If you are looking for some cheap entertainment, try this little task that was floating around on social media. Ask your children, teenagers or young adults these 21 questions and see how much they know about the past.
I was proud that my teens knew some of these, but for the most part, it was a hilarious display of just how out of touch they are from things that are so familiar to me.
Ramona, 18 years old
1. What is a Roladex? I don't know. Like a … a game?
2. What is a rotary phone? The phone that has like the little dials and you have to like use your finger to go to each number.
(Quino Al/Unsplash)
3. What is a Walkman? It's like what you place music in with- what are they called, um, tapes?
4. What are Yellow Pages? That's where you, where you fill in contact information. In a phone book right?
5. What is a phone jack? That's just the plug-in spot. Isn't it?
6. What is a Trapper Keeper? A what? Ummm... I don't know, uh. Trapper Keeper? I've heard it. Why do I feel like it's a radio. (I had to remind her that we literally have a Kitten Trapper keeper from my childhood still in the house)
7. What is a crimper used for? For your hair!
8. What is a hacky sack? A hacky sack is a thing that you hit with your feet.
9. What is a Boombox? A boombox is like a giant stereo!
10. What is an Atari? Atari is a game console.
11. What is a TV Guide? That's the pamphlet you get with your TV. I mean it's a guide.
12. What is Tang? Tang? Um what!? Tang? It's a fla- it's a flavor or it's like a slang word for something that's like out of the box I guess?
13. What is a View Master? Oh um....uhhh. Shoot. I think it had something to do with TVs.
14. What is the Oregon Trail? That's a game like an old school game. I know that game, people die of like snake bites and like... What's like the funny one? There's a really funny death on there. Dysentery!
15. What was minimum wage for 1980? 15 cents?
16. What is a Bon Bon? Those are yummy! The Paris dude candies.
17. What is a card catalog? A catalogue for...I don't know cards. I literally just renamed it backwards.
18. What is a Lite Brite? I know what a lite bright is! It's a cute little light that's bright. No, they're animals, aren't they? Shaped like animals.
Keith Homan // Shutterstock
19. Who is Teddy Ruxpin? No idea. (To which I replied, "Really? You're missing out" and showed her a photo of him on my phone) She looks it up: "Aww...it's a doll, I thought it was like a politician. He's kind of fugly."
20. What is Aqua Net? Aquanaut? I just am thinking of like a fishing net. A fishing net.
21. What is a Dust Buster? The name of a vacuum. The small little hand-held ones… Usually red. We had a red one.
Elliott, 15 years old
1. What is a Roladex? I have no idea.
2. What is a rotary phone? Uhh. A one that hooked up to your house right? It goes on your wall and you spin the thing.
3. What is a Walkman? I don't know. The like walk. The like crosswalk thing! I don't know!
(Florian Schmetz/Unsplash)
4. What are Yellow Pages? I don't know.
5. What is a phone jack? I don't know!
6. What is a Trapper Keeper? What? That name doesn't describe anything. Trapper Keeper?
7. What is a crimper used for? To like, bunch up your hair. To crimp your hair.
8. What is a hacky sack? *laughs* What kind of question is that? It's the thing you kick around.
9. What is a Boombox? A speaker.
10. What is an Atari? Uhh the first game console?
(France1978/Flickr)
11. What is a TV guide? Uhh... It's a piece of paper that shows you the channels and what numbers they are.
12. What is Tang? Like if you if you're spicy. If you're hot. If you're cool? You got a lot of tang. (This one cracked me up!)
13. What is a View Master? I don't. I don't know. (When I explained it he knew immediately but never remembered the name)
14. What is the Oregon Trail? It's a historic trail but it's also a video game where you went across the trail and tried not to get people sick.
15. What was minimum wage for 1980? I don't know. Like, an hour? Uh. Right now, here it is $7.25 I think. $5.25 or something like that? $5.20?
16. What is a Bon Bon? A candy. It's like soft but chewy at the same time and it comes in fruit flavors.
17. What is a card catalog? A catalog of cards! With photos on them!
18. What is a Lite Brite? A bright light?
19. Who is Teddy Ruxpin? I have no idea, what did you say Mona?
20. What is Aqua Net? Is it like a … an ocean company or an actual net.
21. What is a Dust Buster? A vacuum that picks up the dust. A small vacuum.
My kids are 0 for 2 in the smarts department. Copy this wuestion list and quiz a youngin in your life.
Molly Penny is a local radio personality and MNSU alum. It was her love of pop culture that got her interested in doing a radio show for KOWZ 100.9, and she is now the music and promotions director at KOWZ & KRUE Radio in Owatonna. She resides in Mankato with her movie buff husband and YouTube obsessed children. Catch her on Twitter at @mollyhoodUSA.
