11 Nostalgic Things Only ‘80s Kids Will Truly Remember

1 | Saturday mornings were for cartoons.

Remember those days? Saturday morning cartoon viewing was an essential part of the weekend experience—Inspector Gadget, G.I. Joe, He-Man, The Smurfs, Scooby-Doo… the list goes on. Kids who grew up with streaming could never understand.

2 | Handwritten notes were passed in school.

We couldn't text, but we were proficient at passing notes. These beauties were handwritten and we were very sneaky at exchanging them at school without getting caught.

3 | Everyone created mix tapes.

Totally rad! Decades before streaming took over, the Spotify of the time was kids in the 1980s creating their own mixtapes, which was hard work. Bonus points to anyone who recorded their mixtapes off the radio!

RELATED: 30 Huge Bands from the '80s You Forgot About.

4 | Landline phones were a thing.

Yes, landlines. There were no cell phones—instead homes had a landline that everyone shared. If your siblings were being sneaky, they could listen in on your conversations, and you had to ask someone’s parents to speak to them, which would have text-only adults these days running for the hills. Not only that, but many homes in the 1980s still had rotary phones—try putting one of those in front of a 12-year-old today, they would have zero idea what to do with it.

5 | It was really expensive to call someone far away.

We’re so used to calling people on the other side of the planet without a second thought, but back in the 1980s long-distance charges were astronomical. Many children in the 80s got a scolding when their parents saw the bill come through in the mail. And if you wanted to make international calls, there was a whole industry that sold phone cards for it.

6 | The library was a great place to go to for books.

Yes, books! There were no E-readers in the 1980s—you checked out books from the library, both local and school. If you needed to do research or write a paper, there was no Google to help—you got a book at the library. Everyone used the library. And there were these things called card catalogs too that helped you find the book you were looking for.

7 | "A very special episode" was appointment viewing.

We got very special episodes back then of our favorite shows, usually highlighting some serious social issues of the day. Here’s a great roundup of some of the best.

8 | Slap bracelets were everywhere.

Like, duh! We all had our slap bracelets in the 1980s, which eventually got banned in schools in the ‘90s after kids were injuring themselves. The bracelets are making a comeback, but are no longer considered appropriate for kids.

9 | The "Just Say No" commercials were cringeworthy, yet memorable.

Commercials like this one were extremely common, as children were constantly reminded to "Just say no" when offered drugs. The catchy slogan was coined and championed by the First Lady Nancy Reagan, wife of President Ronald Reagan.

10 | Endless hours were spent with the Rubik's Cube.

Yes, it came out in the 1970s, but the 1980s were the golden age of the Rubik's Cube, fueled by the release of a best-selling book in 1981, "The Simple Solution to Rubik's Cube." This may not look familiar to kids these days, but in our days, 80s kids became pros at these.

11 | Evenings after school were for the arcade.

Everyone was doing it. You either went to the mall or to the arcade. Playing pinball, Pac-Man and other arcade games was a classic use of our time and we got really got at mastering these. Also a great place to socialize!

Bonus: What are kids from the 80s called?

Technically those born between about 1965 and 1980 are part of Generation X – the kids of the Baby Boomers. This generation came of age in the 1980s. The Millennial generation begins around 1981, so they may have some memories of this era.

What are the 80s remembered for?

The first Space Shuttle (Columbia) lifted off in 1981, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev worked to ease tensions between their nations, the Challenger tragedy in 1986, and the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 were some of the most memorable newsworthy events of the 80s.

What did kids in the 80s do?

Played outside! Video game consoles weren't really a thing yet, nor were computers. They built tree houses, biked, jumped rope, hopscotched, hula hooped, and played all kinds of outdoor games including sports. Board games were another past-time for this era.