20 Classroom Supplies Every ’80s Student Used
A nostalgic roundup of the essential school supplies that filled every ’80s kid’s desk and backpack.
- Chris Graciano
- 4 min read
School in the 1980s was a hands-on experience. From scented markers to noisy pencil sharpeners, every item in your bag had a distinct look, feel, or smell. Let’s rewind to the everyday supplies that defined student life during the most radicle decade ever.
1. Trapper Keeper
Jennifer Boyer on Flckr
With its bold designs and Velcro flap, this organizer was the holy grail of school supplies. Its built-in folders and calendars made you feel instantly grown-up.
2. Lisa Frank Stickers
exousiavampira on Flickr
Even before its explosion in the ’90s, Lisa Frank’s early neon creations were already circulating. Bright dolphins, rainbows, and unicorns adorned notebooks and folders.
3. Mechanical Pencils
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Click-click-click—the sound echoed across classrooms all day. They felt high-tech, even when the lead snapped every five seconds.
4. Scented Markers (Mr. Sketch)
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Each color came with its own smell—grape, cherry, licorice—some delightful, others questionable. The purple one always had a fanbase.
5. Pee-Chee Folders
Markus Winkler on Unsplash
These mustard-yellow folders with sports illustrations were everywhere. Doodles, band names, and crush initials filled every blank space.
6. Elmer’s Glue (with the Orange Cap)
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The white paste was fine, but it was all about peeling it off your hands after it dried. The twist cap always clogged, and squeezing too hard caused explosive results.
7. Crayola Crayons (64-Pack with Sharpener)
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The built-in sharpener in the back was a game-changer. Metallic and neon colors were prized like treasure, and you guarded this box like it held diamonds.
8. Big Pink Eraser
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Not the kind on your pencil—this was a full-on bar of mistake-removal might. Smudged more than it erased, but you felt prepared.
9. Ruler with Stencils
Lucasbosch on Wikimedia Commons
This is clear plastic with inch and centimeter markings and tiny stencil shapes along the edge. It is mostly used for doodling during math.
10. Pen with Four Ink Colors
Joe Haupt on Flickr
This pen has red, blue, green, and black ink. It’s an all in one chunky pen you click like a gadget. However, you always click the wrong color first.
11. Chalkboard Erasers
John Phelan on Wikimedia Commons
Covered in a layer of dust, these were slapped together daily for fun. Clapping them outside was the unsung reward of being a “classroom helper.”
12. Spiral Notebooks with Metal Coils
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Pages tore easily, and the metal edge poked your arm during note-taking. You’d fold the cover back and write on your knee.
13. Scotch Tape in the Green Plaid Dispenser
Fungkamseng on Wikimedia Commons
The tape always tore at the wrong angle, and you lost the end constantly. However, that green plaid was instantly recognizable.
14. Manual Pencil Sharpener (Wall-Mounted)
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You had to walk to the back of the room to use it, and it squealed like a banshee. However, your pencil came out ready to write the Declaration of Independence.
15. Loose Leaf Paper (Wide-Ruled)
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They were stuffed into binders, wrinkled in backpacks, and covered in random thoughts. Teachers insisted on the wide rule like it changed everything.
16. Plastic Protractor
WikipediaMaster on Wikimedia Commons
You rarely used it correctly but always had to bring one. Lived at the bottom of your bag collecting crumbs.
17. Binder Clips
HenryLi on Wikimedia Commons
Tiny metal jaws that held your homework hostage. They were hard to open but great for launching paper across the room.
18. Correction Fluid (White-Out)
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It smelled awful, dried too slowly, and cracked if you used too much. However, it made you feel professional while fixing your spelling mistakes.
19. Composition Books (Black and White Cover)
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These hardcover notebooks were rugged and old-school. Pages stayed intact no matter how roughly you treated them.
20. Pencil Top Erasers
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These erasers were added to the top of your pencil once the original eraser wore out. They came in bright shapes like stars and cubes.