Top 10 Things from the 80s That Don't Exist Anymore
#10: Pagers
Yes, pagers are still used in the medical industry, especially in times of natural disaster. But for the general population, they may as well not exist anymore. And even then, medical pagers are slowly being phased out. While originally developed in the 1950s, pagers exploded in popularity throughout the ‘80s, mostly as a primitive form of texting. In the early ‘80s, there were just over three million pagers in circulation. By 1994, that number jumped to 60 million. But it was also around this time that cell phones were becoming more common (and far less…brick-y). Just as video killed the radio star, cell phones killed the pager, and they slowly became obsolete throughout the early 21st century.
#9: Discovery Zone
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Does that name ring a bell? If it doesn’t, then you clearly didn’t grow up in the ‘90s. However, Discovery Zone is technically from the ‘80s, having been founded in October of 1989. With “Z-Bop” as its mascot, Discovery Zone was an entertainment center that catered to young children with arcades, ball pits, and indoor playgrounds. This chain was huge in the early ‘90s, famously sponsoring “Sesame Street” and partnering with Blockbuster. However, the franchise expanded too quickly and eventually fell into bankruptcy. Despite some valiant efforts, Discovery Zone didn’t make it and went defunct in 2001.
#8: Floppy Disks
Imagine, a whole 2.8 megabytes of information! Oh, the possibilities of such storage! We jest, but that was the reality back in the day. Floppy disks came in all sorts of sizes, with its storage capacity reaching up to 2.88 megabytes. That came from the 3½-inch ED, which was introduced in 1987. And for many years, that was as good as it got. It wasn’t until 1991 that a version with 21 megabytes was released! Needless to say, as storage technology and demands increased, floppy disks went the way of the dinosaurs. However, they live on through those adorable little save icons you see in programs like Microsoft Word.
#7: Waterbeds
These are exactly what the name suggests. They’re beds. They’re filled with water. They’re waterbeds. Why, you may ask? We dunno, because they were cool? The original was actually made back in the 1800s to treat bedsores, but the modern version was created in 1968 by a man named Charles Hall. They were enormously popular throughout the ‘80s, with one in five mattresses being a waterbed. But as people who have owned one know, maintaining waterbeds is a major pain in the rump. They’re stupid heavy, installation and upkeep is a living nightmare, and God help you if you poke a hole in it. The novelty quickly wore off and everyone went back to boring old mattresses.
#6: Parachute Pants
It really is amazing how fast some fashions come and go. Case in point - parachute pants. These things were everywhere in the 1980s, known for their comfortable and swishy nylon material. In fact, the nylon felt much like a parachute, hence the name “parachute pants.” These often came in bright, garish neon colors, so they really made a strong fashion statement. Nothing screams ‘80s like neon! However, they also had a function. Parachute pants were often worn by breakdancers, as they allowed freedom of movement and decreased friction with the floor. Regardless, the fad ended just as quickly as it came, only lasting a couple of years in the mid-'80s.
#5: MTV Music Videos
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Music streaming is cool and everything, but it really took the fun out of music videos. Yeah, of course, they still exist, but watching them on MTV was an experience. And yes, they really make you appreciate the modern convenience of Spotify. MTV had its heyday in the 1980s, with people glued to their TV screens watching a variety of music videos. Maybe you just wanted to vibe to whatever was on. Or maybe you wanted a certain song and were forced to listen to hours of music in the hopes of getting it. But MTV started moving away from music in the mid-'90s and played fewer videos, with the president arguing that “the novelty… has worn off.”
#4: Arcades
There was absolutely nothing like getting out of school, heading to the local mall for something to eat, and hitting up the arcade. Or spending your entire weekend inside of one, trying the new machines, and having another go on the classics. The early ‘80s are often considered the “golden age” of arcades, raking in billions of dollars and releasing all-time classic titles like “Pac-Man,” “Frogger,” and “Donkey Kong.” Their popularity continued through the early ‘90s, with light gun shooters, 3D games, and beat-em-ups dominating the market. But a variety of forces came together in the late ‘90s to kill arcades as they were originally created for good. Their demise is typically dated to 1998 when home consoles finally overtook arcades in popularity and revenue.
#3: Film Cameras
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Today, you go to the Eiffel Tower and take twenty selfies in front of it because the first nineteen didn’t look quite right. Well, there was none of that back in the ‘80s. You took a few pictures, hoped they turned out good, flew home, took the camera film to the drug store, waited a few days, then finally got to see your pictures. And darn it, your eyes were closed! Such is the magic of photographic film. Is magic the right word? Sales of film peaked in 1998, before the tech went obsolete thanks to digital cameras (which are now also obsolete thanks to smartphones). Film is still used by some camera purists, but they comprise a very small niche.
#2: Walkman
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The Sony Walkman changed the music game when released in the summer of 1979. A portable cassette player, Walkmans significantly altered not just the music business, but culture in general. It made headphones more ubiquitous and commonplace. They helped kickstart the aerobics boom of the early ‘80s. They popularized simple walking as a form of exercise. They helped cassettes overtake vinyl in sales, and they would remain the dominant form of music consumption until CDs killed them off in the early ‘90s. By 1986, the word “Walkman” was in the Oxford English Dictionary. But all good things must come to an end, and the original cassette Walkman was finally discontinued in 2010. It had a great run.
#1: VHS
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Home video has come a long way. Back in the ‘80s, VHS was your primary method of watching films at home, as it had beaten the Sony Betamax in the “videotape format war.” VHS had worse picture quality but people favored its low cost, and it dominated the home video market throughout the ‘80s. It even soldiered through the brief optical disc boom of the early ‘90s, with LaserDisc not really making a splash outside of Japan. It wasn’t until DVD that the old tech was finally defeated, with DVD rentals surpassing VHS for the first time in 2003. Today, they’re little more than collector’s items. Just saying, when it’s either VHS or a 4K Blu-ray with HDR, the choice is pretty obvious.
