Ah, the 70s and 80s—a time of big hair, cassette tapes, and gadgets that seemed cutting-edge back in the day but would leave today’s kids scratching their heads. Let’s take a fun trip down memory lane and look at 15 everyday items from the ’80s that would totally baffle the younger generation.
1. VHS Tapes
Remember the joy of walking into Blockbuster, grabbing a VHS, and praying it wasn’t already rented out? Today’s kids, used to streaming everything on demand, would have no idea how to pop one of these into a VCR (let alone understand the struggle of rewinding).
2. Rotary Phones
These clunky, dial-spinning contraptions were once the height of home communication. Can you imagine a kid today trying to make a phone call without a touchscreen? Spoiler: It wouldn’t go well.
3. Cassette Tapes
Mix tapes were the ultimate way to share your feelings. But the concept of a cassette player, fast-forwarding, and flipping sides would be like alien technology to kids today.
4. Walkman
Before AirPods, we had the Walkman. This portable music player was a must-have, even though it only played one cassette at a time. Explaining to a kid today why you couldn’t instantly skip tracks would probably blow their minds.
5. Boom Boxes
Boom boxes were the portable party starters of the ’80s. You had to lug these around with a stack of cassettes or, later on, CDs. Today’s kids, with their tiny Bluetooth speakers, can’t even fathom it.
6. Floppy Disks
Once upon a time, these little square disks stored all your important computer files. The fact that they could hold only a fraction of what a USB drive or cloud storage can hold would be beyond comprehension today.
7. Pagers
Before we had smartphones glued to our hands, there were pagers. You’d receive a beep and a number to call back. Kids today would ask, “Why not just send a text?”
8. Dial-Up Internet
Ah, the sweet, screechy sound of dial-up. Kids today, who’ve never known life without high-speed Wi-Fi, would be baffled by the idea of waiting several minutes just to check your email.
9. Atari Consoles
Before Xbox or PlayStation, there was Atari. The games were simple—think blocky pixels moving across the screen—but they were revolutionary at the time. Good luck getting a kid to see the appeal now.
10. TV Antennas (‘Rabbit Ears’)
Before cable, you had to adjust these awkward metal rods just right to get your TV channels. The concept of manually tuning in a signal is completely lost on kids who’ve grown up with crystal-clear streaming.
11. Disposable Cameras
Imagine telling a kid they can take only 24 pictures—and they won’t even see them until the film is developed. Disposable cameras were the norm for capturing memories, and patience was required!
12. Yellow Pages
Looking up phone numbers in a giant book? Yup, that’s how we did it in the ’80s. Kids today would laugh at the idea of not Googling someone’s contact info.
13. Fax Machines
Sending a document by phone line? Today’s kids wouldn’t even know where to begin. Why fax when you can just scan and email?
Remember any of these now seemingly ancient devices? Did you have any of your own? How times have changed!
