Favorite 70s and 80s School Supplies

Back to school is approaching! This reminds me of one thing SCHOOL SUPPLIES!


Here are some of my favorite school supplies from the 1970s and 1980s. You already know about my love of the Trapper Keeper, but here are a few super cool school supplies that rocked! Remember any of them?

The 1970s Peanuts lunchbox was a hit with kids!

In first grade, it was all about the Snoopy lunchbox. I thought it was the most amazing thing, despite the fact that my lunch was usually boring and healthy and contained carrots, celery, raisins and peanut butter -- very 1970s ... Back then lunchboxes were usually made of metal. Metal lunchboxes often rusted after Mom washed them too many times or they were exposed to rain one to many times.

Poochie, Poochie for girls! 1980s!

Hello Kitty pencil cases rocked!

Pencil cases were also something I really enjoyed shopping for. I loved Poochie pencil cases, Hello Kitty pencil cases and Little Twin Stars pencil cases. My love of pencil cases continued into high school. Instead of cutesy ones, I'd use those 3-hole-punch clear pencil cases that snapped into a 3-ring-binder. I was that kid who always had a pen or pencil in high school. This led to the usual, "Yo, can I borrow a pen?" question daily from that tough type of kid who never had a pen.

Marble notebooks and the tiny marble notebook memo pads rocked! In Catholic school, the nuns loved marble notebooks. They preferred them to spiral-bound because the papers were less likely to rip out and get lost. Today, as a non-student, I still like the look of the marble notebook but find the spiral notebooks more practical.

You may have already read about my obsession with Eraser Mates a while back. What was your favorite school supply from back in the day?

Back To School & College Dorm Room Supplies

As August nears, you can sense summer is coming to a close. I know there's an entire month left, but the atmosphere changes somehow. Crickets and locus chirp and sing louder throughout the afternoon, the sun hits your yard a bit differently and the nights aren't as long.

It's around this time that we begin to see Back to School sales and circulars advertising everything from fancy pens and notebooks at CVS and Walgreens to dorm room delights from Bed Bath & Beyond. Bed Bath & Beyond even have a We Love College! ad campaign. Next to wedding registries, dorm room decor is probably their biggest money maker!

As much as I hated returning to school after a summer of fun, I didn't mind stocking up on everything from new clothing and shiny notebooks in grammar school to extra long dorm room sheets to new backpacks in high school and college! Here are some of my favorite vintage back-to-school stuff. What did you love best?

Cool 1980s Lunch Boxes

In grade school it was uber important to show up to school gripping a kick-ass lunch box. Be it Smurfs, Snoopy or E.T. -- you didn't want to be stuck with one of those boring, run-of-the-mill, plain lunch boxes.

The Jansport Bag

In high school and college, it was all about the Jansport backpack. I'm not quite sure why. I mean, it was just a backpack, but it was truly an essential in both high school and college. I also loved LL Bean backpacks.

The Mead Trapper Keeper

If you've been following a long for a bit, you know how dedicated I am to the Trapper Keeper by Mead. I loved the way it held every piece of paper securely and fashionably. I had the red one one year and a blue one other years. I enjoyed slapping stickers all over them to personalize them a bit. I found this old commercial, check it out.