As technology boomed and advanced by great strides in the
1980s, computerized toys became more advanced and simple robots
became highly popular. Marketing geared towards children became
more and more common too, as companies developed new cartoons in
order to specifically market towards the young viewers. Video games
also became more popular and more advanced as the decade progressed
and more manufacturers threw their hats into the ring like Nintendo
and Sega. Many popular toys were also very expensive as the economy
boomed during the decade and excess became the name of the
game.
Slide 3
In the 80s, new toys, activities, and games created a craze for
Americans, especially during the Christmas season which led to
parents raiding and tackling others in stores. For example, in
1984, when Cabbage Patch Dolls were released to stores, parents
tackled each other to get these new dolls for their children. This
caused chaos throughout malls across the country.
Slide 4
Young children in the 80s made playing arcade games one of the
most popular things to do. Arcades became popular because they were
an easy and cheap way to waste time and still have fun. The most
popular video game that could be found in an arcade was Pacman. The
game was released in the early 80s by Namco, and it was such a
success because the game was able to appeal to both young girls and
boys.
Slide 5
The most popular board game in the 80s, was Trivial Pursuit.
The game was released in 1982. The concept of the game is to answer
multiple questions on general knowledge and pop culture while you
move along the board. In the 80s, 20 million games of Trivial
Pursuit were sold across the country.
Slide 6
In the 80s, many people believed that they needed to stay fit
by doing various activities and exercising. Teens during the summer
went out- side and engaged in roller skating, skateboarding, and
riding their bike. There was an exercise craze throughout the 80s,
and it was encouraged by the government to stay fit and eat
healthy. During this exercise craze, McDonald's suffered
economically from Americans turning to healthier foods. Teens in
the 80s were more active than teens today which explains the higher
rate of teen obesity in the 21st century.
Slide 7
Cabbage Patch Kids Care Bears Micro Machines Masters of the
Universe
Slide 8
My Little Pony Rainbow Brite Pound Puppies
Slide 9
Star Wars Toys Teddy Ruxpin She-Ra Rubiks Cube
Slide 10
Garbage Pail Kids
Slide 11
Slide 12
Rubiks Cube If you are curious, youll find the puzzles around
you. If you are determined, you will solve them. Rubik
Slide 13
Rubiks Cube Created by Erno Rubik in 1974 in Hungary Rubik was
interested in the way the cube turned in different directions.
Rubik was a college professor who wanted his students to think in
new ways about three dimensional geometry. The first multi-colored
cube appeared in Hungarian stores in 1977.
Slide 14
The first Rubiks Cube hit Western stores in 1980 and became an
international sensation. Entertained kids and adults for HOURS!
About the CUBE: * 6 sides * each side 9 squares different colors
(blue, green, orange, red white, and yellow) * 3x3 grid pattern *54
squares on the cube, 48 moved ( the center square on each side were
stationary).
Slide 15
Rubiks Cube was a simple cube but difficult to solve. By 1982,
more than 100 million Rubiks Cubes had been sold, BUT not solved
There are 43,252,003,274,489,856,0 00 possible configurations.
Several books were published on how to solve the Cube.
Slide 16
In 1982, the first annual International Rubiks Cube
Championships were held in Hungary. The record for solving the Cube
is 8.72 seconds, held by Yu Nakajima of Japan. To date more than
300 million Rubiks Cubes have been sold making it one of the most
popular toys of the 20 th Century.
