18 Strange Things Georgia Kids in the 1970s Swore Were Cool but Make No Sense Now

Being a kid in 1970s Georgia meant living in a world where everything was marketed as groovy, even if it was totally pointless.

A rock in a box? Cool. Shoes that made you walk downhill all the time? Also cool.

Looking back now, half of these fads made no sense at all.

But in the moment, they were cooler than Fonzie giving a thumbs-up on Happy Days.

Wearing Mood Rings Everywhere

In the 1970s, kids couldn’t get enough of mood rings. They were supposed to change color depending on your feelings, but mostly they just turned purple when your hands were cold.

Kids wore them to school like they were science experiments on their fingers.

Every playground had at least one kid holding up their hand and declaring, “It says I’m happy!”

The truth is, they looked like cheap jewelry you’d win at a carnival booth. Yet back then, they were the ultimate status symbol.

Today, they’d probably be marketed as “biofeedback smart rings” on Instagram, but in the ’70s, it was just plastic, heat-sensitive magic.

Collecting Pet Rocks

The idea of paying for an actual rock with googly eyes was peak 1970s kid logic. Pet Rocks came in little boxes with breathing holes, as if they were alive.

Kids brought them to show-and-tell like they were exotic animals. Teachers had to pretend to be impressed while wondering if society had truly lost its way.

The “rock care manual” that came with them only added to the ridiculousness, instructing you on how to “walk” and “feed” your stone.

Looking back, it’s clear that Pet Rocks were one of the greatest marketing scams of all time, but somehow everyone was in on the joke.

Lava Lamps as Nightlights

Every cool kid wanted a lava lamp glowing on their nightstand. The blobs moving around looked psychedelic and mysterious, like a tiny disco party in glass form.

Parents thought it was harmless, but kids sat there staring at them like they were seeing visions of the future.

They took hours to heat up, and sometimes they looked more like blobs of soup than magical orbs.

Still, in a decade obsessed with “groovy vibes,” lava lamps were as essential as a beanbag chair.

Roller Skates With Keys

Before inline skates, kids had clunky metal skates that strapped onto their sneakers and had to be tightened with a key. Lose the key and you were doomed.

The skates made more noise than fun, rattling down sidewalks like a runaway shopping cart.

Kids thought they were the height of freedom, zipping around cul-de-sacs while blasting Bay City Rollers on a tape deck.

Today’s kids would laugh at the design, but in the ’70s, nothing felt cooler than hanging a skate key around your neck like jewelry.

Wearing Tube Socks to the Knee

Tube socks with colored stripes were a must-have accessory. They went all the way up to the knee and came in every combination from red-and-blue to neon rainbow.

Kids strutted around like they were auditioning for a Brady Bunch spinoff. Gym teachers practically made them part of the dress code.

The socks sagged constantly, so kids spent half their time pulling them back up.

But nobody cared, because the look was everything.

Today, unless you’re on a retro basketball team, tube socks are mostly costume-party material.

Decorating With Black Light Posters

Nothing screamed cool like a wall covered in posters that glowed under a black light.

Unicorns, mushrooms, and swirling neon patterns were everywhere.

Every ’70s kid thought their room was transformed into a rock concert venue with one flip of a switch.

Of course, you also had to deal with everything else glowing—like lint on your jeans and the poster thumbtacks.

Still, having a black light poster collection meant you were officially in the “cool crowd.”

Sitting in Beanbag Chairs

Beanbag chairs were a 1970s staple, showing up in living rooms, basements, and dorms. Kids thought they were the future of furniture.

They looked fun and groovy, but sitting in one usually meant getting swallowed alive by foam pellets.

Every family had at least one that sprung a leak, spilling tiny white balls all over the carpet for weeks.

Somehow, the discomfort never stopped kids from declaring them “the comfiest thing ever.”

Listening to 8-Tracks

8-tracks were clunky tapes that promised portable music. Every kid thought having one was like owning a personal jukebox.

You’d pop in a tape of Fleetwood Mac or The Bee Gees and feel like you were riding the wave of the future.

