Let’s face it….for those of us who grew up in the 1980′s it was fun a time with big hair, stone washed jeans and tons of hair spray.
80′s themed parties have really gotten popular and after my wife threw a humdinger of an 80′s party for my 40th birthday I figured what the heck why not pass on some of her great ideas to everybody else.
If you want to learn how to plan the perfect 80′s party let’s start from the beginning and plan out a bash that will be remembered for years to come.
Invitations- You should start with invitations that scream an 1980′s theme. The internet makes the possibilities for your invitations virtually limitless and there are many web based companies that make ordering your invitations a snap.
It’s also important to remember to get them into the mail very early. This will give your friends plenty of time to put together a costume for the party.
You will also have plenty of time build up the 80′s party excitement with friends and online through social networking. Early planning will also decrease the possibility of some of your guest showing up in plain clothing.
You should also consider a door prize for the best costume at the party and be sure to include this on your invitations.
If you pony up a cool prize (restaurant giftcard, nice bottle of booze etc.) you will only give your guest an extra incentive to show up in there 80′s best! My wife ordered our 80′s party invitations from Invitation Consultants and they looked really cool. Check them out at Invitation Consultants.com
Location- After you have gotten your guest list covered you need to consider the proper venue for your party. This will depend on several factors but a couple of the largest would be how large your guest list is gonna be and how much money you are willing to surrender.
One good option (if your home is on the small side) would be a single large room or maybe a large basement if you have a friend who would be willing to help you out. Of coarse, you could always rent a party hall or apartment club house if you can’t find a free spot big enough for your guest list.
Costumes- If you live in a small town your 80′s costume options and accessories can indeed be quite limited. Once again the internet is your friend because their are lot’s of websites that are selling just about anything related to the 80′s that you could want to suit up into for your party.
It’s just not worth it for most people to go through the trouble of making a costume when you can simply order one online and be done with it.
One of the few exceptions to this rule however might be footwear. The Goodwill’s and Faith Rescue Missions of the world are loaded with ancient shoes. I found a pair of classic looking Nike’s with the traditional swoop on them and got them for $3. The looked just like Marty McFly’s shoes in” Back to the Future” except that the logo was white.
It was nothing that a little red sharpie marker couldn’t fix though. Unfortunately, when you plan any kind of dress up party you have some boneheads, especially us guys who are sticks and will show up in their regular boring attire. Some folks just don’t want to spend alot of time putting a 80′s costume together.
There is a possible solution for these dolts. It’s called 80sTees.com, Inc. and this site has some of the coolest 80′s shirts out there. Movies, TV shows, classic video games you name it and they probably have got it. If you where a fan of something in the 80′s they probably have you covered.
If you have a couple that can’t make up there minds tell them to keep it simple and send them to this site. This could also be a good solution for someone who is on the heftier side and may have trouble finding a costume to fit them.
They do have some XXL size t-shirts available. If you need some idea’s for an costume to wear go to 80′s Costumes
80′s Party decoration tips- One very popular idea (if you can find them) is to decorate the walls or ceilings with old records. You can also use the album covers themselves to add to your 80′s theme.
There are plenty of 80′s based party decorations such as streamers and balloons available on the web. Movie posters from the 80′s can really get the memories going and will add a lot to the theme of your party. This I Love the 80s Greatest Quotes Movie Poster 
Did you ever go into a Spencer’s store in the mall? Do you remember those awesome plasma balls
Don’t forget about the strobe light and if your having a big party hanging up a small mirror ball kit.
Music- Coming up with some 80′s music is much easier than it used to be thanks again to the internet. If your personal 80′s music library is small then ask around. My wife had a friend with external hard drive with nothing but thousands of songs from every generation since the beginning of time.
You can bet your next paycheck that somebody you know has an Ipod that has everything you need on it. Another low cost option if your having a smaller party at home is to use your 80′s music channel that is often provided by your cable or satellite company.
You will however need a decent sound system to pull this off though. Just don’t wait till the last moment to get this set up and working. Test it out before hand so their are no hiccups on party night. For additional music options check out this webpage.
