# Need ideas for 1980s themed party



## BevAnn (Aug 7, 2007)

I'm just gonna close my eyes...and go back to high school....

movies - Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Top Gun, Weird Science

Music - Duran Duran, Culture Club, Thompson Twins, Prince

Leg warmers, ripped tshirts, Member's Only jackets, bomber jackets, Converse hightops, ponytails on the side of your head, clothes in neon colors, big hair, rock star/movie star posters out of Tiger Beat magazine, boom boxes, popped collars, Izod, Levi 501 button ups, rolled pant legs, ok...I'm out of ideas....for now! 

 This probably didn't help ya much, but I'll keep thinking...


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## walkingcorpse (Aug 29, 2008)

Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr cutouts or mannequis would be a must, perhaps with a Voodoo economics prop or maybe holding a mini disco ball with a dollar tree LED spotlight shinning on it (thousand points of light.)


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## Warrant2000 (Oct 18, 2008)

Large sign that says in all caps, "FRANKIE SAYS RELAX". Posters with large color swags, circles, squares, think the tv show "In Living Color".

Break dancing, mullets, Trans Am, old school rap, Scorpions, because I wear my sunglasses at night. Anything Star Wars.

Pop rocks, Tab soda, Mello Yello, tv dinners, candy cigarettes, Chocola, YooHoo, fundue, gourmet pizza, potatoe skins, candy necklaces, blow pops, pixie stix.


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## colmmoo (Jul 23, 2005)

You should have a glow room - think of that Wham video where they're wearing fluorescent colors.


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## mrhamilton234 (Sep 7, 2008)

Neon colors are must. Also, slasher films were popular in the 80's, plenty of well known killers and some only horror freaks know (the original Prom Night). One other thing, +1 on whoever said the Ronald Reagan/George H.W. Bush idea. We all know politicians are the REAL ghouls and goblins.


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## Moonchicky (Jun 4, 2005)

I did an 80's themed party last year and glow necklaces were a huge hit. Also gave out massive flourescent sunglasses (from the party store) and we did a moonwalk contest. For invitations, I found images of Garbage Pail kids cards (Halloween themed ones like Boney Joanie) and printed them on card stock as if they were the cards themselves - and had our party info on the back side in a bubble type font. It was a great time- too many funny costumes!


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## Chuckmeout (Aug 31, 2009)

Rubiks cubes and glow sticks and candy necklaces are definetly a must. You could play 80's horror movies like evil dead, friday the 13th, etc (even weird science). I would also definelty stick with the 80's music. That decade did give us lots of halloween songs like thriller and ghostbusters.


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## dippedstix (Jul 2, 2009)

BevAnn said:


> I'm just gonna close my eyes...and go back to high school....
> 
> movies - Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Top Gun, Weird Science
> 
> ...


You forgot to mention the Madonna look, belts, leggings. bracelets  Ah, the good ole days!


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## HeatherEve1234 (Sep 5, 2008)

giant "brick" cell phones
Apple II GS computers
(For playing Number Munchers & Oregon Trail, or printing on dot-matrix printers with punched edge paper)
Guess, Esprit, & Girbaud Jeans
Lisa Frank Stickers

The '80s Server has a lot of things to buy or inspire


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## dippedstix (Jul 2, 2009)

HeatherEve1234 said:


> giant "brick" cell phones
> Apple II GS computers
> (For playing Number Munchers & Oregon Trail, or printing on dot-matrix printers with punched edge paper)
> Guess, Esprit, & Girbaud Jeans
> ...


Oh man, forgot all about the Girbaud jeans!! Wow....


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## Count Chocula (Oct 19, 2007)

Just think of that A-Ha video for the song "Take on Me"........

black and white 80's comic book scene, that would be old school

this might help for the whole 80s.... YouTube - Trip through the 80s - A Video Compilation


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## Annea (Aug 14, 2004)

What about taking some style tips from 80s horror films, like "The Lost boys', 'Fright night' etc


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## inscritri (Sep 23, 2009)

Hi guys, Im a newbie. Nice to join this forum.


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## tree45 (Aug 19, 2009)

When we did our 80's party we took white garbage bags, "freeze frame" remember that video? we splashed neon paint on them and hung them up in the bathroom...same with matching shower curtain. we made a dance floor (black, white and neon checkered squares on m.d.f.). The music makes it though. We had a "we are the world" moment and my bro dressed as tom cruise in that movie he dances in his underwear (crap I can't remember it now) and did the dance. Rock on!!


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## Ecula (Oct 21, 2007)

One word: THRILLER!  It was released in 1982 or something,
and there are ghosts. Maybe you find some ideas watching the
video.


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## walkingcorpse (Aug 29, 2008)

Oooh, and if you've still got em get out your Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manuals and Dungeon Master's Guide for the coffee table...good times.


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## zoe (Sep 23, 2009)

I love the 80s prom dress/miami vice look...cheap and plentiful at the dollar store. Didn't Carrie come out in the 80s? You could all do the Thriller dance. And lots of neon. I'm thinking about doing the dot room in my bathroom. I think that would go well w/ your theme.


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## zoe (Sep 23, 2009)

Sorry, I meant second hand store, not dollar store.


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## moonchildani (Sep 20, 2009)

Definitely big HAIR, spandex and glam rock ! Think Poison. Miami Vice. Oh Rikki your so fine ...it was a weird bright vibrant carefree era... I love above the idea of the florescent room and all the bright colors ...an award for who shines the brightest ? Break dancing ....original FAME ... the ending sounds of Disco ~ You dropped the bomb on me ~ and besides big hair ...everyones hair was feathered ...even guys (remember the hardy boyz.)
I looked back at some of my HS pics and pants with cuffs rolled up til they fell off seemed to be the style ...James Jeans, San Fransiscos, Icecream jumpsuits and rocky mountains...and wedge shoes (which are back/still in style?) Heres an embarrassing pic of my 10th grade,







cut out pic of braces and all ...Definitley IZOD and Members only jackets for guys...Hang Ten, Vans. LOL Nylon shorts that showed more than s/b LOL ....oh I think I even had a terry cloth pink silk lined short and jacket outfit that I loved to wear when I rollar skated. Now thats embarrassing. LOL
As far as what I remembered for food ~ they had to put a ban on Big Gulps at school as that was all the rage to bring back the biggest Big Gulp...Kegger partys were happening (tho we werent of age to really be there) Pac Man and Centipied were the arcade games... and sharing a large pizza pan of fried potatoes was the after school munchies (or 7 Eleven) Hope that helps any ~ it was fun for me ...stroll down memory lane LOL


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## savagehaunter (Aug 22, 2009)

party favors could be Rubix Cubes. I was in High School in the 80's and this whole thread is like a blast from the past. I love it.


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## Deadna (Oct 19, 2002)

Being a HUGE packrat I still have all my decorations from all the parties I threw in the 80's. They mostly consisted of cardboard cutouts you had to "punch" along the perforations yourself and those cardboard jointed skeletons,most everything was cutesy. Back then they made really big blow-mold type wall decorations that have held up fairly well over the years and I was reminded in my old pics that Glade or some air freshener company made these cute wax-like fresheners in the shapes of witches and ghosts....I collected several of them. I even have all my party dishes from back then because they were made of a heavy plastic. I have been thinking of digging all that out this year and decorating retro but they are buried so deep I doubt they'll ever see the light of day again...LOL!


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