You Grew Up In The 80s In Phoenix If You...

The other day I came across a list of Phoenix history that's making its way around the Internet on sites like FaceBook and a bunch of blogs. If you grew up in Phoenix in the 1980s (like I did), you will remember a lot of these!

You Grew Up In The 80s In Phoenix If You...
1) Would have done anything for a Ladmo bag.
2) Tried to fry an egg on the sidewalk.
3) Can still remember the words to The Hepatitis Song.
4) Spent way too many summer days in a mall.
5) Remember listening to KZZP.
6) Went ice skating at Metrocenter.
7) Get irritated when people say "Yeah, but it's a dry heat."
8) Have red burnt cheeks in every childhood picture.
9) Had a pool in your backyard.
10) Vacationed in San Diego or Rocky Point.
11) Know what it feel like to come out of an icy cold movie theater into 110 degree heat - I miss that feeling!
12) Saw your mom drive with potholders.
13) Know what "tubing" means.
14) Have been "ice blocking."
15) Have a T-shirt that says "I survived the hottest day in Phoenix history" referring to that summer day in 1990 when it got up to 122 degree in the shade.
16) Consider yourself a "Zonie."
17) Ever put Christmas lights on a cactus.
19) Burnt the bottom of your feet running out to get the mail because you were too lazy to put on shoes.
20) Know some Spanish even though you never studied it.
22) Enjoyed making song requests at Organ Stop Pizza.
23) Got in trouble for leaving crayons in the back seat of the car.
24) Are not intimidated by a Super Big Gulp.
25) Your heroes were Kevin Johnson (KJ), Mark West, and Tom Chambers.
26) Had to pay full replacement price for the rented VCR tape you left in your car.
27) Shopped at Goldwaters, Broadway Southwest, Federated, Globe or Diamonds.
28) Remember Dave Pratt the Morning Mayor on 98 KUPD.
29) Can count the number of times it snowed in Phoenix on one hand.
30) Stood in line to watch movies at the original Cine Capri.
31) Snow cones and brain freezes made summer worthwhile.
32) Cried when Wallace and Ladmo went off the air.
33) Went to Pistol Pete's Pizza, ShowBiz pizza, and can recall Tex Critters at MetroCenter.
35) Remember Gemco.
36) Ate at Furr's Cafeteria.
38) Saw your first concert at the Arizona State Fair.
39) Remember the Madhouse Macdowell (Purple Palace).
40) Remember Suns Fever.
41) Recall Thunder Dan.
42) Mourned the loss of Cotton Fitzsimmons.
43) Believed in the 100 year flood.
44) Did the hokey pokey at Great Skate.
45) Cruised Central Avenue, Metrocenter, or Mill Avenue.
46) Worried about drive by shootings at school.
47) Remember only TWO freeways either the I-10 or I-17.
48) Remember who Rose Mofford or Evan Mecham is.
49) Know what Sonoyta Motors is.
50) Know what Price Club is (and when there was only 1).
51) Had Dimension Cable.
52) Know what the Phoenix Gazette is.
53) Went to Legend City or Compton Terrace.
54) Know what Yellow Front, Lucky's, Smittys, AJ Bayless, are.
55) Suffered with a swamp cooler.
56) Went boogie boarding on irrigation day.
57) Fished in the canal.
58) Went to the hot air balloon races at Thunderbird.
59) Thought 19th Ave and Cactus was in the boonies.
60) Speaking of the boonies - drank in the desert with the rest of your high school friends until the bright light of the helicopter came blaring down.
61) Were ever excited about your appearance on "Pets on Parade."
62) Suffered the consequences of leaving your sister's favorite vinyl record in the car.
63) Remember your parents voting (or not voting for) for the ValTrans monorail.
64) Thought Big Surf was rad!
65) Danced at Club Rio.
66) Remember Tex Earnhardt and his "That Ain't No Bull" commercials.
67) Attended a birthday party in a railroad car at the McDonald's on Bethany Home and 23rd Ave.
68) Remember the Dr. Demento show on KZZP every Sunday night.
