Rax restaurant chain from the 1980s

Rax restaurant chain from the 1980s

Rax was a fast growing fast food restaurant chain in the 1980s. It was based out of Columbus, Ohio, and it was a direct competitor to Arby’s. The chain still exists today. But the total number of stores in Ohio, Illinois and Kentucky where it survives is lower than the number of stores they once had just in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

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Rough Riders toys 1980s

Rough Riders toys 1980s

Rough Riders toy trucks were popular line of motorized toys in the 1980s, introduced in 1981. They competed directly with Stompers, which were made by Schaper. Rough Riders were made by LJN. The first-generation Rough Riders were fairly blatant ripoffs of the first-generation Stomper design.

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We’ll leave the TV and the radio behind ’80s song lyric

We’ll leave the TV and the radio behind ’80s song lyric

We’ll leave the TV and the radio behind is one of the more distinct and memorable lines in Joe Jackson’s 1982 hit single Steppin’ Out.

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Stomper 4x4s: Miniature off-road 80s fun

Stomper 4x4s: Miniature off-road 80s fun

Stomper 4x4s were an extremely popular battery powered motorized toy in the early 1980s. They were the first miniature battery powered self-propelled toy vehicle with four-wheel drive, although imitators were very quick to follow.

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80s penny loafers

80s penny loafers

Although never as big as some of the other more memorable trends of the time, penny loafers were absolutely something you saw people wearing in the 1980s and 1990s. Here’s how a traditional shoe design from the 1950s came to be remembered as an 80s and 90s trend.

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Human after all 80s song lyric: Something About You

Human after all 80s song lyric: Something About You

The iconic 80s song lyric “Human after all” appears in a couple of lines of “Something About You,” a New Wave hit for the British band Level 42 released in September 1985. It charted in the top 10 on three continents.

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Five Alive juice: The taste of the 80s

Five Alive juice: The taste of the 80s

What did the 1980s taste like? If we’re going to limit ourselves to something available then that you can’t get anymore, I would submit Five Alive juice for your consideration. Five Alive was a citrus beverage, containing orange, lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, and lime juice. It was a product of the Minute Maid division of the Coca-Cola Company.

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80s and 90s tight rolled jeans

80s and 90s tight rolled jeans

Tight rolling jeans was a fad in the late 1980s that extended into the early 1990s. I remember cuffing jeans as a reaction to bell bottoms, but it was most likely driven by a combination of factors.

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80s Swatch watches

80s Swatch watches

Swatch watches were a popular fad in the 1980s, a reaction against the growing popularity of digital watches. The company is still very much alive today, but Generation X will probably always associate the colorful watches with the 80s. But Swatch is more than just a retro icon. It’s also an excellent lesson in product marketing.

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80s jam shorts

80s jam shorts

’80s jam shorts, or jams, were what you got if you crossed a tropical-themed shirt with a baggy pair of shorts. They were hugely popular in the late 1980s. Originally designed to appeal to surfers, skaters, and punk rockers, they found a fourth niche in an unexpected place.

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