About this quiz

The 1980s gave us the Rubik's Cube, the Walkman, arcade games and some of the biggest films ever made. This nostalgia quiz tests how much you remember about the decade's toys, films, music and games, with twenty questions covering both sides of the Atlantic.

If you grew up in the '80s, most of these should come flooding back. If you didn't, it's a quick crash course, and every answer comes with a short fact about the moment it made history.

Answers explained

Show the answers (spoilers)

  1. Which twisty cube puzzle became a worldwide craze in the early ’80s?

    Rubik’s Cube. Ernő Rubik invented it in 1974. It went global after its international launch in 1980.

  2. Which 1982 film is about a stranded alien who wants to phone home?

    E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. E.T. was directed by Steven Spielberg and became the highest-grossing film of its time.

  3. In Pac-Man, what does Pac-Man eat to turn the tables on the ghosts?

    Power pellets. Pac-Man first appeared in Japanese arcades in 1980.

  4. In Back to the Future, which car becomes the time machine?

    DeLorean. The film came out in 1985. The DeLorean had to reach 88 mph to travel in time.

  5. Which 1982 Michael Jackson album is the best-selling album of all time?

    Thriller. Thriller produced seven top-ten singles in the US.

  6. Which handheld games console did Nintendo launch in 1989?

    Game Boy. Tetris came bundled with the Game Boy in many countries and helped make it a hit.

  7. Which dolls caused shopping scuffles in 1983 and came with adoption papers?

    Cabbage Patch Kids. Every Cabbage Patch Kid had its own name and birth certificate.

  8. Which 1984 comedy features a giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?

    Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters was the second-highest-grossing film of 1984 in the US.

  9. Which band had a hit with “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” from The Breakfast Club?

    Simple Minds. The song went to number one in the US in 1985.

  10. Live Aid in 1985 was held in London and which other city?

    Philadelphia. The two concerts took place on the same day, at Wembley Stadium and JFK Stadium.

  11. Which toy robots could turn into cars, trucks and planes?

    Transformers. Transformers launched in 1984, with Optimus Prime leading the Autobots.

  12. Which 1985 film follows a group of kids hunting for pirate treasure?

    The Goonies. Steven Spielberg came up with the story.

  13. Super Mario Bros. launched in 1985 on which console?

    Nintendo Entertainment System. In Japan the console was called the Famicom, short for Family Computer.

  14. Which TV series starred David Hasselhoff and a talking car called KITT?

    Knight Rider. KITT stood for Knight Industries Two Thousand.

  15. Which company made the original Walkman?

    Sony. The first Walkman went on sale in 1979 and became the must-have gadget of the ’80s.

  16. Which 1986 film starred Tom Cruise as a fighter pilot called Maverick?

    Top Gun. Its sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, arrived 36 years later in 2022.

  17. Which pop star had a 1985 hit with “Material Girl”?

    Madonna. The video recreates Marilyn Monroe singing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”.

  18. Which wall came down in November 1989?

    The Berlin Wall. It had divided East and West Berlin since 1961.

  19. Which cartoon family got their own TV series in December 1989?

    The Simpsons. They first appeared as short sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987.

  20. Which knitted fashion item did dancers wear scrunched around their lower legs?

    Leg warmers. Leg warmers took off after the 1983 film Flashdance and the TV show Fame.