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Get ready to blast off into the past with these 1980s trivia questions and answers!
From iconic movies and TV shows you know and love to legendary music and fashion, the 1980s were the decade of big hair, neon colors, and pure nostalgia.
Grab those neon leg warmers, turn up your favorite 80s playlist, and get seated because we’re about to test your knowledge of this truly unforgettable era.
Are you a true 80s fanatic or just a poser?
There’s only one way to find out!
1. When singer Michael Lee Aday went vegetarian in the 1980s, he could have dropped what non-vegetarian aspect of his stage name, and rebranded himself as “Loaf”?
Answer: Meat
2. Originally given the Japanese title “Puckman,” what 1980s arcade game was inducted into the Guinness Book of Records as the "Most Successful Coin-Operated Game" in 2005?
Answer: Pac-Man
3. In a famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate in June 1987, President Ronald Reagan exhorted Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down what structure that symbolized the division of Germany?
Answer: Berlin Wall
4. "Best of Enemies" is an ESPN "30 for 30" documentary on the 1980s rivalry between the Boston Celtics and what other NBA team?
Answer: Los Angeles Lakers
5. In the 1980s, "The Ain'ts" was a derisive nickname for which NFC South team with a fleur-de-lis in its logo?
Answer: Saints
6. Back in the 1980s, apiarist Ingram Berg Shavitz had a lot of leftover wax from his insects’ honey production. That leftover eventually made its way to fellow Mainer Roxanne Quimby, who helped Shavitz co-found what skin moisturizing and personal care company that takes its name from Shavitz’s animals?
Answer: Burt's Bees
7. What 1982 Toto song, whose title is a continent, experienced a resurgence in popularity in 2018 when Weezer covered the song?
Answer: Africa
8. What American TV show from the 1970s and 1980s still holds the record for the most watched finale ever, with more than 100 million households tuning in?
Answer: M*A*S*H
9. A 30-kilometer-wide "Zone of Alienation" around the ghost town of Pripyat was created after the April 1986 disaster at what highly radioactive site?
Answer: Chernobyl (Nuclear Power Plant)
10. According to the hit 1981 song by Tommy Tutone, if you dial 867-5309, you will reach a woman with what first name?
Answer: Jenny
11. What DMC sports car model is fitted with a flux capacitor to turn it into a time-traveling machine in the "Back to the Future" films?
Answer: DeLorean
12. Prague-born Jan Hammer composed the music for what 1980s TV series that starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as detectives in Florida?
Answer: Miami Vice
13. The Social Security Administration's top five names for U.S. girls in the 1980s included Jennifer, Amanda, Ashley, and Sarah at numbers 2-5. At the top of the list is what name shared by stars of "7th Heaven” and "Dark Angel”?
Answer: Jessica
14. Featuring the country's name in both English and Hebrew and a fierce-as-hell lion, a one-half-shekel coin was issued in the 1980s by what Middle Eastern nation?
Answer: Israel
15. What 1985 John Hughes film features a group of uniquely different high school students, all forced together for Saturday detention?
Answer: The Breakfast Club
16. The fictional Atlanta interior decoration firm of Sugarbaker and Associates was the center of the action of what sitcom of the 1980s and 1990s?
Answer: Designing Women
17. “Joe Cool” and “The Comeback Kid” were two nicknames of what Notre Dame QB who would go on to win multiple Super Bowls as part of an 1980s dynasty with a West Coast NFL franchise?
Answer: Joe Montana
18. What 1980s TV series starred David Hasselhoff as a crime fighter assisted by a talking, self-aware sports car named K.I.T.T.?
Answer: Knight Rider
19. What video game came with the Nintendo Entertainment System when it was released in the late 1980s, and was meant to be played with the NES Zapper gun? It shared a cartridge with "Super Mario Bros."
Answer: Duck Hunt
20. What Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, who served in that role for all of the 1980s, was played by Meryl Streep in the film "Iron Lady" and Gillian Anderson on Netflix's "The Crown?"
Answer: Margaret Thatcher
21. "All the old paintings on the tombs, they do the sand dance, don't ya know?" according to what 1986 hit song by The Bangles?
Answer: Walk Like an Egyptian
22. With Michael Sembello's song "Maniac" on the soundtrack, what 1983 film stars Jennifer Beals as an exotic dancer whose dream is to become a ballerina?
Answer: Flashdance
23. What “P” Hall of Fame Bears running back of the 1980s, for a long period of time the number one rusher in NFL history, had the nickname of “Sweetness”?
Answer: Walter Payton
24. What ice cream brand and amusement park staple was born in the 1980s when Curt Jones used his knowledge of cryogenic technology to create ice cream "beads?"
Answer: Dippin' Dots
25. Babyland General Hospital was the "birthplace" of what line of collectible dolls that was a huge hit in the 1980s and included an individual birth certificate for each doll?
Answer: Cabbage Patch Kids
26. Model and actress Tawny Kitaen famously appeared in several 1980s music videos such as "Here I Go Again" and "Is This Love" for what reptilian rock band?
