Please also read the About page for other information that may be useful.
Do you only look at stuff from the 80s on the site?About 80% of the stuff on the site will be from the 1980s. But I also certainly include things from the 70s and the 90s. Most of it will be from between 1975 (year before I was born) and 1995 (year after I left school). Some other things might be from even earlier but were rerun in the 80s (e.g. Champion the Wonder Horse!).
What do you classify as 'retro’?Anything that has a hint of nostalgia, or some cult or kitsch quality from before about 1995 can all classify as ‘retro’ in my eyes. Even if it is still around today e.g. Monopoly and the Rubik’s Cube have both been around permanently for decades but both still make it into my list as they were particularly big in the 80s and they remind me of my childhood. But my favourite items are the ones that make you say ‘Aw, remember that?!’.
Do you own all the items shown?Most of the items shown are owned by Retromash. Some are my own from my childhood. Some have been acquired on eBay. Some are owned by my wife or brother-in-law. And a few have been kindly donated or loaned by friends. Each
Gallery item will mention who the owner is.
Do you take all the photographs yourself?Yes, all the product photographs against white backgrounds are taken at Retromash HQ using a Canon 60D DSLR. Any picture that isn’t taken by myself will be stated as such and the source cited. For example there are some categories such as Food and Clothes where it will be harder to source items today and so I will hopefully gain permission from third party sources to use their imagery on the site. The same goes for some pictures on the blog.
And videos?Yes, I am planning on doing lots of videos of the products. Again taken with the same Canon 60D. Stay tuned.
There seems to be a UK slant to the site?Yep, I’m from Scotland and now living in England so there is a strong UK slant to a lot of my memories and there will be many things that our international readers might not know. We did obviously get a lot of US toys and shows over here too but if there is anything from the US or elsewhere that you think should be added then please do let me know!
What is a car boot sale?In the UK a car boot sale is like a garage sale, yard sale or flea market. Lots of people bringing things from their lofts or attics in their car and then setting up a stall in a field or car park. Lots of haggling and the occasional incredible bargain. Followed by tea and a bacon butty!
What do you think made the 80s so special?It’s all subjective of course and nostalgia is a very personal thing but I do think that the 80s was a great time for certain things. There was a real explosion of merchandise and franchises based on toys in particular, and that kickstarted many great properties that are still going strong 30 years later like Star Wars, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles etc. But also, as there wasn’t as much choice on TV and the internet wasn’t around to saturate and spoil everything there was an incredible zeitgeist where everyone was watching the same shows at the same time. Today I very much live in the present and am a major tech and future geek too but, whatever the reason, I just think it’s fun to look back at all this stuff again today. I do have a huge passion for the history, culture and art of that time and I’m enjoying archiving it.
