As part of our ’80s Week we wanted to take a day to celebrate the games that made childhood so memorable. But instead of just suggesting some to play, we scoured the interwebs to find versions you can make yourselves that perfectly capture ’80s games in all their fun splendor!
So into the ideas of a throwback escape? Be sure to check out our collection of DIY 90s-inspired games and 50+ ideas for a 90s themed movie & craft night too!
8 Ideas for DIY 80s Games
DIY Double Dare
A DIY Double-Dare Course – The pictures on this amazing Pinterest board give you all the instruction you need to recreate an awesomely accurate Double-Dare Course with so many of my favorite parts from the classic Nickelodeon game show. Uh, YEAH. I’ll take the physical challenge Mark.
DIY Croquet
DIY Croquet Set – Heathers anyone? Winona Ryder fans and readers of the Preppy Handbook will understand exactly how important and necessary a good game of croquet felt in the eighties. The height of at-home country clubbing really – and the flamingos fit the decade perfectly.
DIY Slip and Slide
The Ultimate DIY Slip & Slide – I don’t care what you say – if your household didn’t have a slip & slide at some point in the ’80s, it was incomplete. This extra-long homemade version makes me want to relive those glorious summer afternoons spent hurling myself toward a thin layer of plastic covered in water all over again!
DIY Life-Sized Hungry, Hungry Hippos
Human Hungry, Hungry Hippos (watch the video here) – Holy hippos! Who knew balloons, baskets, bungee cords, and scooter boards could come together in such an authentic life-sized representation of my childhood obsession?!
DIY Guess Who
DIY Guess Who – One of my favorite board games of the ’80s was Guess Who and this version uses your own family and friends’ faces – no brainer, right?!?
DIY Pin-the-Shades-on-Ferris Game
Pin the Shades on Ferris – We thought we’d take a stab at creating our own throwback game and came up with this! All you need is an 80’s poster and our radical printable for this party game. You can download our printable Ferris shades for sunglasses that will fit a 24″ x 36″ or 11″ x 17″ Ferris poster. We used this 24″ x 36″ poster (text trimmed away) but you can pick your own favorite 80’s heartthrob, idol, goth, preppie, headbanger, or punk!
DIY PacMan
Tabletop PacMan Game – this is a super cute way to bring the arcade game to life right on your tabletop!
DIY Operation Game
Life-Sized Operation Game – Okay, admittedly, one of the more involved DIYs…but life-sized operation?!? I’m in. I can practically hear the horrendous buzz of the alarm (shiver!)
40 Classic 80s Board Games You Can Still Find
There are moments when a do-it-yourself rendition simply cannot stand in for the authentic experience. If our nostalgic journey through ’80s board games has sparked a longing for the past, you’ll be pleased to know that several timeless favorites are still in production for today’s young players!
Life choices, guessing games, naval battles, hippo-feeding frenzies… here are the classics (from the seriously strategic to the wonderfully whimsical) that you can still add to your eighties game collection…
- Guess Who?
- Trivial Pursuit
- Pictionary
- Connect Four
- Operation
- Hungry Hungry Hippos
- Candy Land
- Battleship
- Mouse Trap
- Clue
- Sorry!
- Simon
- Don’t Break the Ice
- Chutes and Ladders
- Taboo
- Fireball Island
- Pig Pong
- Girl Talk
- Dark Tower
- Win, Lose, or Draw
- Shark Attack
- Bed Bugs
- Dizzy Dizzy Dinosaur
- Double Trouble
- Trap Door
- Mall Madness
- Hi-Ho Cherry-O
- Crackers in My Bed
- Pac Man
- Risk
- Uno
- Trouble
- Perfection
- Yahtzee
- Jenga
- Othello
- Mastermind
- Rack-O
- Sequence
- Crossfire
GETTING READY TO TRY this?
I love seeing all the ways people make these ideas their own! If you're sharing the results of one of our projects, mention or tag me with @barleyandbirch, or share it in the comments of one of our Pinterest project pins.
