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27 photos that show what life looked like in 1987

·Colby Droscher

Left: Theoldelf // Reddit, Right: JoJoPowa85 // Reddit
Left: Theoldelf // Reddit, Right: JoJoPowa85 // Reddit
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There was a version of 1987 that had nothing to do with Wall Street or the Iran-Contra hearings. It lived in ski lodge parking lots, Pizza Hut booths, and living room floors with the Nintendo on. A year that smelled like hairspray and campfire smoke and the inside of a new cassette case.

These aren't the photographs that made the history books. Just the ones that made the family albums — the jelly bean truck, the dog in sunglasses, the kid who decided the kitchen counter was a stage. No front pages. Just life, going about its business.

The photos are soft at the edges, the colors slightly off, and the timestamps burned into the corner in orange. Nobody was performing for an audience. They were just there, in 1987, not knowing it would end.

A young boy in a suit and tie sips from a wine glass at a restaurant table, with a wine bottle and other glasses visible nearby and adults seated behind him.

lanko69 // Reddit

1 / 27

"Stealing a drink of wine at a wedding while my mom (behind me) isn't looking in 1987"

Mom's right there. He knows exactly what he's doing.

A toddler sits cross-legged on a dining table, holding a slice of pizza in each hand, next to an open Domino's Pizza box. Crayons, a banana, and a wicker basket are scattered around on the table.

EtherWhey // Reddit

2 / 27

"I was a food-motivated climber back in 1987."

The look on this kid's face getting caught double-fisting pizza is adorable. 

A man wearing a sweatshirt reading "I'm Rick Astley's Dad" stands behind a roadside sign that reads "Well Done Rick Astley, You've Always Been Our No. 1, Love You," giving a thumbs up.

arcana07 // Reddit

3 / 27

Rick Astley's father celebrating "Never Gonna Give You Up" making it to #1 on the UK Charts in 1987

Ossie Astley celebrates his son Rick's debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" hitting number one on the UK charts in 1987. The song went on to top the charts in 25 countries — but Ossie was claiming him as No. 1 long before that.

A large man in a green blazer and pink shirt sits with a young boy wearing a Chicago Bears jersey on what appears to be a film set, with lighting equipment visible in the background.

Detroitaa // Reddit

4 / 27

Andre the Giant and Fred Savage on the set of The Princess Bride

André the Giant and a young Fred Savage on the set of The Princess Bride in 1987. Savage played the grandson being read the story. André, who stood 7'4" and weighed over 500 pounds, played the gentle giant Fezzik — and by all accounts was exactly that on set too.

A man sits in the driver's seat of a black GMC S-15 pickup truck with bold pink and purple wave graphic decals along the side, parked in front of a brick building with a "Flight Standards" sign.

V3BabyBurton // Reddit

5 / 27

"My uncle won this truck by being closest to correctly guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar at the state fair in 1987"

He guessed the jelly beans. He won the truck. The pink wave graphics came with it and were non-negotiable. Somewhere out there is a state fair booth operator who handed over the keys to this thing in 1987 and never got over it.

Man in a tan suit standing in front of a blue wall giving the tv weather report

zanesix // Reddit

6 / 27

"My dads first day on the job in 1987"

First day on air. The trick with chroma key is you can't see what's behind you. You just have to trust the monitor and keep talking.

A young man in a teal sweatshirt sits in a blue 1984 Pontiac Fiero SE with a small white dog wearing red sunglasses perched on his lap, both looking out the open window.

rage242 // Reddit

7 / 27

"A photo of me, my dog wearing sunglasses, and my 1984 Fiero SE."

The Fiero. The shades on the dog. The teal sweatshirt. 1987 didn't try this hard — it just was this hard.

A young boy in an Adidas hoodie and jeans stands on a sidewalk next to a Raleigh Burner BMX bike, with parked cars and a row of brick buildings visible on a British street behind him.

Cormega99 // Reddit

8 / 27

"Me and my Raleigh Burner (1987)"

The Raleigh Burner was the BMX every kid in Britain wanted in the mid-'80s. The Adidas hoodie didn't hurt either. This is what a good Saturday looked like in 1987.

A man in a color-block polo shirt sits next to a desktop computer and monitor, holding a circuit board toward the camera in what appears to be a promotional or magazine photograph from the late 1980s.

miseleigh // Reddit

9 / 27

"My dad in a 1987 magazine ad"

Dad got the call. The colorblock polo, the oversized glasses, the circuit board held like a trophy — this is what the cutting edge looked like in 1987. The home computer was still new enough that holding one's insides felt like a flex.

Two young boys in pajamas and sweats pose next to an enormous G.I. Joe Defiant Space Vehicle Launch Complex box on Christmas morning in a wood-paneled living room with a cast iron wood stove.

Snoo_34963 // Reddit

10 / 27

"Christmas was good to us in 1987"

The G.I. Joe Defiant Space Shuttle Complex was the biggest, most expensive toy in the 1987 Sears Wishbook — a space shuttle, crawler, and launch station all in one. One of these kids is sitting on top of the box. That about covers it.

A toddler in printed overalls stands on the trunk of a red Chevrolet Celebrity in a parking lot, grinning in front of a classic red-roofed Pizza Hut building in Texas.

JoJoPowa85 // Reddit

11 / 27

"Proof I've been a pizza enthusiast since at least 1987"

Standing on the car. Grinning at the hut. The overalls are perfect. Some kids are born knowing what they want, and what she wanted was Pizza Hut.

