Bologna sandwiches, skinned knees, and a baseball card wedged in your bike spokes—life was good for Gen X in the 80s. Simpler times tempt an entire generation into nostalgia, and as their hairlines recede and crows feet grow more prominent, there’s nothing a Gen Xer loves more than a cherished walk down memory lane. 

Any latchkey kid will agree that it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies growing up in the 1980s, but some perks became quintessential Gen X memories. Burning your legs on metal slides in the summertime, riding your bike for hours without a care, and signing your best friend’s arm cast were some of the best parts of life back before cell phones, GPS, and constant parental pressure. Gen X may have raised themselves, but they did a gosh darn good job of it. 

Keep scrolling for a nostalgic trip through your older brainwave cabinets, unlocking the humor receptors that still block the memory of Watership Down.