A Morris Park resident has found a unique way to remember his childhood and celebrate his favorite decade.
John-Paul ‘JP’ Annunziato is sharing his collection of 1980s memorabilia, containing over 30,000 items, online and on social media platforms to encourage and inspire others to pursue to their dreams despite any adversity.
What started out as collecting materials related to his youth after the passing of his parents in 2009, and healing from his own injuries sustained in two auto accidents, has now been transformed into a project called ‘80s Then, 80s Now.’
“I want to share this kind of time capsule so that people who were not old enough can experience the 1980s for the first time,” said Annunziato. “For the people who are older, I want to give them another go round on this.”
Much of that collection can now be viewed on 80sth
Annunziato said he just purchased more and more memorabilia from the 1980s, which is his favorite decade – everything from cereal boxes to fast food packaging to video games to toys.
The collection was purchased piece by piece online and at venues for used items like the Salvation Army and Goodwill, he said.
The collection, as viewed on his website, includes items that people in their 30s and 40s, as well as older people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s should remember fondly and have favorable memories about, he said.
Those who were children during the era will remember items on the site like Cabbage Patch Dolls and GIJoe action figures that they may have played with in their youth.
There is also memorabilia related to WWF wrestling entertainment and Atari video games: media that young people of the time period from 1980 to 1989 consumed.
For men, there are copies of Joe Weider’s Muscle and Fitness and Playboy magazines, along with USA-made Jockey shorts.
In a women’s section of the website, are photos of everything from Harlequin Romance Books, various types of aerobic records and Women’s Day magazines, along with Jane Fonda workout tapes, Avon and Donna Mills personal care products.
There are also Aqua Net aerosol hair spray cans and Swatch watches.
Those who were adults during the 1980s have contacted Annunziato about products that they used like cereal or dish cleaners, as well as products and services like Salad Crispins, Hush Puppies and the Columbia House record club, he said.
Virtually all of the people who have contacted him have been positive and supportive of his project, said Annunziato.
“People are sharing very personal stories that are hitting me to the core because this is hitting them to the core,” he said. “I am getting a lot of support.”
Some of the items that Annunziato said that he cherishes the most and would never part with were dinnerware like the kind his family used when he was a youngster, and McDonalds Happy Meal toys and collectables that remind him of good times at fast-food restaurants.
Annunziato has amassed what he believes is the largest collection of 1980s-specific memorabilia in the world.
In addition to being on 80sTh
