For an easy way to find out how old someone is, just ask them how they spent Saturday mornings as a kid. If it involved heaping bowls of fluorescent colored cereal and watching cartoons about otherworldly creatures at 6AM… you’ve found yourself an 80’s child. Both Sean and I spent untold hours parked in front of our television screens, watching with equal amounts of awe and laughter as epic battles were waged between our heroes. Is it any wonder we gravitate towards 80’s t-shirts?

Sprite covered
Rainbow Brite shirt

Freaky Mumm Ra
Thundercats shirt

Candy covered
Care Bears shirt

The characters were usually cloaked in goofy outfits and had funny sounding names, but they all has a pretty serious mission; Rainbow Brite and the Care Bears kept vitality and love in the world, GI Joe was battling global “terrorists”, the ThunderCats prevented an ancient mummy from controlling the planet, and He-Man and She-Ra were defending the entire universe. We never watched the animated offerings from Lucas, but the Star Wars movies were so influential for us and that plot also involved protecting the galactic from evil. 80s kids were definitely presented with some mature themes and we loved it.

Ninja Turtle
costume shirt

Nobody puts Baby
in a Corner shirt

Darth Vader
costume shirt

Of course the 80’s were also influenced by the Me Generation mindset so we also ended up with fantastically silly or mundane plot lines. The Ninja Turtles were kind of a hybrid, as they fought off potentially multidimensional domination by evil, but they also used surfer slang and ate ice-cream topped pizza. (Which, by the way, is absolutely delicious. Thank you TMNT for prompting me to try that back in the late 80’s.) And then we’ve got a boatload of movies like Dirty Dancing where the drama stems from coming of age and a simple need to dance. Goonies, Ghostbusters, and Back to the Future were also some “heavy” 80s movie offerings that tickled our imaginations as well as funny bones. It was an amazing time for media and for just being a kid.

All things considered, I’m really grateful that I got to spend my adolescence in the polarized yet magical decade of the 80’s. How about you, fellow 80’s children?

Ghostbusters
costume t-shirt

Delorean Back To The Future shirt

Goonies shirt

RELATED: 80s Clothing for Women, 80s Clothing for Men, our main 80s Clothes Store, and Vintage Metal Lunchboxes

It was only a few days ago we were saying how cool it would be if Threadless reprinted the Staby McKnife design so we could get one. They must have read our minds, because we soon received their newsletter with another opportunity to purchase this friendly knife. W00t for reprints!

Also just announced is the 2007 Bestee Award Winners where you can view the designs of the year, best collaboration designs, groundbreaking design of the year, best use of one color, and more.

Although our friend Staby McKnife didn’t win any awards, another reprint did win Slogan of the Year. Get it while it’s hot.

Dan Piraro is a multi-talented guy, but he is probably best known for his off-beat cartoon strip, Bizarro. Although I had seen that cartoon in a few various places over the years, it wasn’t until I read about Dan in the debut issue of Herbivore Magazine that I began to take notice of his work. One particular area of his focus really caught my attention: animals. Outside of being a skilled illustrator and comic, Dan is also passionate about animal rights and isn’t shy about using his skills to raise awareness about it. His latest contribution is a bizarre and very cool looking shirt that he designed for Endangered Wear that gives 100% of the profits to Dan’s favorite farm animal sanctuary. There’s a limited run of 750 shirts being produced by indie shirt company Endangered Wear (limited runs are their specialty, hence the name). All of their designs are printed on made in the USA, sweatshop-free American Apparel t-shirts, too. Whether you’re a card carrying member of the Secret Society of Vegans like us (just kidding, they don’t issue cards), or just not a big fan of factory farming, this shirt is a fun way to spread the word and help animals. And honestly, how many shirts do you have that feature a retro-look piggy being flown to safety thanks to a flock of funky birds?
$22.95

Searching for an easy gift that is unique and stylish? Check out the daily artist submitted designs over at UneeTee. These designer t-shirts don’t cost a lot and they are printed on American Apparel brand shirts for their eco-friendliness and USA manufactured quality.

Hot Tip: Make your decision quickly as these t-shirt and hoodie designs sell out quick!

My personal pick would be this Amazing Childhood design for it’s brightness and fun outdoor activities. Don’t you wish you could just spend the day on a swing set, or playing freeze tag with your friends? I do.

Here are some more sales, coupons, and straight up great deals to help save some money this holiday season.

Threadless – Down to the last days of the $10 Holiday Sale. Get $10 designer t-shirts from now until Dec 16th ‘07.

ThinkGeek – Get $10 off your $50+ purchase OR get $5 off a $25+ purchase. Coupon Code: PORTAL Expires: Midnight on the 13th of Dec. ‘07.

Red Envelope – They will be having a 24% off everything for 24 hours sale on Tuesday Dec 11th 2007. No coupon code needed!

eBeanStalk.com – 15% off all GIFT Series, just enter coupon code GIFTSERIES at checkout.

Modern Artisans – Their Winter Clearance Sale continues with items on sale in all departments! no coupons required.

SnapTotes – Get 10% Off All SnapTotes Custom Photo Handbags. Just use coupon code holidaybag at checkout.

Busted Tees – For those who need more funny t-shirts Busted Tees still has their Early Bird Sale going on. It will end when 2007 ends.

If you are in the need for more deals, coupons, and discounts in general be sure to check out our always up to date online coupons page.

The fine folks scurvy dogs at PirateMod are our kind of people. Their business was created due to the lack of cool pirate duds available, and using their impressive design skills, they found the perfect solution. Instead of wearing the same generic old skull and crossbones styles that can be found at every mall and online pirate store, they went about illustrating their own unique pirate shirt designs.

They carry tons of exclusive shirt designs ranging from the spectacular (containing Victorian inspired elements) to the common (skulls and swords, what else?), and even have some gear for your wee ones. They “cater to every kind of pirate doin’ every kind of thing”, and the proof is in their selection of themes and slogans. Whether you’re a vampire, a hockey nut, musician, biker, tattoo lover, kitty lover, or just a boozy bilge rat, PirateMod has a shirt for you.

$16.00 – $22.00

Sean says: Be sure to check out the Jolly Roger Evolution section on their site as it has some unique skull n’ bone variants I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

I’m a sucker for good uses of pink and black in design, and these t-shirts are no exception. I was initially drawn in by their new Love Bat design, but eventually made my way to the men’s section and found a nice Space Giant I’d like to be friends with.

These designs are created by a company called Strong Like Bull and they have many more to choose from on their site. It looks like they are also the creators of some designs you might have seen in your local Hot Topic called Frankenheart and Johnny Dead. Being the huge zombie fan I am, I’m partial to Johnny Dead who isn’t afraid to admit he’s always been a big fan of nerds. Probably because of their huge … brains.

I found them via Modish who mention that Strong Like Bull uses American Apparel (sweatshop-free, sustainable, high quality) tees although I don’t see that on their website anywhere. Modish also mentions a way to get free shipping when you order from Strong Like Bull. (Hint: just read their post.)