When I saw Lady Gaga arriving at Tokyo airport (I mean, I saw a photo of her; I wasn’t there with all the crazed super fans, or anything), my first thought was not, ‘how the blazes did she get through security with that studded Versace dress coat?’ nor, ‘surely those skyscraper heels can’t be ideal for preventing DVT on a long haul flight?’, oh no.
Instead, my initial reaction was:
ZOMG! She has My Little Pony hair!!!
Now that, my friends, is because I’m a child of the 80s. I know, I know – I don’t look old enough. But I guarantee other girl from approx my generation thought EXACTLY the same thing. And wanted EXACTLY the same multicoloured mane.
This got me thinking further – what is with the current obsession for rainbow coloured hair of late? And then it dawned on me: if you were a girl growing up in the 80s, you were surrounded by cutesie toys adorned with tumbling pastel hued tresses.
From kittens to ponies through to plush Popples and wannabe pop stars, you name it – if it was a girl’s toy manufactured in the 80s, it had rainbow hair on it. And usually came with a plastic comb for grooming. Or, for gouging your brothers eyes out, if you were me.
Not convinced? Come with me, on a journey through space and time, and feast your eyes on this little lot…
*** CUE DREAM SEQUENCE***
My Little Pony
My Little Pony, skinny and bony! These 80s equestrian delights need no explanation. I owned about 700 different ones, and still wanted more. Now? I mostly want their multi coloured manes.
Fairy Tails
Remember these? Pretty, doe-eyed love birds with ‘mazing ponytails? Sure. I had one of these, too. I wasn’t spoilt! I never got a pair of Clarks Magic Steps shoes. Bastard parents.
Furrever Friends
Sooo, these furry critter kittens didn’t have hair as such, more like fun fur, but they came in an assortment of candy coloured shades, complete with grooming comb. I didn’t question it at the time… but, they were a bit strange, weren’t they?
Jem and the Holograms (and the Misfits)
I might have to do an entire post dedicated to the awesomeness of Jem and the Holograms. S’funny how her style is oh-so now, eh? I always wanted a pair of star shaped earrings to touch so I could become cool, like Jerrica Benton. Still waiting…
Keypers
Far off in a land of magic and fun live the Keypers and the Finders. Keypers keep treasures locked safely inside, while Finders travel about seeking to find! Meet each of the Keypers and their new friends, they have special ways to keep your secret treasures safe.
I used to think these were fucking excellent. I *ahem* (was NOT spoilt) and had the swan, ladybird and snail. They all had
Popples
Popples were crazy little bastards, weren’t they? I mean, not only was their hair ker-azy coloured, but their EARS didn’t even match, ferchrissakes! Swear the chaps at Mattel were on acid when they came up with the concept for these.
Rainbow Brite
Rainbow Brite was into crazy colour combos by her very nature, natch. But, it was her pals that influenced me most: Rainbow Sprite, Kitty Brite and, er, the pink gal.
See? it’s no coincedence that Lady Gaga was born in the mid 80s and is currently sporting hair last seen on a plastic fantastic toy from that era. I’m busy booking an appointment at BLEACH as we speak. You?
Images sourced from all over the interwebs but special 80s props goes to toysofthe80s.tumblr.com and ghostofthedoll.co.uk (oh, and Miss Blue off Twitter) for sending me down Memory Lane and losing hours of my life that I’ll never bloody get back.
Comments
Anne Mackle
Oh my daughter had lots of My little ponies and the stable. I never thought anyone would remember Jem. We saw her on stage too and had videos ,she loved her. Thanks for the memories.
Natalie
My absolute pleasure. I got lost down Memory Lane when writing this post. Did you see Jude’s piece on Clark’s Magic Steps shoes??? >> http://leblow.co.uk/a-nostalgic-magic-step-back-in-time-the-clarks-shoes-every-girl-wanted-and-i-had-them/
Sophie
This is amazing. I loved all of these toys!
Natalie
I had a MAJOR nostalgia trip when writing this post. And am totally not bidding on a vintage My Little Pony on eBay as a direct result (I am).