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There are some sounds that make you flash back to a different time as soon as you hear them. The '90s had that squiggly blooping sound that came through your computer speakers when you dialed into the internet. Anything that sounds like disco will immediately make you think of the '70s.
And then there were the '80s, filled with new, whimsical sounds as video games gained popularity and new media arrived, letting you listen to your favorite music or watch your favorite movies at home and on the go.
So which one of these sounds takes you back to your wood-paneled living room in the '80s?
Videotape Rewinder
Video rental stores tried to remind you to "Be kind, rewind!" before you brought your videotapes back after renting your favorite movies. But some people worried that the excessive rewinding could wear down an expensive VCR. Enter the videotape rewinder with the sole job of rewinding tapes when you were done before they had to go back to the store. You probably remember the satisfying clack of the rewinder shutting close and then the tape loudly rewinding inside.
Walkman
There were so many great sounds associated with a Sony Walkman that could make any teenager happy, but the snap it made when you slid a tape in and closed the door is probably the best. From that point on, you knew that you were in for some awesome music that you could take with you. Snapping that door shut was much more satisfying than opening the latest music app on your phone today.
Super Mario Bros.
The first few notes at the beginning of Super Mario Bros. put you in the perfect mindset for running through challenges to rescue the princess. When Mario sets out on his quest to save the princess, he goes through several levels to avoid obstacles through underground tunnels and even water, but it's that first level right at the beginning that gamers really remember – and the theme song too. Do do-do do-do-do do!
Rotary Phone
There was something so pleasing about hearing the rotary clicking back and forth when you dialed up a friend on your rotary phone. The whirring sound was soothing, which was good because you had to have some extra patience when dialing a number with lots of nines. But rotary phones were eventually replaced by the smartphones we carry in our pockets, which has deprived us of another satisfying noise: loudly hanging up on someone you don't like.
Trapper Keeper
Back when kids didn't do all their homework on laptops, they had piles and piles of papers at school. Worksheets, study sheets, homework, math drills, tests, and more. It was hard to keep track, which is why you needed a Trapper Keeper. The Trapper Keeper was essentially a fancy three-ring binder with colorful folders that would stay inside, a pocket for extra things, and a variety of designs that fit every kid's personality, from rainbows, horses, mountains, and more. But one of the best parts was the awesome Velcro sound when you opened it up and got your stuff out.
Floppy Disk
Personal computers began to appear in homes in the 1980s with early options like Apple computers, making users nostalgic for the pre-internet days. But instead of saving your work to the cloud, computers used floppy disks to save information. It made it easy to transport your work from one computer to another and save it. It also gave the computer the chance to make a distinct "ka-chunk" sound when you stuck your disk into the drive.
MTV Guitar Riff
MTV made its debut on a new thing called cable television back in 1981 with a song by The Buggles called "Video Killed the Radio Star." The channel was filled with artists such as Madonna, Duran Duran, and Tina Turner, to name only a few. It also pulled viewers in with the station's "bumper" throughout the hour, featuring NASA footage of the 1969 moon landing with an astronaut planting a flag on the moon, along with colorful iterations of MTV's logo and a guitar riff that let teens know it was time to rock 'n roll.
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