Made to make your mouth water - toys, treats, tunes and trainers from the ‘80s
BRIGHT colours, big hair, BMX bikes and ghettoblasters made the 1980s a distinct decade to grow up in.
And a new exhibition at Leicester Museum in New Walk has launched that will take ’80s kids back to that time.
Collector Matt Fox has devoted his life to exploring 1980s childhoods through the iconic objects of a decade in which so much changed.
Visitors to Leicester Museum will be able to experience the Leicestershire debut of this new exhibition, which runs until August 29.
I Grew Up 80s, which is touring around the country, features everything from Betamax to the BMX, the Rubik’s Cube to the Sinclair ZX Spectrum,
the Thompson Twins to Transformers.
Matt, who was aged eight in 1980, has carefully curated a time capsule of over 200 treasures that showcase the youthful exuberance of the muchloved decade.
He said: “I hope it will have mums and dads sharing memories and stories with their kids. I’m a father of two children and I find that looking together at these childhood treasures brings us closer.
“Those who grew up 30 to 40 years ago pre-internet, in the 1980s, can genuinely state that life was very different then. In my view, the 80s were a remarkable time to be a child. We roamed out on our bikes, away from our parents and without the umbilical cord of mobile phones.
“In cinemas Star Wars had ushered in a new era of special effects movies – perfect for us kids. Music similarly was a feelgood riot of colour and sound.
“And televisions were no longer just for watching programmes like Grange Hill and The Young Ones. Games consoles and home computers transformed the humble telly into a host of imaginary worlds where children could play and explore.”
I Grew Up 80s showcases a wide array of preserved objects and encompasses, toys, technology, sport, fashion, food, film, books, TV, and more.
Matt said: “It’s a look back at objects that many people either owned or perhaps desperately wanted to! For example, you’ll see Dunlop Green Flash trainers alongside some achingly cool Adidas High Tops. Toys and electronic games that kids once poured longingly over in the Argos catalogue.
“Iconic albums you played to death on vinyl and cassette. Chocolate bars and candy, like Sweet Cigarettes and Peanut Treets, that are no longer with us. Plus, some great examples of 80s’ excess like the Casio KX-101 ‘king of boomboxes,’ neon leg warmers, and purple shell suits!”
The Leicester Museum in New Walk is open from 11am until 4.30pm on weekdays and 11pm to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Admission is free.