9 Foods You Would Find At An '80s Birthday Party

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If you grew up in the 1980s, you might have strong memories of attending birthday parties for kids in your class or planning your own epic annual celebration. Looking back, it seems like '80s birthday parties were more colorful, less curated, and designed for maximum fun. Rather than sticking to a carefully planned color palette and Pinterest-ready theme, they were chaotic, joyful, and messy. And many were held at popular kids' party joints like ShowBiz Pizza, Chuck E. Cheese, and McDonald's. 

Most parties featured classic fare such as pizza, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets or chicken tenders. Unfortunately, if you were a vegetarian, you were often limited to filling up on snacks such as candy and chips. While some of the food choices were decidedly kid-friendly, others were clearly there purely for whatever adults happened to be present. Take a trip down Memory Lane and see how many of these nine iconic '80s birthday party foods you recognize. You might even be inspired to plan a modern '80s-themed birthday party for yourself. 

Mini hot dogs and pigs in a blanket were party staples in the '80s. They were inexpensive, sure to please even picky eaters, and simple to prepare. They usually had a no-frills presentation, with bottles of ketchup or mustard nearby for the more adventurous eaters. If you didn't see mini hot dogs at a birthday party, you might have just seen normal-sized hot dogs cut in half. This method offered maximum savings with little fanfare, and also reduced the chances that a kid was going to abandon their hot dog somewhere halfway through eating it. For a dose of nostalgia, you can recreate the experience with our recipe for miniature cheesy hot dog mummies with Dijon dipping sauce.

Depending on where in the U.S. you lived, you might have seen a seven-layer dip proudly displayed on a table at every historic party you attended. Your grandma or aunt was probably the go-to person for this menu item at family get-togethers. This colorful dip was a party-pleaser in the '70s and '80s, though if it was at a kid's party, it was mostly there for the adults. The specific layers that were in the dip may have varied from state to state, but usually included beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, meat, onions, tomatoes, and toppings such as cheese, black olives (which became party snack staples in the '80s), or jalapeños. Try your hand at our elevated seven-layer dip recipe for a tasty blast from the past.

If you were lucky enough to have your birthday party at a fast food restaurant or designated venue such as McDonald's, ShowBiz Pizza, or Chuck E. Cheese, you got to enjoy the venue's party menu. While some venues like McDonald's had secret birthday cakes for parties, others let you bring your own. Most places offered standard kids' party foods including pizza, burgers, fries, nachos, and soda pitchers, and many had a designated party room for parents to rent.

Another iconic staple of kids' birthday parties in the '80s was a whimsical, brightly-colored cake. Whether it was an affordable grocery store birthday cake or a unique creation made by the birthday kid's mom, it was sure to include many different colors of frosting and at least one toy decoration. Some of the most memorable were Disney-themed cakes, construction site cakes, Barbie doll cakes, and dirt cakes featuring Oreo cookie "dirt" and colorful gummy worms, which were newly introduced to the U.S. as a fun, "gross" candy in the '80s. You got bonus points if your cake had a frosting that turned everyone's mouth a funny color.

If your parents couldn't afford to buy the once-popular Baskin-Robbins' ice cream clown cones, they might have tried to make their own. Homemade clown cones were either cute or terrifying depending on the skill level of the person making them. They were deceptively simple in practice, yet hard to execute properly — especially if they needed to be transported somewhere. Consisting of a scoop of ice cream for the clown's head, a cone for its hat, whipped cream or frosting for a bowtie and collar, and candies for the eyes, nose, and other details, they quickly became more horrifying the longer they sat waiting to be consumed.

Popcorn balls were another easy-to-make, inexpensive party offering that was sure to please most kids. They were often packaged in cellophane so that kids could take them home at the end of the party. Some parents decorated the popcorn balls with candy according to the party's theme or added bright food coloring to the melted marshmallow mixture. Others just used pre-packaged popcorn balls or caramel corn balls.

Of all the foods from the '80s you probably forgot about, two of the most nostalgic were Squeezits and Hi-C. If you didn't have them at home because they "weren't healthy," it was a special treat to get them at a birthday party. So, many '80s birthday parties had a bucket of Squeezits or huge plastic party jugs of Hi-C Ecto Cooler, fruit punch, or Tang. And honestly, most of those options were better than the cheap beer you would get in the future at college parties.

No one will blame you if you admit that you could still absolutely demolish a party pail of ice cream today. These family-size plastic buckets usually came in pretty simple flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and Neapolitan ice cream. Parents would typically scoop them out over the cake with little fanfare as they tried to hide their exhaustion.

Admittedly, not all kid's parties had this option, but if you did see it, it was mainly there for the adults. The hand-crafted veggie tray or relish tray might have been artfully arranged in a kid-friendly design, or might have included peanut butter, ranch dressing, or other dips meant to appeal to the kids. But despite the best efforts of well-meaning adults, most kids wouldn't ever be caught dead near it at an '80s birthday party.