45 Retro Valentines ’80s and ’90s Kids Will Instantly Remember

by

Valentine’s cards always remind me of being a kid. They have a way of bringing back those childhood memories.

When we were in grade school, Valentine’s Day was always similar. We’d each create a decorated box and then classmates would excitedly run around, dropping Valentine’s cards into them.

Let me tell you, the stakes were high when it came to Valentine’s Day cards as a kid. It wasn’t just about getting a card, it was about who got which one. The absolute horror of accidentally leading someone on – making them think you had a serious crush when you really didn’t – was a real fear. Seriously, a single card could make or break your entire social life!

READ MORE: Retired Candy Heart Phrases We’ll Never See Again

Luckily, there were lots of Valentine’s Day cards to choose from. Many had funny messages featuring popular characters like Barbie, ALF, and Garfield.

Even famous athletes like Michael Jordan and John Elway had Valentine’s Day cards made with their likenesses on them.

Check out these 45 vintage Valentine’s Day cards – they’ll instantly remind you of the ones you used to exchange with friends at school.

LOOK: 45 Retro Valentine’s Day Cards ’80s and ‘90s Kids Will Instantly Remember

Wonder Woman and Superman

Barbie

Michael Jordan

Wizard of Oz

Tasmanian Devil

Holly Hobbie

Alf

Looney Tunes

Beauty and The Beast

Pinocchio

Catwoman

Sesame Street

Harley-Davidson

Scrooge McDuck

Flintstone Kids

Supergirl and Batgirl

Ken Griffey Jr.

Duck Tales Adventures

Wizard of Oz

Popples

Ziggy

The Lion King

Wonder Woman

Daffy Duck

Michael Jordan

Bananas In Pajamas

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck

Care Bears

Hershey’s

Garfield

Green Arrow

Snoopy

Precious Moments

Space Jam

Pogs

Batgirl and Robin

Animaniacs

Aladdin

NFL

Roger Rabbit

Joker and Penguin

Centurions

Peanuts

Holly Hobbie

Alf

SWEET: 16 Totally Awesome ’80s Candies We Were Obsessed With

Reeces’s Pieces

When Reese’s Pieces appeared in the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, they instantly became incredibly popular. Apparently, Steven Spielberg initially wanted M&Ms featured in the film, but Mars, the company that makes M&Ms, rejected the idea, supposedly because they didn’t like the look of the alien! As a result, Reese’s Pieces sales skyrocketed, and for years afterward, kids across America playfully mispronounced the name as ‘Reec-ees Piece-ees’.

Everlasting Gobstoppers

Gobstoppers were colorful, long-lasting candies that changed flavors as you enjoyed them, creating a surprising and layered taste experience with every lick.

WINT-O-GREEN LIFE SAVERS

Some candies are only for desperate times, and mints are right up there. Seriously, why not just eat toothpaste? But discovering that biting a Wint-O-Green Lifesaver in the dark made a little flash of light in your mouth was an amazing experience – nothing beat it!

Nerds

Nerds candy came out in 1983 and was named for its quirky, uneven shape – something I recently discovered on the official Nerds website! It’s funny to think this candy might have even helped make it okay to be called a ‘nerd,’ and now we celebrate it. A win for everyone who’s ever been teased!

Dubble Bubble

If you grew up in the ’80s and someone said ‘gum,’ this is the kind you probably picture. Just looking at it might bring back the taste! It was always available at sports games, and you could count on finding it stuck under the benches—where it likely still is today.

Spree

Ever wish you could eat those bright, colorful buttons from your grandmother’s sewing box? Spree candy offered a similar experience! They were sweet and tangy, but more known for their vibrant look and incredibly hard texture than their amazing flavor.

Pop Rocks

You’ve truly made a lasting impact if people still remember you and the old stories – like the one about exploding if you eat a certain snack and drink soda! (Don’t worry, that won’t actually happen.)

Runts

Candy makers realized plain candy wasn’t exciting enough, so they started using colorful characters on the packaging. Runts were a great example of this – the apple and banana candies even looked a little goofy! Plus, eating too many at once was definitely bad for your teeth.

Chuckles Jelly Candy

I think of these candies as a last choice – even though they’re called ‘Laughing Rectangles,’ they’re pretty plain old gumdrops shaped like, well, rectangles! Still, I wouldn’t say no to one if offered.

Big League Chew

Portland Mavericks pitcher Rob Nelson was looking for something to chew instead of tobacco – the team was already playfully using candy cigarettes – and that’s how Big League Chew was created. The original packaging used to mention ‘man-size wads,’ but that phrase has since been removed.

Astro Pop

Seriously, who enjoyed these things? They were essentially a soft, rounded toy with a surprisingly sharp point. Even when I was a child, I always thought they seemed dangerous – like someone was bound to get hurt.

Candy/Gum Cigarettes

For kids growing up in the 80s, bubble gum cigarettes were a common sight – even at birthday parties at McDonald’s! You could blow into them and a puff of powdery ‘smoke’ would come out, just like a real cigarette. But the gum itself tasted awful, and the fun didn’t last very long.

Gold Mine Nugget Bubble Gum

The gum itself was terrible – it lost its flavor almost instantly and was rock hard. The best part of the purchase was actually the small coin pouch included, which you could use to save up money for more candy.

Bonkers Fruit Candy

Lik-m-aid Fun Dip

I recall one of my sister’s friends jokingly calling this stuff ‘cocaine for kids’ – it was the 1980s, and things were different! It was a tart, powdery candy that came in a pouch with a little edible stick to scoop it up. The branding was really over-the-top – things like Lik-M-Aid, Fun Dip, and Lik-A-Stix. (The picture shown is actually a pin you can find for sale on eBay.)

Mr. Bones Puzzle Candy With Coffin

The most fun foods were the ones you could build with! Mr. Bones, for example, came in a plastic coffin packed with small, PEZ-like candies. You’d put the skeleton together, eat it all up, and then use the coffin as a cool place to keep your spare change – just what you needed for buying more treats!

Read More

2026-02-14 01:59