Answer: Whitesnake
27. What 1986 film is the highest-grossing Australian movie of all time?
Answer: Crocodile Dundee
28. In the 1980s, frustrated with limited City Council representation, which of NYC's 5 boroughs attempted to secede from NYC and become an independent city?
Answer: Staten Island
29. Matt and Ross Duffer are the directors and producers of what Netflix television series set in 1980s Indiana?
Answer: Stranger Things
30. In her 1983 hit "Holiday," what one-named singer declares that "if we took a holiday, took some time to celebrate just one day out of life, it would be so nice?"
Answer: Madonna
31. What film director played Mars Blackmon, a character from his film "She's Gotta Have It," in a series of late-1980s ads for Nike?
Answer: Spike Lee
32. What nickname for Delaware, once a tourism tagline, is also the title of a 1980s sitcom starring Tiffany Michelle Brissette as a robot girl?
Answer: Small Wonder
33. Known as Presenter when it was initially put out, Microsoft PowerPoint was first released in which year of the 1980s?
Answer: 1987
34. Born in Killara, New South Wales, what supermodel of the 1980s was nicknamed "The Body?"
Answer: Elle Macpherson
35. What singer went from the massive success of her 1984 album “Private Dancer” to starring as the villain in the 1985 film “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome”?
Answer: Tina Turner
36. Featuring 36 silk-screen paintings and 13 drawings in the artist's signature colorful pop style, "Cars" is a series of artworks commissioned by Mercedes-Benz in the 1980s from what artist?
Answer: Andy Warhol
37. In what ‘80s year was the first version of Microsoft Excel released?
Answer: 1982 - 1988
38. What game was created by British game designer Leslie Scott in the 1980s, based on a game she played with her family as a child living in Africa? The game's name came from the Swahili word for "to build."
Answer: Jenga
39. Andrew Ridgeley was the name of the "other guy" in what punctuationally unique pop duo, who formed in Hertfordshire, England in 1981 and became one of the decade's most successful acts?
Answer: Wham!
40. John Hurt starred as Winston Smith and Richard Burton as the sinister O'Brien in what literary adaptation, which came out—as was appropriate—in the mid-1980s?
Answer: Nineteen Eighty-Four
41. Microsoft Disk was one of the original widely used operating systems all the way from the 1980s, but it has been fully unsupported since 2006. What hyphenated nickname is this classic system more commonly known by?
Answer: MS-DOS
42. Based on its title, what actor was “in charge” as the titular character on the 1980s CBS sitcom “Charles In Charge”?
Answer: Scott Baio
43. In what decade did the annual mishmash of film, media, and music known as South by Southwest (SXSW) begin in Austin? The festival has remained in the Texas capital since it launched there.
Answer: 1980s
44. Debuting in London's West End in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988, what Andrew Lloyd Webber musical features the songs "All I Ask of You" and "The Music of the Night"?
Answer: The Phantom of the Opera
45. What Georgia-born wrestler was known as the most famous wrestler of the 1980s, had 13 world championship belts, and pivoted his career to acting with an appearance in “Rocky III” as a heel?
Answer: Hulk Hoga
46. Ronald Reagan very briefly relinquished the U.S. presidency in 1985, during a surgery to remove cancerous polyps from what organ?
Answer: Colon / Large intestine
47. In the affectionate Star Wars parody, “Space Balls,” the film renames the slimy crime lord “Jabba” to something far less sinister and perhaps a bit more delicious. What is this character’s new name?
Answer: Pizza the Hut
48. In the 1980s game show "Press Your Luck," what "W" word signified a villainous character that reset a contestant's score to zero?
Answer: Whammy
49. In what decade was the Harvard Undergraduate Council founded? Today, "the UC" features 51 undergraduate students at any given time.
Answer: 1980s
50. What influential African-American street artist and Andy Warhol protégé produced thousands of his eccentric drawings in the 1970s and 1980s? He was played by Jeffrey Wright in a 1996 Julian Schnabel film.
Answer: Jean-Michel Basquiat
51. What 1980s R&B boy band had members such as Bobby Brown and all three future members of Bell Biv Devoe? Their hits include “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man,” and their name implies that they were fresh to the scene.
Answer: New Edition
52. Created in the 1980s to represent all the difficulties of getting a pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less, The Noid is a red-suited villain who appears in advertising for what restaurant chain?
Answer: Domino's
53. For two seasons in the 1980s, what animated "Star Wars" series followed the adventures of Wicket W. Warwick and his friends on the forest moon of Endor?
Answer: Ewoks
54. Which band consisting of siblings had hits in the 1980s with “You Got It All” and “Make It Real”?
Answer: The Jets
55. In the early 1980s, cryptographer David Chaum came up with an idea for a cryptographic currency that he called what? In 1995, he brought the concept to life with Digicash.
Answer: ecash
56. In what state was “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” the highest-grossing film of the 1980s, set?
Answer: California
57. Mononymous ‘80s singer Tiffany was just 15 when she recorded her hit cover version of what song, written and recorded twenty years prior by Tommy James and the Shondells?
Answer: I Think We're Alone Now
58. If you were around, you might have been paying more attention to the release of the movie "Lethal Weapon", U2's album "The Joshua Tree", or Toni Morrison's book "Beloved". What odd-numbered year of the 1980s saw the initial release of Microsoft Excel?
