Our Top Things That Made an 80s Summer...

PHEW! What an amazing burst of Summer it's been! (for now) All this sunny, t-shirt wearing, wayfarer sunnies donning weather has really got us thinking back to the good old days (keep with us) where our Summers were spent outside all day long with our friends and family without a care in the world. Bliss!

.

Looking back at what we got up to and perhaps what things are like for now got us digging up some of our favourite things to do when the sun was out. So! With all of this 80s nostalgia swimming around in our heads like the ice cold water in a paddling pool, we thought we would put together a little post full of.....Our Top Things That Made an 80s Summer!

Sit back relax and let the childhood memories wash over you. Enjoy!

1) Super Soakers

Now no summer was truly complete without a serious water fight. Some of the most fun you could possibly have was trying to cover your friends (or enemies depending on teams!) in the ice cold water that came from the outside tap and must have been plumbed directly from the north pole itself! Naturally we can't discuss water fights without giving a nod to the classic Super Soakers! Before we all competed on houses and cars, social order was depicted by how cool and powerful you water pistol was. We might go buy the biggest and best now actually...to keep our inner child happy!

.

2) Running through a sprinkler

We can still remember it now. The feeling the jets gave you on your feet as you jumped through and of course the amount of grass that ended up totally covering your feet and legs until it became itchy. Loved it! To the parents these were a thing of practicality, a nice lawn is a simple pleasure but not to us, this was a toy and one that was the perfect cure on a hot day.

.

3) Drawing on the floor with chalk

For the more creative of us out there, we have a few sticks of chalk and a blank canvas the size of...well...however far your dared to go! The streets would be decorated with some of the biggest and also weirdest shapes, characters and even rhymes. Whatever you could think of to draw was an opportunity to get your fingers and clothes dirty and just go wild. We can still these this today actually so it seems this isn't simply and 80s thing, we still like to think we invented it though! :)

.

4) Hopping over the Skip-It

These were everywhere! Countless hours spent with one of these spinning around your ankle as you desperately try to beat your last record and only to discover that the counter had missed about half of the turns. Nightmare! We can still hear the noise now, we wonder if we can still do this? Hmm TruffleShuffle challenge coming sometime I think!

.

5) Making Sno-Cones with a Mr Frosty

The ultimate summer gadget right here! The one thing that every kid wanted (but most never had!), Mr Frosty was the coolest way to chill out with your friends and enjoy some amazing crushed ice treats. You would need your friends there for the sheer amount of time and effort needed to create you very own creations. Was it worth it? Hell yeah!

.

6) Space Hoppers!

This is a true 70s and 80s icon! Perhaps one of the most simple toys ever, Space Hoppers (or Hippity Hops to our American friends) were bigger than...well...anything else around. Surely we can all remember the first time we took one of these by the horns, and then promptly fell over backwards or just ended up bouncing on the spot for a bit. Endless fun and even a great way to get around. Love em!

.

7) Going Double Dutch

The basic idea is pretty simple, you had two turners who hold one skipping rope in each hand and get them swinging in opposite directions. You wouldn't want it being easy right? The jumper then hops in the middle of the two swinging ropes and jumps both. You could go wild with this! Coming up with little songs and rhymes, even trick jumps like spins, double jumps, one footed....the lot! Where this got really interesting thought was to see how many people could get in there. Serious stuff

.

8 ) Roller skates

Surely everyone remembers their first pair of roller skates! You probably spent most of the year asking for a par or using someone elses, to them strap them on and whizz around the streets like the flash himself pulling off stunts all the while. For the more adventurous of us out there there were the roller discos! Darkened halls with music turned up to 11, this was a great chance to show off your skill and perhaps pick up a few tips or two.

.

9) Blasting your Summer Mixtape

Now, it's hard to remember the days now without digital playlists, online streaming and bluetooth doo-dahs, but back then there was only one way to compile all your favourite songs at that time and that was the beloved mixtape! Recorded at home on a duel tape deck (if you had one) or even perhaps straight off the radio if you we're feeling lucky these always left you with the knowledge that at any moment the song could cut off and you would have to turn the tape over.

.

10) Getting Ice cream from a Ice Cream van and having change from £1

On a really hot day, the one sort of music that was greater than anything on your recently created mixtape was of course...the Ice Cream van tune! You would see swarms of kids rushing to the stop point (you'd have to remember where that was) after grabbing their folks and asking for money of course. At the door was the guide or menu where it would be a fight to the front to then point at what what brightly coloured stick or cold dream you would want before the kid before took the last one. Best things about it was it was cheap! Kids these days will probably have no idea why they are even called 99's? Have they ever wondered?

.

So there you have them folks! Hopefully we've thrown some childhood memories your way and got you thinking back to the simpler times growing up in the best decade ever! We're not biased at all, honest!

What are your memories of an 80s Summer? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Thanks!

xoxo