My absolute favorite movie of all time is Sixteen Candles by John Hughes. I’ve watched it over and over—at least 100 times! If you haven’t seen it, it’s about newly 16-year-old Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald), who’s dealing with an unrequited crush on high school senior Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling), while also being pursued by freshman Ted “The Geek” Farmer (Anthony Michael Hall).

Set in suburban Chicago, Samantha “Sam” Baker hopes her 16th birthday will mark the start of something special—but she’s shocked when her entire family forgets about it because her older, self-absorbed sister Ginny is getting married the next day. While being overlooked by her family, Sam secretly hopes her senior crush Jake will finally notice her. Sixteen Candles was released on May 4, 1984, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you can find it on most streaming apps. Trust me—it’s a must-watch.

I was born in 1978, so I was a child of the 1980s. If anyone asks what my favorite era is, it’s absolutely the ‘80s. It was a decade full of unforgettable pop culture—iconic movies, incredible music, memorable TV shows, and the best toys. The nostalgia still runs deep, and those memories truly live on.

I look back fondly on my childhood. Music and movies felt more meaningful, and life just seemed more magical. My husband (who was also born in 1978) and I do our best to share that magic with our son, Jason. We show him classic movies, play ‘80s music, and introduce him to the video games and toys we grew up with.

My husband remembers seeing E.T. and says his most special movie from the ’80s was Rocky IV. I remember seeing E.T. too! I used to sleep over my Aunt Izzy’s apartment a lot, and she once made me a cassette mix tape of Bananarama songs. To this day, hearing Bananarama brings me right back to that time. I also remember her buying me a light purple Jorashé purse—I loved it and used it all the time, especially when she took me to get my ears pierced at the mall.

If you ask my husband who his favorite band is, he’ll say Poison. We expose Jason to a lot of ‘80s music, and we make sure he knows the bands and singers. He’s really starting to retain the ‘80s knowledge, which is pretty cool!

Besides Sixteen Candles, some of our favorite movies include:
The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, The Goonies, E.T., Star Wars, Footloose, Back to the Future, The NeverEnding Story, Labyrinth, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Big, Say Anything, Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, Stand by Me, and The Karate Kid.

So far, Jason has seen The Goonies, Star Wars, Labyrinth, Big, and Stand by Me. If you ask him his favorite movie, he’ll proudly say Stand by Me—and his favorite child actor? Corey Feldman, of course (who also starred in The Goonies). Jason now likes drinking Coke from a glass bottle, just like the kids in Stand by Me.

My husband and I often reminisce about growing up as ‘80s kids. Life felt carefree—we’d play outside all day with the neighborhood kids, ride our Big Wheels, and just enjoy being children. I had an Incredible Hulk Big Wheel—it was loud, bold, and awesome. We were the last generation to grow up before smartphones and constant screen time. If you were a kid in the ‘80s or early ‘90s, you truly had an unplugged childhood.

My mom recorded many of our childhood moments on a camcorder, later transferring the footage to CDs for each of us. Watching them brings back everything—the clothes, hairstyles, home decor. We had a big box-style TV, a VCR, and a landline phone with an answering machine. If you weren’t home, people had to leave a message and wait! Imagine that!

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🎮 Video Games in the ’80s

Home Consoles:

• Atari 2600
• Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) – Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Metroid
• Sega Master System
• ColecoVision and Intellivision

Home Computers:

• Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari 800 – Oregon Trail, Lode Runner, Zork
• Games came on floppy disks and even cassette tapes!

Arcades:

• Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Frogger, Centipede, Street Fighter, Space Invaders

My favorite was The Oregon Trail—I remember playing it in school. At home, we played Super Mario Bros. constantly on the NES. It was old-school tech, and we loved it.

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📺 MTV and Music

I also remember sneaking in some MTV time. I wasn’t allowed to watch it, so I’d wake up early to catch it while my parents were still asleep. MTV launched on August 1, 1981, and changed everything—it brought music videos and VJs into our living rooms and revolutionized pop culture.

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🎧 Walkmans & Mixtapes

Music was everything. My husband and I both had Walkmans—portable cassette players. You’d pop in a tape, hit play, and feel like the coolest kid around. ‘80s music was, and still is, the best. Jason’s starting to fall in love with it, too.

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🎈 Birthday Dreams & Old Stores

We both wanted a McDonald’s birthday party growing up—they were the ultimate celebration—but sadly, neither of us got one.

Stores have changed a lot, too. I remember when the Walmart in Danbury used to be Bradlees, and New Milford had Caldor. Radio Shack was the go-to for all things tech.

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👕 Fashion in the ’80s

Everyone:

• Acid-washed jeans
• Denim jackets
• Neon everything
• Graphic tees
• Tracksuits
• Reebok & Converse sneakers
• Fanny packs

Girls/Women:

• Mini skirts with leggings
• Off-the-shoulder tops
• Ruffled blouses, shoulder pads
• Scrunchies, banana clips
• Jelly shoes

Boys/Men:

• Members Only jackets
• Parachute pants
• Bandanas
• Ray-Bans

I had jelly shoes and tons of neon plastic bracelets. And yes—I even got a perm, because that’s what we did!

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🧸 Popular ’80s Toys

• Cabbage Patch Kids
• Transformers
• My Little Pony
• Care Bears
• He-Man
• Teddy Ruxpin
• Rubik’s Cube
• Lite-Brite
• Skip-It
• Troll Dolls
• Simon
• Big Wheels
• Waterful Ring Toss
• Pogo Ball

Many of these toys are coming back—and I love it!

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📺 Favorite ’80s TV Shows

• The A-Team
• Miami Vice
• Cheers
• The Cosby Show
• Family Ties
• Full House
• Knight Rider
• Magnum, P.I.
• Growing Pains
• ALF
• DuckTales
• Saved by the Bell
• Diff’rent Strokes
• Silver Spoons
• The Dukes of Hazzard

We’ve already introduced Jason to Full House and Saved by the Bell, and he’s really taken an interest in the ‘80s. He talks about it often and brings up things he’s learned—which always makes us smile. We’ll keep sharing this special decade with him. It’s like passing down a piece of who we are.

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If you have an ‘80s memory or story, I’d love to hear it. Drop me a comment below!
Thanks so much for reading.

Love,
Fran xoxo