Answer: 1987
59. The second-highest selling musical artist in Ireland's history (after U2) has never gone on tour and never performed a live solo concert. She rose to fame as the flag-bearer for new-age music in the late 1980s with songs like "Only Time" and "Orinoco Flow." Who is she?
Answer: Enya
60. If you wanted to type up a “flawless” document in the 1980s or early 1990s, which Windows word processor would you use? It was owned by Novell before being acquired by Corel in 1996, and your file would be saved in “.wpd” format.
Answer: WordPerfect
61. Al Gore sought the Democratic nomination for U.S. president in 1988 as the junior senator from which state?
Answer: Tennessee
62. 1982 saw the release of “The Little Drummer Girl” about an English actress who is drawn into a plot to help capture a Palestinian terrorist. This book was written by what British novelist, famed for his espionage novels such as “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”?
Answer: John Le Carre
63. Who is the only baseball team to win multiple World Series in the 1980s? In 1981, this team surprisingly trounced the New York Yankees, while a later Series saw one of the most famous pinch-hit home runs of all time.
Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers
64. Veronica accidentally poisons a popular girl and makes it look like a suicide in what 1988 dark comedy starring Winona Ryder?
Answer: Heathers
65. Popularly known for taking his infamous photo-op aboard an M1 Abrams tank, Michael Dukakis served as the governor of which U.S. state during the 1970s and 1980s, prior to his 1988 presidential campaign?
Answer: Massachusetts
66. Which discontinued spreadsheet program, originally written by Jonathan Sachs, peaked in popularity in the late 1980s after its release in January 1983? This spreadsheet program was the first computer software to use television consumer advertising.
Answer: Lotus 1-2-3
67. What alliterative 'M' name is given to a brand of tiny vehicles and matching play sets first made by Galoob in the mid-1980s?
Answer: Micro Machines
68. What 1986 war movie, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is about a man who won the Medal of Honor at the titular battle of the Korean War, and is now leading Mario Van Peebles and other soldiers into 1980s Grenada?
Answer: Heartbreak Ridge
69. Wilmington-born Valerie Bertinelli played Barbara Cooper on what long-running sitcom of the 1970s and 1980s?
Answer: One Day at a Time
70. What two-word 1980s British band had their biggest hit with 1986’s “(I Just) Died In Your Arms”?
Answer: Cutting Crew
71. Known for singles (and videos) such as "Take On Me," 1980s pop group a-ha came from what Scandinavian country?
Answer: Norway
72. What is the name of the talking animatronic toy that was an "Illiop" but quite closely resembled a bear? The toy reached peak popularity in the mid-1980s and helped aid the launch of 1986's Nintendo Entertainment System.
Answer: Teddy Ruxpin
73. In a 1980s commercial, actress Kelly LeBrock advertised what haircare brand with the slogan "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful?"
Answer: Pantene
74. The rapper Q-Tip was part of what alternative hip-hop group, which was started in the late 1980s and was known for such hits as "Can I Kick It?" which samples Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side?"
Answer: A Tribe Called Quest
75. What 1989 Spike Lee film, set on a summer's day in New York's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, was named by Rolling Stone magazine as the greatest movie of the 1980s?
Answer: Do the Right Thing
76. In which decade did the reality show “Cops” start its 32-season run?
Answer: 1980s
77. What future Oscar winner first became famous for her one-woman show playing legendary Vaudeville comedian Moms Mabley at San Francisco's Victoria Theatre in the 1980s?
Answer: Whoopi Goldberg
78. Sometimes considered the quintessential novel of the 1980s, what NYC-set satirical work centered on greed, racism, and social class through the lens of a lawyer, investment banker, and journalist? The book's title is a reference to an actual 1497 conflagration.
Answer: The Bonfire of the Vanities
79. The World War II submarine U-96 is the titular vessel in what 1981 German-language film that was nominated for six Oscars?
Answer: Das Boot
80. A Nike shoe designer was involved in the design and production of a pair of character costume boots for a blockbuster 1980s movie starring Michael Keaton. What was the movie?
Answer: Batman
81. What directionally named ranch is the fictional compound called home by the Ewing family on the 1980s TV drama "Dallas"?
Answer: Southfork Ranch
82. What founding member of Chicago left the band in the 1980s to pursue a solo career, scoring a number-one hit on his own with "Glory of Love," the theme from "The Karate Kid Part II"?
Answer: Peter Cetera
83. Sold in its signature brown-and-white bottles at the time, what haircare brand used the slogan "If you don't look good, we don't look good" in the 1980s?
Answer: Vidal Sassoon
84. Medicaid managed care programs, in which states receive waivers from the federal government and then enroll patients in private health plans with fixed monthly premiums, began in what decade?
Answer: 1980s
85. Magnolia Shorty and Big Freedia are two artists working in what genre of hip-hop that began in the 1980s, in the housing projects of New Orleans?
Answer: Bounce
86. "Like I always say, what's good for the goose is always good for the gander," begins what 1985 number-one hit song by Ready for the World?
Answer: Oh Sheila
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