1980s Items That Failed!

Wow. The very first item they showed in the opening montage, the Timex Sinclair 1000, was one of the best things I ever bought. I was a store clerk and got it because I wanted to see what a computer was like. I taught myself to program it and discovered that I was naturally good with computers. I impressed someone, they hired me into a technology field, and I kept moving up until I became a network administrator. That little toy computer opened up my career for the rest of my life.

We were lucky to grow up in the 80's!!!

The one I can think of the most is Ayds Diet Candy. I think we all know why that failed.

Wow! I lived through the 80s and had never heard of a bunch of these things!

I’m old enough to wish I still had some of the old stuff.

I miss the 80's ☹️

The Kodak Disc camera negatives looked like a fancy View Master reel.

I just asked my dad earlier this week if he still had the Kodak disc camera he used on our disney vacation in 1984. He didn't know what I was talking about lol. Memories.

The 'New Coke' failure had some interesting background. Coca Cola did a lot of testing where the new product was shown to be preferred to Classic - but a key issue was how they tested. In testing, consumers typically just had a small amount to drink, but consumers usually drank a whole can or more in real life. So, the taste profile changed under real life conditions. This, with the resistance to changing what was considered a cultural icon, contributed to the failure.

When new Coke came out a bunch of us decided to try it and when we did we all said the same thing it tastes just like Pepsi

The disc was great for taking pics at concerts. Venues used to be real strict about cams or audio recorders. This was before metal wands came about too. Now everyone’s phone does it, and most bands gave up forbidding recording.

I wouldn't consider the disc camera a failure. Sure, the pics came out grainy at times, especially in low light, but a lot of people had them throughout the 80s. Plus its slim design made it easy to carry. I used mine until the early 90s.

The Seiko TV Watch was WAY Ahead of its time

I had a Kodak Disc camera! Took it on a few vacations. Yes, the negatives it made were absurdly tiny.

Anyone remember Crystal Pepsi?

Had a Casio calculator watch & a Casio AM radio watch. They'd be collectors items now.

I liked New Coke. Back then I was living in Texas and I remember a guy who bought a full trailer of Classic Coke because production was supposed to stop. It wasn't, but I guess the guy did not have to buy more Coke for a long time.

Those dome houses must have made a brief comeback. I've seen a few of these modernized homes before.

The electric doormat actually got heavy use in department stores and shopping malls here in Germany, where its required size wasn't a problem. Combined with air curtains, this was a common sight in the 80s whenever you entered huge department stores like "Hertie" or "Karstadt", although I never saw it use for private owners, since it requred a big machinery below the floor. But it faded out in the 90s, it was too heavy on maintenance and in the end not overly effective. Both the doormat and the air curtains were replaced by classic mats and big revolving doors during the late 90s.

It seems everyone but me has forgotten 7Up Gold. Spiced 7Up. So good (especially with spiced rum.)