Molly Ringwald 1986 The Breakfast Club, 1986 The popular 'Brat Pack' - l to r Andrew McCarthy, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham, Rob Lowe and front Demi Moore Big haired vixen, ca. 1988 Whitesnake - late 80s 'big hair' rock band

As if Madonna and all those cool video vixens weren't enough, both TV and movie idols had their own followings in terms of fashion. One of the biggest was cute, spunky, redhaired Molly Ringwald. Molly was teen queen for most of the 1980s, thanks to starring in several mega-popular (oh my god!) John Hughes flicks. Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink were all Ringwald vehicles and with her unique fashion sense and funky style, Ringwald was vaulted into teen (and fashion) stardom. Her style of mixing thrift store with designer (think frumpy cardigan with a lace scarf and highbutton shoes) taught impressionable girls that mixing is good! (And again, more is better - you couldn't have enough accessories when you dressed Molly; fingerless gloves, jelly bracelets, lacy ankles and any kind of hat was a must!) Other popular movies like Weird Science, About Last Night, St. Elmo's Fire (major 'brat pack' hit!) and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off appealed to teens because of their cast, storyline and musical scores - spawning some of the decade’s biggest hits both on the screen and on the radio. Teen movies often featured all or part of the above mentioned "Brat Pack" - a group of young actors who symbolized the idea of "perfection" for many young movie-goers. The Brat Pack included such stars as Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson and others. One of the biggest films of the decade, St. Elmo’s Fire, followed a group of young 20-something friends throughout their trials and tribulations and generated a pop hit with the theme song. John Hughes didn’t serve as director of that film, but his credits for the 1980s seems endless; in addition to the teen angst films listed above, Hughes also directed such 80s blockbusters as Vacation, Mr. Mom, European Vacation, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, The Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck and Christmas Vacation. A number of other important movies were born in the 80 as well: Dirty Dancing, Terminator, Caddyshack, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Batman, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Risky Business (which launched that one guy - Tom Cruise), When Harry Met Sally and the horror classics Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. Another notable movie is Purple Rain, which gave Prince fans a thrill as they got to see the Purple One riding his Hog, romancing the Ladies and doing that Prince Thing on the big screen. You can’t look back on the 80s without recalling the great movies that audiences enjoyed through the decade. Fans still quote from their favorite flicks -- 'I've been slimed!' -- 'Neomaxizoomdweebie!' -- 'Girls can't hold their smoke - that's what it is' and the list goes on. And of course we can't forget ET! He arrived. We laughed. We loved. He left. We cried. We spent big bucks on merchandise. One notable comment about this amazing movie is its effect on the candy industry - many consumers are unaware that, if not for the little alien creature, they could not enjoy the snack called "Reese’s Pieces." Rumor has it that candy giant M&M/Mars was approached about using the tasty M&Ms snack as ET’s favorite in the film. Apparently, no agreement was reached, and the folks at Reese’s created a look-alike candy for use in the movie. And the rest, as they say, is history.   Notable News, Movies, Songs & Events in the 80s: 1980 Ronald Reagan was elected US President with George (no W.) Bush as vice president. Reagan won against Jimmy Carter and took office January 20, 1981. President Carter attempted to free US hostages held in Iran and it backfires. After becoming president, Ronald Reagan had another attempt and took credit for ultimately freeing the hostages. John Lennon was shot and killed in New York. The gunman, Mark Chapman, apparently shouted 'I am the Catcher in the Rye' just before dropping to the ground and firing the weapon. The Rubik's Cube craze began. Worldwide, 'The Empire Strikes Back' was the highest grossing film of 1980. Followed by 'Superman II' and '9 to 5'. 'Ordinary People' took the best picture Academy award. Pacman was released - and went on to be the most successful arcade game of all time.   Mid 80s multi colored shoes