Weekly Retro Deep Dives

For this week’s Retro Deep Dive I am rewinding to one of the most fun parts of growing up in the 80s. The sleepover. Whether it was at your house or a best friend’s place, there was nothing like spending the whole night with music, movies, snacks, and nonstop laughs. Sleepovers were our chance to hang out past curfew, be a little silly, and talk about everything under the sun without any interruptions. It was our version of staying out all night and it felt like freedom. The night usually started with everyone dragging in their sleeping bags, pillows, and overnight bags full of Lip Smackers, Teen Beat magazines, cassette tapes, and maybe a favorite stuffed animal if you were still secretly attached to it. You would pick your spot on...

For this week’s Retro Deep Dive I am diving into something that took over our TVs and our imaginations. 80s toy commercials. If you were a kid back then, you remember them. They were exciting, loud, and absolutely unforgettable. These commercials did not just advertise toys. They created entire stories around them. Whether it was a Barbie dream world or a Transformers battle zone, those quick little ads made everything feel epic. Let’s flip the channel back and revisit that wild world of toy ads. The moment the screen lit up, it was like being dropped into another dimension. Kids just like us were suddenly on magical adventures, facing off in desert battles or flying through space, all while showing off the newest must have toy. These...

Remember the lunchroom of the 1980s? Pizza day reigned supreme, milk came in cartons, and the sound of lunch trays echoed across linoleum floors. The school cafeteria wasn’t just a place to eat. It was a social battleground, a fashion runway, and a daily ritual that felt like its own episode of an after school special. And let me tell you it really did. In the 80s, cafeteria food had its own legendary status. Rectangular slices of pizza, tater tots, corn niblets, chocolate pudding cups, and those unmistakable peanut butter bars that every kid either loved or traded. Lunch ladies were tough but kind, serving up meals with metal spoons and hairnets, and the smell of reheated spaghetti or Salisbury steak was part of the daily routine. The...

For this week’s Retro Deep Dive I’m going with a teenager’s bedroom during the 1980s. They were loud, personal expression of who we were and what we loved. It was our space to show off obsessions, crushes, bands, TV shows, and every part of our personality. Whether we were all about neon colors or moody rock vibes, our room’s said everything without us having to explain a word. I know mine did. Let’s throw open the bedroom door and take a walk through the posters, furniture, and flair that made 80s teen rooms unforgettable. Posters were the foundation of our rooms. Most of us didn’t hang them carefully or frame them. We plastered them corner to corner with thumbtacks or rolled tape. They came from music stores, magazines, TV guides...

Before streaming services like Netflix and Hulu took over and everything became one click away there was the video store. In the 1980s nothing felt more exciting than heading out to your local rental spot on a Friday night looking for that perfect movie to take home. I know I was always excited about it and I know for sure people who grew up in our generation were too. These stores were everywhere from big chains like Blockbuster and Video Treasures to smaller mom and pop shops tucked between pizza places and dry cleaners. You’d walk in and be hit with the smell of plastic cases worn carpet and microwave popcorn. Shelves were packed with VHS tapes their covers often more memorable than the movies themselves. New releases were...

Before smartphones and digital whiteboards, the school day in the 1980s was full of chalk, overhead projectors and the smell of warm pencil shavings. At least for me it was. It was a time when learning was hands on, lunch came in divided trays ( my mother prepated mine) , and passing a note across the room was an act of strategy. Whether you were in elementary school or junior high a typical school day back then had a rhythm and energy all its own. Morning Arrival The day usually started with a bumpy ride on a yellow school bus or a walk from home with your backpack slung over one shoulder. For me it was almost always the yellow school bus. Backpacks were simple and barely held the weight of your books. I remember they had some...

On this day we rewind to a neon lit era when the buzz of joysticks and the clinking of quarters ruled our free time and marked the unforgettable rise of 80s arcade culture. The 1980s was a golden age for arcades where machines like Pac Man Donkey Kong Galaga and Joust were more than games and became cultural landmarks. Whether you were hitting the local mall corner store or pizza place there was always a crowd huddled around the latest machine trying to land a high score and make their name immortal in glowing block letters. Arcades gave birth to the concept of competitive gaming long before esports existed. Friends would take turns strangers became rivals and time just disappeared under the dim lights of a game room humming with 8...

For this week’s Retro Deep Dive I wanted to dig into one of the most iconic parts of 80s school life the glorious Trapper Keeper. Whether you loved school or couldn’t wait for it to end having the right supplies was everything and nothing said you had style like a bold flashy folder with Velcro that snapped like thunder. Trapper Keepers weren’t just binders. They were statements. Covered in designs like neon lightning jets grids or pastel rainbows they kept your notes in order and your personality on full display. Some even came with matching folders and pencil cases that made your desk setup a mini showroom. Beyond the Trapper Keeper it was a golden age for school gear. Scented markers mechanical pencils scratch and sniff stickers...

For this week’s Retro Deep Dive we’re heading back to the heart of 80s teen life, the mall. Before online shopping and digital hangouts the mall was where everything happened. It was where friendships grew crushes started and personal style came to life. The 1980s mall wasn’t just about buying things. It was an experience. You’d walk through glass doors into a blast of air conditioning and the smell of soft pretzels and popcorn. Music echoed through open levels as you browsed stores with wild window displays packed with denim neon and big hair products. From Contempo Casuals and Chess King to Sam Goody and Spencer Gifts the mall was a playground of trends. Hitting the arcade was a must. You’d waste quarters on Pac Man or grab a slice...

On this day we spotlight the pulse of Friday nights during the 1980s the roller rink. Long before smartphones and streaming the local skating rink was the place to be. It was where music fashion lights and movement all collided to create something unforgettable. Roller rinks were more than just floors with wheels. They were social hubs packed with energy from kids and teens skating in circles under disco balls and neon lights. The music was nonstop often blasting the hottest 80s pop rock and freestyle tracks over crackling loudspeakers. Couples held hands in the center. Solo skaters practiced spins and tricks. And during couple skates the lights would dim just enough to make everything feel magical. The look was iconic. Colorful...