Oh, sweet memory lane. Looking back at some of the trends that we grew up with is comical. Especially when we look at the world today. Times have certainly changed.

Still, looking at some of the things from years past still brings a smile to our faces.

Here are some of our favorites from the 1970’s.

Atari

Today’s video game consoles are a far cry from what we had in 70’s. With thrilling titles like “Pong” and “Space Invaders”, Atari gaming systems were all the rage. They came with a hefty price tag too. $229 would land you the most state of the art video entertainment system known to mankind (the equivalent of $1,089 in today’s economy!).

Rubix Cube

It was a pocket-sized puzzle (maybe not pocket-sized, but damn near). It was also the bane of many people’s existence and impossibly frustrating. Every circle of friends had one know-it-all who read the book on how to solve the Rubix Cube, and that kid had way too much time on his hands. We still keep one around if we need something else to make us angry on an otherwise pleasant afternoon.

Console TVs

Weighing in at 7,000,000 pounds and bringing you 19 inches of premium entertainment, the console television was king in the 70’s. Twist that knob to your heart’s desire and catch the Fonz man doing all kinds of cool Fonz-man things (except jumping the shark, because that was in the 80’s and that was really, really stupid).

Rock em’ Sock em’ Robots

Photo by Lorie Shaull

The cause of many butt whoopings across America. These pint-sized robots battled for the championship in households everywhere. They also caused more sibling fights than any other device or toy in the history of human kind, according to a study that we just made up based on our own experiences. This was considered a violent toy, which today seems laughable, and actually, kind of scary.

Star Wars

George Lucas’s vision became a motion picture reality in 1977. Who would have known at the time that it would be one of the largest staples of American film culture over 40 years later? Suddenly, every stick in the yard became a lightsaber, and lunchroom tables were contests to see who had the best Darth Vader impersonation. DUH DA, DUH DUH DUH DA, DA DUH DUH DUH DUH DA, DA DUH, DUH DUH DUH DUH. That’s the theme song, but you already knew that.

Steel Service Truck Bodies

The 1970s were filled with experiences and trends that defined a generation. Very few standards of the time hold up today (with the exception of Star Wars, as we previously discussed). In the ’70s, people had one option of service truck material and that was steel. Heavy, clunky, and prone to rust, steel outfitted the vehicles of some of the hardest working people the world has known.

Today, we are lucky to have aluminum to fabricate our service truck bodies, making them lighter, stronger, and longer-lasting.

Are there more staples of the 70’s that we missed? Let us know!