Free A 1980s Childhood by Michael A. Johnson Page B

Willows
    The Young Ones
    Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
    Three of a Kind
    Through the Keyhole
    Thundercats
    Tiswas
    To the Manor Born
    Tomorrow’s World
    Tom’s Midnight Garden
    Top Gear
    Top of the Pops
    Transformers
    Treasure Hunt
    Tucker’s Luck
    Ulysses 31
    University Challenge
    Wacaday
    Wheel of Fortune
    Why Don’t You (Just Switch Off Your Television Set and Go and Do Something Less Boring Instead)?
    Willo the Wisp
    Wizbit
    Worzel Gummidge
    Yes Minister
    You Rang, M’Lord?
Films of the 1980s
A Fish Called Wanda
1988
Airplane
1980
Any Which Way You Can
    
1980
Arthur
1981
A View to a Kill
1985
Back to the Future
1985
Batteries Not Included
1987
Beetle Juice
1988
Beverly Hills Cop
1984
Big
1988
Biggles
1986
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure
1989
Caddyshack
1980
Chariots of Fire
1981
Clockwise
1986
Cocktail
1988
Cocoon
1985
Coming to America
1988
Crocodile Dundee
1986
Crocodile Dundee II
1988
Die Hard
1988
Dirty Dancing
1987
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
1988
Driving Miss Daisy
1989
Educating Rita
1983
Empire of the Sun
1987
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
1982
Fatal Attraction
1987
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
1986
Flashdance
1983
Footloose
1984
For Your Eyes Only
1981
Ghostbusters
1984
Ghostbusters II
1989
Honey I Shrunk the Kids
1989
Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
1989
Indiana Jones & the Raiders of the Lost Ark                     
1981
Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom
1984
Labyrinth
1986
Lethal Weapon
1987
License to Kill
1989
Mannequin
1987
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
1989
National Lampoon’s European Vacation
1985
Never Say Never Again
1983
Octopussy
1983
On Golden Pond
1981
Out of Africa
1985
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
1987
Police Academy
1984
Police Academy 2
1985
Police Academy 3
1986
Police Academy 4
1987
Police Academy 5
1988
Police Academy 6
1989
Private Benjamin
1980
Rain Man
1988
Raise the Titanic
1980
Robocop
1987
Romancing the Stone
1984
Roxanne
1987
Santa Claus: The Movie
1985
See No Evil, Hear No Evil
1989
Shirley Valentine
1989
Short Circuit
1986
Short Circuit 2
1988
Splash
1984
Stand By Me
1986
Teen Wolf
1985
The Blues Brothers
1980
The Breakfast Club
1985
The Burbs
1989
The Cannonball Run
1981
The Fly
1986
The Goonies
1985
The Karate Kid
1984
The Karate Kid Part II
1986
The Karate Kid Part III
1989
The Living Daylights
1987
The Man with One Red Shoe
1985
The Man with Two Brains
1983
The Money Pit
1986
The Naked Gun
1988
The NeverEnding Story
1984
The Tall Guy
1989
The Terminator
1984
This is Spinal Tap
1984
Three Men and a Baby
1987
Throw Momma from the Train
1987
Top Gun
1986
Trading Places
1983
Turner & Hooch
1989
Twins
1988
Uncle Buck
1989
Vice Versa
1988
Wall Street
1987
War Games
1983
Weird Science
1985
When Harry Met Sally
1989
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
1988

Five
T OYS AND G AMES

    If your parents are to be believed, the children of their generation had nothing more to play with than a single broken marble and a small piece of lint. Apparently, they had it tough in their day and they never had all the fancy toys we were blessed with when we were growing up. And they didn’t get toys at Christmas either – instead, they were given a satsuma and a clip round the ear, and on special occasions, such as birthdays, the whole family would simply gather round the wireless to listen to the shipping forecast as a special treat. They were poor but they were happy.
    Not so my generation. We were materialistic and greedy and we wanted more toys and better toys. We had so many toys we didn’t know where to put them all. I remember our next-door neighbours used to clear out all the old toys each year and take them to the tip to make space for the new toys that would arrive at Christmas.
    The 1980s was a period when children were spoiled like never before and the number and variety of toys available to children was greater than at any previous point in history. We not only had the cool new eighties toys to choose from, but we still had most of the toys from the