Babies born in the 70s are about to feel very old (sorry about that), as we re-visit this decade and share some images which some of you might prefer to forget. Yes, we’ve all been there, mad hair, weird clothes, novelty pop records and teen crushes on a whole mixture of famous stars.
Fast forward to the 80s, where the brat pack ruled Hollywood. Tom Cruise hadn’t even heard of Scientology and Meryl Streep rode the New York City subway, without anyone giving her as much as a second look. The 70s and 80s was both embarrassing and awesome for many teenagers, including myself. When I was about 12 or 13, I would blush at the slightest thing and the thought blushing made me redden even more. Come on, let’s go back and have a laugh – you know you want to.
1 The Donny & Marie Show
Following an appearance on The Mike Douglas Show, where they co-hosted for a week, Donny and Marie Osmond were offered their own variety show. They were the youngest entertainers in TV history to front a show, as Donny was 18 and Marie only 16. I looked forward to seeing them every week, especially Donny, who was becoming more and more handsome.
They had many hits as a duo, including “I’m Leaving It All Up To You”, “Morning Side Of The Mountain” and “Make The World Go Away”. Marie also made history in her own right, reaching number 1 in the Billboard Country Music charts, with “Paper Roses” in 1973. They were such a perfect family and I did wonder if their teeth were real!
2 Monchichi Dolls
I had one of these adorable stuffed monkeys. It took pride of place at the bottom of my bed for many years, long after I should have grown out of cuddly toys. It was almost like a comfort blanket as I couldn’t sleep without knowing it was there! Mom would wash it every summer and I would see it cruelly hung by its tail on the washing line.
There were four TV series based on the line of characters, firstly in Tokyo, until it was picked up by Hanna-Barbera. It was a cute cartoon show, which made us buy even more monkeys!
3 The Price Is Right
“Come on down”, said the announcer, to the studio audience. They were selected to be given the chance to accurately price various items, to win cash and prizes. Bob Barker was the longest running host, and we all tuned in, as a family, willing the contestants to do well and shouting at the TV.
The Price Is Right has aired more than 8,000 episodes in total and ranked the greatest game show of all time. It was so entertaining and we all watched it for years. Our next door neighbor applied to be on the show but never heard back.
4 Clackers
You may have known them better as Clankers, Ker-Bangers and a whole host of other names. Who would have thought two plastic spheres suspended on string, and made to ‘clack’ together, would prove to be the fad of the 70s. We were all “clacking’, in the playground, after school, anywhere we could. We were addicted and there was no stopping us!
Fairly heavy and fast-moving, they were made of hard acrylic and would occasionally shatter when striking each other. Eventually, America classed them as a “mechanical hazard’. We couldn’t argue with that as our wrists and fingers would be covered in bruises. It was so painful when the clackers hit the bone on the side of your wrist – ouch!
5 Button Tin
Every household had a button tin. The tin could have originally been a cookie tin, a candy tin or anything else that was suitable to hold some useless objects. The idea was that, when you lost a button off your shirt, jacket or pants, a matching spare one would have your clothing looking as good as new. The reality was that the button tin was used as a toy.
I, personally, would separate them into colors and sizes. I would make patterns with them or pretend they were money coins, when I was playing grocery stores, with my dolls as customers. We had so many buttons in the tin, gathered over 20 years, probably, and only a handful were ever used to replace lost ones.
6 The Partridge Family
Anything with David Cassidy and I would be the first one in front of the TV. He played the oldest of 5 children, who, in the first series, spent their lives on the road, touring as a band. They performed in various venues and even in their garage. David Cassidy’s mom in the show was his real life step mom and his sister was played by the very beautiful Susan Dey.
After the first season, most of the show’s action takes place in their hometown, rather than on the road. David Cassidy wasn’t just a pretty face. He was a good actor as well as a talented musician and vocalist. Every teen magazine had his photo in it and we never tired of seeing him. After seeing a recent TV interview with him, it was sad to see him in a bad way.
7 Trivial Pursuit
The game’s popularity peaked in 1984 when an incredible 20 million games were sold and we can understand why. You could play it with all the family or just one partner. The question cards were organised into themes and colors. I remember science and nature was green and entertainment was pink. I always hoped for a pink question, as my general knowledge was never good.
Playing the game regularly allowed you to memorise the answers, which came in handy! Dozens of question sets have been released over the years, including sets for young children – something to get them away from the TV! I still have the game, stacked at the top of the spare wardrobe, along with a few other classics, such as Monopoly.
8 Sweet Valley High
Sweet Valley High was a great series of novels, written by a team of ghost writers. The books chronicled the lives of Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, identical twins, who lived in Sweet Valley, California. The twins and their friends attended Sweet Valley High. The series began in 1983 and I read each book as it was released, sometimes from the library and, occasionally, with a book token which I would have received for a birthday present.
They were classed as young adult fiction, although I started reading them when I was about 11. To my delight, due to the popularity of the books, there were several spin-off series, including Sweet Valley Senior Year and Sweet Valley University.
9 Hi-C Drink
Hi-C orange drink was the first in the range of this popular drink from our childhood. As it was packed with preservatives and E numbers, you didn’t need to stick it in the fridge, once it was opened. It was actually seen as a healthy drink due to it’s high vitamin level! Originally, many years earlier, it was only available in Los Angeles and San Francisco but, as sales soared, it became available nationwide.
New flavors of Hi-C fruit drinks were developed, including my favorite, grape. We were treated to apple and cherry drinks a little later on, which were delicious and, more recently, pineapple and grapefruit. Happy memories for me as I remember the original cans, pouring a drink and sitting on the step in the back yard.
10 Beaded Purse
I had the orange one and I had a bad habit of picking the beads off! It was the standard purse of the 70s for young girls. I never needed a wallet as I never had any notes – I was only a poor school girl who spent all her money on teen mags and candy!
There was a store, a few blocks away, which sold all manner of stuff. It was an Aladdin’s cave in there. Everything was mixed up and sometimes we would switch the price stickers to get the item cheaper!
11 Montgomery Ward Catalog
I must have spent hours looking through the catalog when I was young. I wanted the high platform stretchy boots more than anything in the world and it had to be the red pair. It was not to be and I held a grudge with my mom for ages, although I don’t think she even noticed!
The Christmas catalog was the best. I can remember the smell of the pages and the way they almost stuck together, as only brand new glossy pages do.
