The Top Ten Craziest Fads of the 1980's

The 1980's was a decade in which the American population numbered approximately 226,546,000. On the average, a yearly salary was $15,757. Minimum wage was $3.10 an hour. If you were a man, your life expectancy was a bit less than 70 years. Women were expected to live longer, to age about 77-1/2. If you were a youngster, growing up in the 1980's was "totally awesome". It was full of outlandish trends you just had to have or do to keep up with your neighborhood friends. Read this fun article and learn, what I believe, are the top ten craziest fads of the 1980's!

(In no particular order)

1. Garbage Pail Kids
"Craziest" isn't exactly the right word for this trading card. "Disgusting" and "gross" fit the bill better. Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. the same creators of the tasty Bazooka Bubble Gum and the popular sports cards created these freaks in 1985. The cards were developed to lampoon the Cabbage Patch Kids who were created three years earlier. Describing the GPK characters would be too difficult. I'll let some of the characters' names speak for themselves: "Battered Brad," "Blasted Betty", "Evil Eddie", "Ray Decay" and "Up Chuck."

2. Chia Pets
Another one of the top ten craziest fads of the 1980's was Chia Pets. Buy a "Chia Pet" in the 1980's and you could choose between a ram, bull, puppy, kitten and tree. Inside the box was a plain clay figurine and seeds. By covering the figurine with moist seeds and watering it, you could watch your Chia Pet "grow" fur. I assume the tree "grew leaves." Kind of nutty, huh?

3. Jelly Shoes
The top ten craziest fads of the 1980's wouldn't be complete without Jelly Shoes. They had a strap and were either flat or they sported thick heels. These shoes got their name from the fact they were made from Jelly Rubber. You had to be careful with that rubber rubbing against your bare skin. You could easily get blisters. They weren't necessarily comfortable, but they were in style and affordable, so many females wore them.