A man in a bold pink, teal, and neon yellow form-fitting ski racing suit stands on a snowy mountain summit holding Dynastar skis, wearing blue mirrored sunglasses and a matching headband, with a sweeping mountain range behind him.

Theoldelf // Reddit

12 / 27

"I thought I was the man in my ski race attire back in 87"

The suit. The mirrored shades. The Dynastar skis. The mountain as backdrop. He was not wrong — he was absolutely the man in 1987. No notes.

ive teenage boys crowd together in a bedroom covered in rock band posters, throwing up devil horns and mugging for the camera in band shirts, bandanas, and denim before a concert in 1987.

Kittenstorm93 // Reddit

13 / 27

"My friends and I prior to an Iron Maiden show in 1987"

Bandanas. Band tees. Devil horns. An Iron Maiden poster on the wall and a Metallica Master of Puppets shirt in the front row. These five are ready. The bedroom alone tells you everything about 1987.

A young boy in a colorful graphic sweatshirt, acid wash jeans, and Nike high-tops dances on a kitchen counter, grinning, with a stove visible in the foreground.

myworkaccountatwork // Reddit

14 / 27

Dancing on the counter top in 1987

Acid wash jeans. Nike high-tops. A sweatshirt doing everything at once. Nobody told him the counter wasn't a stage. Nobody was going to.

A young teenage boy in a denim jacket and acid wash jeans sits with his feet up on a desk, holding a joystick in front of a computer, with an Empire of the Sun movie poster visible on the wall behind him.

Ok_Tip_5184 // Reddit

15 / 27

Actor Christian Bale at home in Bournemouth, Dorset in 1987

Christian Bale at home in Bournemouth in 1987, the same year Empire of the Sun came out. The poster for it is right there on his wall.

A bearded man in a white sweatshirt sits in bed eating from a bowl while two cats lounge on the white bedspread around him.

JAlbert653 // Reddit

16 / 27

Freddie Mercury eating soup in bed with his cats in 1987

Freddie Mercury was one of the greatest rock performers who ever lived. In 1987, he was also just a guy eating soup in bed with his cats. He adored them — he had six at one point and reportedly called them from the road when he was on tour.

A small blond toddler in a blue jacket and red Converse sneakers holds the leash of an enormous Great Dane at what appears to be a dog show, smiling at the camera while the dog stands nearly as tall as he does.

Patches_Mcgee // Reddit

17 / 27

"Me and my dog in 1987"

The dog has the leash. The kid just thinks he does.

Five young women pose together in an L.A. Gear advertisement, wearing bright neon clothing, high-waisted jeans, biker shorts, and chunky white sneakers against a colorful neon-lit backdrop.

Turf_Burglerson // Reddit

18 / 27

L.A. Gear, 1987

L.A. Gear launched in 1983, but this was their moment. By 1989, they'd be the third-largest sneaker brand in America.

A large man in a khaki jumpsuit with a shaggy blonde wig and face paint stands in a desert landscape flanked by two small figures in hooded brown robes.

userdeleted // Reddit

19 / 27

John Candy on the set of Spaceballs in 1987

John Candy as Barf the Mawg on the Spaceballs set in 1987. He looks completely ridiculous and completely delighted about it.

A young teenage girl sips a milkshake at a diner counter while holding a burger, with other diners visible along the counter behind her.

userdeleted // Reddit

20 / 27

A young Milla Jovovich having a burger and shake at the Johnny Rockets on Melrose in Hollywood in 1987

Milla Jovovich was 12 years old and already modeling when this was taken at Johnny Rockets on Melrose in 1987. She looks like she belongs in the decade.

A smiling couple with long dark hair pose together, wearing concert t-shirts — a Van Halen Monsters of Rock shirt and a Metallica Damaged Justice shirt.

userdeleted // Reddit

21 / 27

"Me and my wife back in 1987"

They found each other at the right time. Still together, presumably still excellent taste in music.

A teenage boy skates on a wooden ramp in a garage while an older man watches proudly, with a shelf full of trophies visible on the wall behind them.

act1989 // Reddit

22 / 27

Tony Hawk and his dad Frank Hawk in their garage in 1987

Tony Hawk and his father Frank in their garage in 1987. Frank founded the California Amateur Skateboard League and the National Skateboarding Association largely to support his son's career. The trophies on the shelf suggest it was working.

A group of about ten teenagers crowd together on the floor and a couch in a living room, smiling at the camera in a black and white photo.

crbatte // Reddit

23 / 27

"My crew in 1987"

The whole crew, 1987. Everybody's here.

A young woman with dark tousled hair and blue eyes looks directly into the camera in a close-up photo taken inside a vehicle, dated February 22, 1987 in the corner.

Berenbos // Reddit

24 / 27

Gillian Anderson in 1987

Gillian Anderson, February 22, 1987. She was 18. The X-Files was still six years away.

A beaming young boy in a white dress shirt, striped red and white tie, and slacks stands outside with an American flag flying behind him and a tall office building to his right.

asylum83 // Reddit

25 / 27

"My best friend on the day he became a U.S. citizen. He was adopted from Colombia"

The smile. The tie. The flag is right where it needs to be. This is what the best day looks like.

A bearded man crouches by a smoky campfire with a small girl in jeans and a Mickey Mouse belt, both holding sticks over the flames, with a tent and tarp visible behind them in the woods.

StreetTacoNamdDesire // Reddit

26 / 27

"My dad and I in 1987. He loved bringing me camping. I apparently didn't know what we were doing."

Dad knows exactly what he's doing. She's working on it.

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