the newscaster on "The Great Space Coaster." As a journalist, he was committed to reporting anything except for actual, fact-based news. Did you know? Kevin Clash (Elmo from "Sesame Street") performed Goriddle Gorilla.
Advertisement
There was no Robert in "Eight Is Enough," which ran for five seasons and was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Show creator William Blinn also created the '70s cop show "Starsky and Hutch."
John Hughes wrote "Pretty in Pink," but Howard Deutch directed it. Other directing credits for John Hughes include "Planes, Trains & Automobiles," "Sixteen Candles" and "Weird Science."
Donnie, Danny, Joey, Jordan and Jonathan were the names of the Massachusetts guys who made up the classic boy band New Kids on the Block. Fans of the band also recognize them as NKOTB.
Advertisement
Donkey Kong was always throwing barrels. In 1982, Universal Studios claimed copyright infringement against Nintendo. The studio thought "Donkey Kong" was a little too close to "King Kong."
The object of the classic video game is to eat all of the 240 dots within the maze before the multi-color ghosts eat you. The ghosts start in the center of the maze and are colored red, blue, pink and orange.
Hungarian architect Erno Rubik first called his 1974 invention the magic cube. Composed of colorful squares (nine on a side), the Rubik's cube can be adjusted into a whopping 43 quintillion variations.
Advertisement
There were five original video jockeys: Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn. J.J. Jackson was the fifth original video jockey, and he passed away in 2004. He was 62 years old.
Shows like "You Can't Do That on Television," Double Dare" and "Wild and Crazy Kids" all made use of some sort of falling slime. According to "All That" alum Lori Beth Denberg, slime was a mix of applesauce, oatmeal and green food coloring.
A Nickelodeon staple that ran from 1986 to 1993, "Double Dare" featured trivia, messy physical challenges and host Marc Summers. On April 25, 2018, Nickelodeon went to social media to tell fans it was rebooting the show.
Advertisement
The Rodney Dangerfield-esque Alien Life Form was from the planet Melmac. He crashed into a family's garage and posed a threat to the family cat. Interestingly, the family shared a last name with the Tanners on "Full House."
"The A-Team" ran for five seasons (1983-1987) and was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards. Of course, "The A-Team" will always be remembered for Mr. T's performance as B.A. Baracus.
A young Laurence Fishburne played Pee-wee's buddy on the children's television program from 1986 to 1990. In 1991, the multi-talented actor would appear in "Boyz in the Hood" as Furious Styles (with a screen credit as Larry Fishburne).
Advertisement
The "Ghostbusters"-inspired Ecto Cooler was green, but the flavor was orange-tangerine. Did you know? Coca-Cola brought the childhood favorite back to store shelves for the 2016 "Ghostbusters" reboot.
The 1980s classic ran from 1984 to 1992 and won three Golden Globes. Did you know? From 1987 to 1988, comedian Adam Sandler made recurring appearances as a character named Smitty.
In "Small Wonder," which aired from 1985 to 1989, Ted Lawson built the android "Vicki." Did you know? Show creator Howard Leeds lived until the age of 97, passing away in 2017. He wrote for classic shows like "Diff'rent Strokes" and "Bewitched."
Advertisement