Entertainment- Every step we have covered in the planning process for your 80′s party has been crucial but these little things that my wife did really topped it off for me. Do you remember a guy named John Hughes? No? He was that guy who made all of those classic 80′s teen flicks including The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, 16 Candles and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 
You will have your 80′s music playing but why not have these classic 80′s movies playing muted in the background. Another idea if you have a small flat-screen TV with a built in DVD player would be to play the movies in the bathroom.
It was really a nice touch at my birthday party and this can be done for cheap. Ask around and you may find that many your friends already own many these classic 80′s gems. If your looking for some classic 80′s flicks start with these and go from there!
Did you ever own an Atari 2600 or an Nintendo? Of course you did! Who didn’t! We had a NES and an Atari going at the party and you should have seen the reactions we got.
Super Mario Brothers for the NES or that awful version of Pac-Man for the Atari it didn’t matter everybody was taken back to a time long ago! One thing we learned was that the light gun for the NES (remember Duck Hunt?) didn’t work with our High Def TV.
We had friend who had a Atari 2600 and we got the Nintendo (NES) with some games off of Amazon for $40 including shipping. You will also need an RCA to Coax Cable RF video
You can get them on Amazon or at Radio Shack. It seems like some work but the video games were a huge hit at the party. If you would like to check out some classic gaming systems go to this website.
Food-My wife really surprised me with the cake for my Birthday party. It was shaped like a Rubik’s Cube and had an Atari Joystick on top of it! We had pizza and regular snack stuff at the party. To me, pizza seems like a must for an 80′s party. I mean…think about the pizza explosion in the 1980′s.
My father is in the insurance business and he insured the guy who bought the first Domino’s Pizza franchise to our town. I remember my parents laughing at the thought of anybody actual calling to have a pizza delivered to there home and saying that they would be closed and gone in less than a year. The guy opened his 5th location just a few years after that.
Filed under Uncategorized by on Jan 26th, 2011. Comment. 
If you were growing up in the 80′s and you had a plasma ball in your bedroom you where a happening teen. Plasma Globes were an expensive novelty back in those days and I don’t remember any of my buddies owning one.
Eastdale Mall was a popular hangout for me back in my teenage years and I still remember the first time I caught a glimpse one of these mesmerizing electric balls. It was at that unique department store called Spencer’s.
I always stopped in to check out the latest hot-chick posters that were kept in the back of the store and I found myself awed by this eclectic plasma ball that was plugged up on display.
Gliding my finger over the already nasty globe that had dozens of finger prints smeared on it courtesy of the pizza grease that came from the Orange Bowl food stand. How did that electric bolt follow my finger so seamlessly as I moved across the plastic surface?
It was awesome and just another cool memory from that grand little store in the Eastdale Mall back in the mid-80′s. Getting your mitts on a plasma ball these days is cheaper and easier than it ever was back in those wonderful days.
Our old pal the internet can be thanked once again for that because it allows huge competition to drive prices down. That and the fact that billions of Chinese will work to make these things for next to nothing.
Plasma balls range in size from the tiny desktop models to the bigger 8 inch models. Most of the bigger 8 inch models will run you $30-$50 including shipping fees. Bigger globes do exist but you better be prepared to shell out hundreds of dollars for one of these behemoths.
Using an electric plasma ball at your 80′s party is just another cool way to get your friends into the partying mood. Here are a few neat ideas for using plasma balls at your 80′s throw-down.
- If you have several tables set up one idea that is popular is to pick up a few of the smaller USB plasma globes that can run on batteries and place them on your tables.
- These smaller inexpensive plasma balls are also cool to giveaway as party prizes for your 80′s party games.
- Plug up a globe in your bathroom and turn down the lights to dazzle the room with that shocking electric effect.
When I was shopping for my 8-inch ball the lower prices had me wondering about the durability and overall quality of the product. I checked several reviews and the majority of them were 3-5 stars. Most of the customers who had problems had them right away.
The product never worked or only worked for a very short period of time. Make sure when you order your plasma ball that you get it from a reputable seller like Amazon or EBAY. Amazon is excellent when it comes to returns for defective merchandise.
Also be sure to order early so you can plug up and thoroughly test your new plasma ball so you will be ready for the big party. If your in the market for a plasma ball then click on this link. Thanks for checking out my webpage and have a great 80′s party!
Filed under Plasma Ball/Globe for your 80's Party by on Aug 24th, 2011. Comment.
