15 signs you grew up in Toronto in the 1980s

Nostalgia is more than just the latest internet meme. It taps into a primal and powerful part of our collective identity. The web’s latest deluge of look-back content got us sharing memories here at Toronto Life. It wasn’t long before we had pages and pages of notes about how our city once was, and the experiences that determined our sense of civic pride and shame. (In ten years, there will a post like this heavily featuring Rob Ford). We’ve compiled our favourites from the decade of huge hair, 1050 CHUM and Art Eggleton. Here, 15 signs you grew up in Toronto in the 1980s.

The old Spadina 77 buses seemed to come every five seconds, yet they were always sweaty, crammed and infuriating (unlike today’s modern TTC). You could get through it by singing the Shuffle Demons’ delightful “Spadina Bus”—a surprise top-40 hit from 1986. The 77 route was eliminated in the ’90s when Spadina Avenue was revamped to reinstate the 510 streetcar. And the fate of the Shuffle Demons? One of them is running for mayor.

The rock-themed shows, which reached their height of popularity in the mid-’80s, were the only way to get teenagers into the planetarium voluntarily. Patrons would walk through the haze of marijuana smoke, up the shallow steps and into the circular main room to watch psychedelic lasers zap out astonishingly literal interpretations of rock lyrics in Laser Floyd, Laser Zeppelin or Sgt. Peppers Laser Light Show.

Located in the section known as Ontario North Now, the log ride was the only child-friendly diversion from all the educational stuff, like stuffed birds and a full-scale replica of the Canada Arm.

This wildly diverse club at Richmond and Simcoe was the place to be in the ’80s. With its legendary sound system and string of top-name guests (the Beastie Boys famously graffitied the doors), what underage Toronto teen didn’t want a fake ID, just to experience it. Sadly, it’s a parking lot now.

SPARX shoes were a dead giveaway, but the “BiWay” insult pretty much applied to anything from Bargain Harolds, Woolco, Zellers or Kresge’s.

The erstwhile attraction at the base of the CN Tower was the world’s first flight simulator ride, and operated from 1986 to 1990. After passing through some fake customs stations and getting bogus inoculations for astro-diseases, “passengers” took a “flight” to Jupiter on Canadian Airlines’ (remember them?) interplanetary service. The thing only lasted 15 minutes, but is seared in the collective memory of a certain generation of Torontonians.

After a celebratory dinner at Mr. Greenjeans in the Eaton Centre, you and your friends could record yourselves belting out “Time After Time” or “Heaven is a Place on Earth” in the on-site mini-studio kiosk, then take your own voice home on audio cassette. Not the singing type? You were probably celebrating your birthday at The Mad Hatter.

They were everywhere in the ’80s, but the Toby’s Good Eats at Yonge and Bloor was the quintessential downtown snack shop. By the time it lost its hilariously terrible name—it was re-branded “Toby’s Famous”—the restaurant  seemed downright quaint, dwarfed by imitators and better nearby dining options. For those looking for a trip back through time, there’s still a Toby’s Good Eats in Hamilton.

Like the friendship beads that preceded it, the sticker-trading trend pegged popularity to who had the largest and coolest collection. Getting ten bucks and someone’s mom to drive you and your friends out to Sandylions—the massive sticker emporium in Markham—always meant you’d have an edge. For those looking to introduce a new generation, the store is still selling its adhesive treasures under a different name. Check out the Stickers & More Warehouse in Thornhill.

Canada’s Wonderland may now seem like a quick 30-minute drive, but as a child, with the anticipation building to ride The Bat or the Ghostercoaster (depending on your age), the drive to a yet-underdeveloped Maple seemed like an eternity.

Through his CHUM radio and CityTV shows, John Majhor introduced Torontonians to bands like The Police and Blue Rodeo. Toronto Rocks!—a pre-MuchMusic video-music program—started in its 4:00 p.m. time slot on CityTV in 1984, making it a staple of many teens’ after-school rituals. Sadly, Majhor died in 2007 at just 53.

As most midtowners know, going to the movies at the Hollywood Theatre almost always meant a trip to nearby Bregman’s. The dine-in bakery had a perpetual (and deserving) queue, but the hotspot’s famously moist double-chocolate fudge cake was worth the wait. After 28 years in business, Bregman’s closed in 2007.

Imagine, imagine, you could imagine.

It was Mark Dailey (1953-2010). He was everywhere.

Art Eggleton, whose mayoralty spanned the entire decade (1980-1991), never once attended a Pride festival. Now a senator, he’s changed his mind about the whole thing, and has advised the current mayor to attend. This video from 1988 shows one of the Eggleton-free parades, as well as a snapshot of the Church-Wellesley Village at that time. Remember the steps?

Special thanks to Retrontario, the YouTube channel with countless incredible clips from around Ontario. Check it out here.  

Images: laser show: YouTube/screenshot; cake: Bregman’s; Sandylions: Sandylions; Toby’s Good Eats: trade.mar.cx; Mr Greenjeans: Lynda W./Yelp; skyline: Skeezixx1000/Wikipedia)