In reality, the sound cut out, the songs looped weirdly, and the tapes got jammed constantly.

Yet at the time, nothing was cooler than pulling out a stack of 8-tracks from your denim bag.

Rocking Platform Shoes

Even kids begged their parents for platform shoes, trying to copy disco icons from Soul Train and Saturday-night rollerskating rinks.

They looked glamorous, but they made walking a high-risk sport. One uneven sidewalk and you were face-first in the grass.

Schools banned them for safety reasons, which only made kids want them more.

Looking back, it’s amazing more ankles survived the platform craze.

Watching “Kung Fu” Shows and Movies

Bruce Lee and David Carradine had everyone in the ’70s trying out karate moves in their backyards. Kids thought they were martial arts masters after one Saturday afternoon matinee.

Every schoolyard had at least one kid attempting high kicks in tube socks and nearly breaking a window.

Kung fu posters lined bedrooms, and “Hi-YAH!” became the official battle cry of playground recess.

Parents shook their heads, but kids thought they were starring in their own action flick.

Making Friendship Bracelets Out of Gimp

Plastic lacing called gimp was all the rage. Kids braided it into keychains, bracelets, and anything else they could twist together.

Friendship was officially measured by how many gimp creations dangled from your backpack.

The stuff smelled like a plastic factory and cut off circulation if tied too tight, but that didn’t matter.

Every sleepover turned into a crafting marathon with half-finished gimp strings littering the floor.

Having a CB Radio

Inspired by trucker culture and movies like Smokey and the Bandit, kids begged for CB radios so they could talk like outlaws on the open road.

The handles, or nicknames, were the best part. Every kid wanted a tough-sounding one like “Road Runner” or “Silver Bullet.”

Mostly, they just picked up static or confused truck drivers, but it felt like top-secret spy gear.

CB radios were basically the 1970s version of TikTok.

Everyone thought they were broadcasting gold, but mostly it was noise.

Wearing Satin Jackets

Shiny satin jackets with embroidered logos were considered peak cool. Think Grease but without the leather.

Kids wore them to school and strutted around like they were in a band or part of a roller-disco gang.

They were hot, sweaty, and didn’t breathe at all, but nobody cared.

The shinier the jacket, the cooler the kid… or at least that’s what everyone believed.

Collecting Wacky Packages Stickers

These parody stickers turned everyday products into jokes, like “Cap’n Crud” cereal or “Busted Fingers” candy bars. Kids went wild trading them.

Every Trapper Keeper and lunchbox was plastered with them. If you had a rare one, you instantly had playground bragging rights.

Parents didn’t get the humor, but kids thought they were pure genius.

They were basically the ’70s version of meme culture, but with glue.

Sporting Feathered Hair

Thanks to Farrah Fawcett and John Travolta, every kid wanted feathered layers that flipped out just right.

Bathrooms were stocked with round brushes and cans of Aqua Net as kids worked on their “wings.”

Of course, most ended up looking like a startled bird instead of a teen idol.

Still, nothing made you feel cooler than flipping your hair back in slow motion like a Charlie’s Angels star.

Eating Space Food Sticks

These chewy “nutritional” bars were marketed as snacks astronauts ate in space, so kids believed they were eating the future.

They came in flavors like chocolate and peanut butter, but they mostly tasted like vitamins mixed with rubber.

Still, kids bragged about them in the cafeteria like they were dining on NASA rations.

It’s safe to say they disappeared for a reason, but at the time they felt intergalactic.

Hanging Out in Arcades

By the late ’70s, arcades were popping up everywhere, and kids thought they were the center of the universe.

Dropping quarters into Space Invaders or Asteroids made you feel unstoppable.

The lights, the sounds, the sticky floors: it was a magical mess.

If you had a pocket full of coins, you were basically royalty.

Wearing Earth Shoes

These clunky shoes with negative heels were marketed as healthy and cool. Kids convinced themselves they were fashionable.

Walking in them felt like stepping into a hole with every stride.