Memories from an ’80s Irish Childhood
I was browsing around Smyths Toy Shop last weekend looking for a present for Connors upcoming 4th Birthday. He’s all about Ben Ten and Batman at the moment. Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder have been consigned to the scrap heap “for babies”, I’m told. Oddly whilst browsing I notice what I thought were a 80’s fad “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” are now back in vogue. Looking much the same as I recall but probably about ten times more expensive. Turn the corner and there is My Little Pony, still doing the rounds. This trip down memory lane got me thinking about my favourite things growing up in the 80’s. Here are my top ten ’80’s memories.
1. My Little Pony – this was an odd obsession of mine as I’d no interest in horses, ponies or anything equestrian. The first time I actually rode a horse, I was 28. His name was Kingdom .When he took off in a moderate canter I got such a fright I vomited down the side him. I still owe Kinsealy riding stables for the 
lesson.
2. Rainbow Brite – such a cool cartoon. It even looked bright and cheery on our rabbit eared fuzzy 20 inch tv.
3. Strawberry Shortcake – if you rubbed Strawberry Shortcakes dress in a particular place, she smelled of strawberries. This was so cool at the time.
4. Alf – poor Alf was probably the ugliest toy ever made. I’ve no idea what he was meant to be, but he had pride of place on my bed for at least 2 years.
5. Cabbage Patch Kids – these came with a cool birth cert and had a birth stamp on their bum. My one was called Pollyanna, I remember being bitterly disappointed that Santa brought me a Cabbage Patch Kid with short hair and no pig-tails. 
6. Trolls – there was an ongoing competition in my class to see who had the most trolls and the best troll outfits. The uglier the troll the better. You’d line them up on your window 
sill until you moved out of home two decades later and they were all faded and covered with dust.
7. Wrinkles – I was about 8 when I got Wrinkles from Santa. A toy dog as well as a puppet. I drove my parents mad for a year insisting on using Wrinkles to talk to them in an annoying high-pitched voice. Any time something went wrong Wrinkles was the culprit. I will confess, he’s the only teddy to make it into our attic space in the hope of resurrection some day.
8. Lego – I had two Lego sets, an airport and a house. Lego is the one toy that will be infinitely cool.
9. Books – I loved The Famous Five – Julian , Dick, George , Ann and Timmy the Dog. They were so cool ,drinking their ginger ale and going on adventures to the beach or cousin Georges house or to a big tower in the next village. It was such amazing stuff. The Secret Seven weren’t a patch on The Famous Five running around solving the Mystery of the Missing Post or the Missing Yellow Jumper. I’ll give Enid Blyton this, she could make a mystery out of anything. I also loved Mallory Towers, primarily because they had tuck boxes, midnight feasts and played Lacrosse, a game I still know nothing about.
10. And finally my favourite programs. On a Saturday after bath time, I watched Knight Rider and the A Team. Then I had my Sunday morning favourites , Little House on The Prairie and The Waltons. Those families were just so nice, “Night Mary-Ellen, Night Jim-Bob”. No threats of “if you don’t get back into that bed, I’ll get the Wooden Spoon”. And finally what Sunday evening would be complete without Where in the World followed by Glenroe. I can still see that plastic beach ball on Where in the World being thrown over and back. Then there was the lovely Teresa Lowe. My dad always perked up when this was on. An in primetime slot just before the 9pm new you had Glenroe with Biddy, Miley, Fidelma, Dinny, Dick and Blackie. Such grand Irish names and such great story lines. That was until Miley rolled around in the hay with the floozy Fidelma , throwing the country into a state of unrest. Well holy god. Such a scandal.
So there is it my ’80’s nostalgia, lots of fond memories. There was definitely something very innocent about life in the ’80’s. As decades go, it gets a bad rap but bar the fleccie tracksuits all in all it was a great time to grow up.
ruthguerin 