1980s Retro Gifts: Toys, Records And Party Kit

Transformers, Care Bears and a ZX Spectrum, 12 inch singles and taped charts, and a party in hot pink and black.

Someone turning 40 to 50 now grew up in this decade. This is the buying guide: what is worth getting, what is only worth getting if it is the real one, and how to put it all in a box without spending a fortune.

Straight answer first: we don't sell retro toys or records. We draw and print cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers in the UK, and we stock party decorations. Everything else below is advice on where the genuine items come from.

Years covered in the 1980s

• 1980 - The decade opened with the SAS on live television and John Lennon's death in December. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1980
• 1981 - A royal wedding, riots in several cities and the first London Marathon. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1981
• 1982 - The Falklands, the launch of Channel 4 and the arrival of the Spectrum. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1982
• 1983 - Breakfast television, the pound coin and a general election landslide. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1983
• 1984 - The miners' strike, the Brighton bombing and Band Aid at Christmas. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1984
• 1985 - Live Aid, the first EastEnders and a very bad year in football. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1985
• 1986 - The Hand of God, Chernobyl and Neighbours arriving on daytime television. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1986
• 1987 - The great storm, Black Monday and a third election win. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1987
• 1988 - Acid house, Kylie's first number one and a grim run of disasters. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1988
• 1989 - Hillsborough, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the decade. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1989
• That is every 1980s year we have written up so far: 1980 to 1989.

Best 1980s retro toys

• Transformers, He-Man, Thundercats, My Little Pony and Care Bears.
• Rubik's Cube, Speak and Spell, Simon and the Game Boy right at the end in 1989.
• ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and the Amstrad CPC - loading from cassette, badly.
• Cabbage Patch Kids, Pound Puppies, Sylvanian Families from 1987 in the UK.
• Ghostbusters and Star Wars figures, plus BMX bikes and Grifters.
• Board games: Trivial Pursuit from 1982, Guess Who, Hungry Hippos.

1980s records worth buying

• 12 inch singles are the format of the decade and still cheap.
• Synth pop and new romantic: Depeche Mode, Human League, Duran Duran, Soft Cell.
• Stock Aitken Waterman from 1987: Kylie, Rick Astley, Bananarama.
• Indie: the Smiths, New Order, the Cure.
• Cassettes matter as much as vinyl here - a compilation tape or a Now album on cassette is instantly recognisable.

1980s party kit

• Colours: hot pink, turquoise, black and a lot of neon.
• Food: party rings, Findus Crispy Pancake nostalgia, Vienetta, Babycham.
• Music: the year they turned eighteen, not the year they were born.
• Props: a cassette deck, a Rubik's Cube on the table, a stack of blank tapes.
• Games: theme tune round, an 80s quiz, a guess the year round.

Build a 1980s hamper

• Sweets: Wham bars, Refreshers, Drumsticks, Push Pops.
• A song lyric print or milestone print from their year.
• Retro pin badges and stickers.
• A printed 80s quiz sheet for the party.

How to buy retro without being ripped off

• Boxed doubles or triples the price. Unless they collect, buy loose and spend the difference on something else.
• Reissues are fine for toys and games. They are not fine for records - the whole point is the pressing they owned.
• Charity shops, car boots and eBay beat any retro gift website for genuine items, and the search is half the present.
• Check the year, not the decade. A lot of what people file under one decade actually arrived in the next.
• Pair one proper item with three cheap nostalgic bits. The cheap bits get the reaction; the one proper item gets kept.

Shop prints and posters

Milestone birthday cards

Blank inside, kraft envelope, printed in the UK.

Decorations for a decade party

Banners, balloons, cake toppers and confetti, plain enough to take any era theme.

Pin badges and stickers

Cheap, small and genuinely kept - good hamper filler and party favours.

How to write it so it lands

• Buy for the year they turned eighteen, not the year they were born.
• One real item plus three cheap nostalgic bits makes a better hamper than one expensive present.
• Print the look back page for their year and put it in the box - it costs nothing and people read it all night.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1980
• Look back to 1981
• Look back to 1982
• Look back to 1983
• Look back to 1984
• Look back to 1985
• Look back to 1986
• Look back to 1987
• Look back to 1988
• Look back to 1989
• 1980s party playlist
• 1980s trivia: fun facts
• 1980s calendar: year by year
• 1980s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1980s shopping guide: clothes, books, music and tech
• Decade shopping guides by era
• Decade fashion guides by era
• 1980s holidays and travel
• Decade travel guides by era
• 1950s retro gift guide
• 1960s retro gift guide
• 1970s retro gift guide
• 1990s retro gift guide
• 2000s retro gift guide
• 80s kids' TV shows
• 80s quiz questions
• Toys of the 80s and 90s
• Cassette tapes and taping the charts
• Look back to the 1980s
• Nostalgia birthday party by decade
• Nostalgia hamper and gift ideas
• Reminiscence gifts for grandparents
• Retro party playlist by decade
• Guess the year quiz
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Milestone birthday cards
• Posters and prints
• Enamel pin badges
• Party supplies
• Shop birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What is the best 80s gift for a 50th birthday?

A song lyric print from the year they turned eighteen, a 12 inch single they owned, and a small hamper of Wham bars and Refreshers. The print gets kept; the sweets get the reaction.

Where do you buy 80s retro toys?

Charity shops, car boots and eBay. Boxed Transformers and early My Little Ponies now sell for serious money, so set a budget before you start bidding.

Do you sell 1980s toys or records?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and stickers, and we stock party decorations. For the toys and records, charity shops, car boots, eBay and independent record shops are the honest answer.

How do I pick the right decade for a birthday?

Work from the year they turned thirteen to the year they turned twenty-five, not the year they were born. That window is the one they actually remember.