On the way to daycare/dropping kids at school/work this morning, we were jamming out to my iPod when Hey, ya by Outcast (love me some Outcast) came on.  While I do like the *new* collections of kid-music I’ve found, I can only take so much.  And the kids do enjoy “grown-up” music, and the upbeat-ed-ness of Hey, ya had the girl was furiously shaking her thang as much as possible in her car seat during the “Shake it, shake it-shake it, shake it…” chorus.  When the line, “Shake it like a Polaroid picture” came up, I began to wonder: Will my kids understand what this means, ever?

As a child of the 80′s, I get quite nostalgic for the elements of my youth (My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, Smurfs, Flintstones…) and tend to force them on my kids.  The boy had a CareBear in his crib before he even knew he was alive.  The girl’s toy collection consists of more Barbies and My Little Ponies than any other genre of toy.  (Happy 50th, Barbie!)  All those genius toy marketeers out there, bringing back the classics, albeit with differences, to rope in the now-parents from 80′s childhoods.  (Seriously, guys…you have to bring Rainbow Brite back!  She’s my favorite!)  There are changes though.  Barbie’s boobs have gotten smaller, and her waist bigger, apparently to better represent a “real” woman and raise the self esteem of our girls.  I don’t even want to talk about those Bratz dolls…they are a little creepy and somewhat offensive to me.  Big-headed freaks with too much make-up and not enough clothing…no, ma’am!  We avoid that aisle altogether, favoring the classic Barbie models instead.  Pony has changed too.  I have a couple from my childhood (yes, I’m a nerd.  I still have Barbies and CareBears, too.)  and the new ones have become, well, thinner.  Kind of weird for a horse, but whatever. 

The cartoons, not a hit.  My kids are still fully enamored with Spongebob and Dora, refusing to give my precious Smurfs and Snorks the time of day.  My mom did buy one of those classic collection DVDs a couple Christmases ago, and strangely enough, my kids simply adore the old stuff.  I’m talking Little LuLu, Betty-Boop, and Mutt and Jeff era.  That’s before my time, but hey, whatever gives me a few minutes of peace during dinner prep. 

But some common stuff to my generation and the generations before are in danger of extinction. 

Polaroids.  We all remember the joy those cameras brought.  The *pop* of the flash stick.  The mechanical sound of the picture processing.  The excited (and totally unnecessary) flapping of the picture to “speed up” the development.  With the digital camera going disposable and 4 megapixel camera phones, the market for instant photos has all but disappeared. 

Mr. Rodgers.  Watching Family Guy with Mr. W’s kids the other night, the episode featured a Mr. Rodgers spoof.  I turned to them to see if they knew who he was supposed to be, and while they knew, I’m sure my kids won’t. 

Cassette tapes and the all-powerful mix-tape.  I don’t think my kids have ever even seen a cassette tape.  Remember those long nights of composing and recording a mix-tape for your honey?  Finding the perfect songs by all those big-haired musicians and the one-hit wonders to exquisitely express your undying love for him or her.  Priceless.

Snap bracelets, banana clips, Swatch watches, and Reebok pumps (no, Reebok did not make a line of ladies’ heels…I’m talking the tennies that pump up to make you jump higher and run faster…really, they worked!)  Calculator watches, Hammer-pants, tye-dye shirts, and those little plastic T-shirt clips we all had.  Jellies and Keds.  Jordache jeans and L.A Gear.  Trapper-Keepers and Simon.  Cabbage Patch Kids and Garbage Pail Kids.  He-Man and She-Ra.  Popples, Glow Worms, and Pound Puppies.  Here’s some obscurity for you: Poochie, Rose Petal Place, and JEM (Hey, I was a little girl in the 80′s, and JEM is truly outrageous…truly, truly, truly outrageous!)  Yes, those fabulous marketeers are out there, trying desperately to make a buck off our nostalgia, but the *new* stuff just isn’t the same.  I found a “new” LightBrite a couple months ago that just missed the mark.  My kids didn’t dig it, of course.  But even I, a LightBrite freak (Seriously.  Check the name.)  felt it was just missing…something.

What do you miss about the 80′s?  What meaningful element of your upbringing do you wish your kids could experience and love as you did?  What was your favorite toy, and do you still own one?