69) Burned your hand trying to open your locker at school.
70) Locking your car doors as soon as you got south of Bethany Home.
71) Wished you lived in California.
72) Didn't believe that high schools actually had indoor halls and full size lockers like they do on TV.
73) Didn't go to the park until AFTER dark.
74) Thought sweatbands were not just a fashion statement.
75) Your hypercolor t-shirt was permanently a different color under your arms.
76) Knew not to shoot at a Saguaro because it could fall over on you and kill you.
77) Thought Flagstaff was REALLY cold.
78) Always saw at least 10 people you knew on Mission Beach (San Diego).
79) Knew who worked on Van Buren.
80) Remember when the Roadrunners were the only hockey game in town.
81) Remember when Buckeye was BFE.
82) Wore jellies in the summer even though you had really bad feet sweat.
83) Went to see Santa @ Westridge Mall (that was the best one with the whole set up).
84) Remember when Ahwatukee was a retirement community half way to Tucson.
85) Remember 50 cent movie Tuesdays at Valley West Mall.
86) Have a scar on the back of your thighs from the 3rd degree burns sustained from the metal clip your seat belt clicked in to. No protection given from the OP short shorts.
87) Remember the orange trees planted all the way down the middle of Black Canyon Freeway (Now called I-17).
88) Ever get your butt and legs burned by metal slides at the Whataburger across from Metrocenter? (What sadist would put metal slides on a kids playground in Phoenix????!!)
89) Remember when Sun City wasn't connected to the rest of the valley?
90) Ever have brunch at Mother Tuckers?
91) Remember when it only took 2 hours to drive to Flagstaff.
92) Going to slide rock in Sedona and hoping it wasn't closed due to high levels of bacteria in the water!
93) Remember when Terminal 2 was the only passenger terminal at Sky Harbor and you had to walk on the tarmac.
94) Got free tokens at the Valley West Mall arcade for good grades on your report card.
95) Celebrated a birthday at Ed Debevic's.
96) Thought Bobby McGee's was the coolest restaurant ever or went to Dr. Munchies.
97) Ever rode the "crack the whip" ride at Encanto Park.
98) Ever got attacked by a jumping cactus.
99) Know what to do when you hear a rattle in the desert.
100) Used to shop at LaBelles, eat lunch at Liberty Bell Pizza or get soda at the U-TOTEM on Cactus.
101) Remember the commercial about Valley Fever..."Dustyyyy, dustyyyy, dustyyyy"!
101) Remember when you could get 2 tacos and a small drink at Taco Bell for $2.
102) Had hot air balloons land in your backyard when you lived on 75th Ave and Bell by the orange groves known now as "Arrowhead Mall."
103) Witnessed the shock when the "art" on the 51 when installed. (Referring to the lovely toilet and large silver sphere.)
104) Had the bell rung for their birthday at Farrell's (Christown).
105) Remember going to the Phoenix Firebirds baseball games.
106) Remember Dewey Hopper-the weather guy who always wore school t-shirts.
107) Watched World Beyond on Sat. mornings.
108) Ate at Bob's Big Boy.
109) Enjoyed three scoop ice cream cones at Thrifty's.
110) Ever shopped at Pic n Save (aka "Pick Your Nose")
111) Remember "Come on over, to Peter Piper Pizza!"

I have to say that I remember a lot of these. Some of my own memories of Phoenix in the 1980s include:
-Watching the "Sunday on Central" parade down Central Avenue with my parents.
-When Castles-N-Coasters was still called Golf-N-Stuff.
-When Wet-N-Wild was still called Waterworld Safari.
-Walking around Rawhide Frontier Town when it was still in Scottsdale.
-Riding the train at McCormick Stillman railroad park.
-Going to Phoenix Firebirds games back when Arizona did not have a MLB team.

Please feel free to contribute your own memories of Phoenix in the 1980s by clicking the "Comments" link below this article!