It’s no secret the 80’s are my favorite decade so it was inevitable that eventually I would host an 80’s party, even if I was a little late to jump on the bandwagon. It’s an easy party to throw if you’re looking for theme ideas since most décor and costume items can easily be found at your local Goodwill. As you can guess, the food isn’t the healthiest, but it’s the 80’s, who cares?!
The Food
Chips and French Onion Dip – Use the dry Lipton dip mix and a tub of sour cream, then get some Wavy Lays because they hold the dip better.
Nacho Bar – Nacho cheese, tortilla chips and canned jalapeños. Did you know you can buy a giant can of nacho cheese dip for $7 at your local grocery store? It’s giant! Like, industrial size. A vat of nacho cheese. Mmmmmm.
Manwich Sliders – A can of Manwich, some browned ground beef and slider buns. Totally rad.
Pigs in a Blanket – All you need are hot dogs, cheese and Pillsbury Crescent Dough. Cut your hot dogs in half, place a slice of cheddar cheese on top then place in the crescent dough and roll. Bake according to the package directions on the dough and serve with ketchup and mustard.
Cheese Wiz {aka Easy Cheese} and Chicken in a Biscuit Crackers
Pudding in a Cloud – Chocolate pudding in a cloud of Cool Whip. Looks disgusting, tastes delicious. It’s radical.
Twinkies
{Smaller snacks included assorted nuts, pretzels, and candies, such as gummy bears, gummy cola bottles and cinnamon gummies. Basically, anything gummy.}
The Signature Drink {Seabreeze}
My cousin Sally introduced me to this drink at some point in the late 80’s. I may or may not have been old enough to drink it;)
1 oz. vodka
4 oz. cranberry juice
Splash of grapefruit juice
Squeeze of lime
Combine ingredients in a highball glass. Stir and enjoy!
I used gum ball stir sticks with the signature drink. Just take a giant gum ball and poke a hole in it using a knife, or a corn on the cob holder. Don’t ask, it worked. Then place it on the pointy end of a wooden skewer. If you try to poke the hole in the gum ball using the skewer, the skewer will splinter and it’s a big mess, so don’t.
Décor
I hit up Goodwill and purchased a few 80’s games like 80’s Trivial Pursuit, 80’s Scene It and Pictionary, as well as a Hello Kitty metal lunch box and arranged the items on a snack table. I also used Scrabble tiles to spell out 80’s words like Reagan, Atari, Tiffany {I think we’re alone now…} and placed 80’s DVD’s around the table. Too bad I got rid of all my VHS.
As if I have to tell you, but you have to listen to 80’s music. Madonna, Duran Duran, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, and anything from the British invasion.
Games
We played Pictionary, but we didn’t use the board and came up with our own categories. Everyone wrote an 80’s themed word on a piece of paper and we put it in a hat. We usually do guys against girls, so the guys pick what the girls have written down and vice versa. Pictures are drawn on paper with a Sharpie using the MALA Easle from IKEA. You’ll laugh so hard you cry. I promise.
Costumes
I of course dressed as Madonna because I’ve been doing so since I was 14-years-old and I still have my Madonna t-shirt and jelly bracelets from 1985. We also had the bad boy tennis player, the preppy, the metal heads, the Run DMC rappers, the valley girl, and the crimped haired Wanna Be’s.
Totally tubular or gag me with a spoon?
Talk Amongst Yourselves