The feeling of “getting old” is a strange one. One day you feel like you’re in the prime of your life, invincible and immune to the aches and pains that your parents always complained about. Then suddenly, seemingly overnight, you realize that there are children decades younger than you who are famous from posting dance videos on TikTok, and you’re not even quite sure how that app works. But feeling like you’re aging doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, we might as well embrace it! Pages like Do You Remember? allow a space for those of us who might be getting up there to bond with one another over those classic things younger generations just don’t understand.

If you’ve ever tried to explain your favorite childhood candy to your children or wondered why kids don’t play with Lincoln Logs nowadays, you’re in luck. We’ve got some photos for you that are sure to trigger some memories about “the good old days”. Simple pleasures from your youth like eating Hostess snack cakes or annoyances like trying to use pay phones in public to call your parents just aren’t the same today. So enjoy taking this time to reminisce and bask in the beauty that is nostalgia!  

To learn more about how wonderful it can be to look back on our pasts, we reached out to nostalgia expert Dave Fife. Dave is the creator of Retro Injection, a blog that “digs deep into the pop culture goldmine of the ‘80s and ‘90s,” and lucky for us, he was kind enough to have a chat about what he misses and what makes him suddenly feel old. “I recently came across a photo of myself and my dad at Chuck E. Cheese in 1986,” he shared with Bored Panda, attaching the adorable photo of the two eating slices of pizza in an email. “I couldn't believe how young he was! When you're a kid, you think your parents are ancient.”

We also asked Dave about anything from the good old days that he wishes hadn’t become obsolete. “I wish video stores were still around,” he noted. “People often comment on my Blockbuster trucker hat and tell me how much they miss renting movies.” Dave also shared that "A Tribute to Defunct Video Stores," a love letter to long-gone local rental places, is one of Retro Injection's most popular entries.

“I sorely miss Kay-Bee Toys!” Dave added, sharing this link to another Retro Injection piece discussing the famous toys. We also wanted to know if the nostalgia expert wished anything from his childhood hadn’t changed. “I wish arcades hadn't become casinos for kids,” he shared. “I constructed my home arcade from scratch, as a tribute to the Time-Out in which I grew up: I matched the color scheme of the former game room, and sourced the same pattern of industrial carpet. One of the machines is from that exact Time-Out. There's nothing like the immersive experience of being in a legit arcade!”

And while technological advancements have benefited us in countless ways, we’ve lost certain experiences along the way too. “Today's instant-gratification culture has its advantages, but to some extent, the Internet has killed things being special,” Dave says. “Let's use the trusty video store as an example: At least for me, a good chunk of the fun in the renting process involved socializing during the round trips to get and return the movie!” 

“The last couple of generations have largely missed out on the fun of watching movies or listening to albums on physical media,” Dave went on to share. “I'll never give up my physical media collection, because I don't want to lose access to my favorite music and films. I'm glad that vinyl records, cassettes, and VHS tapes are all making comebacks.”

We also asked Dave why it’s important to look back on these fond memories of the past that we have. “There's a saying that, ‘nostalgia is the enemy of progress,’ but I believe everyone should cling to their happy memories,” he says. “Looking back reminds you of your journey. Also, the stuff that inspires you in your youth is often most reflective of who you are at your core. That's why I'm a Ghostbuster!” he noted, attaching an awesome photo of himself all decked out in his ghost-busting gear.

When it comes to whether or not there’s anything that’s considered normal today that will make us feel extremely old in a few decades, Dave says that's becoming less of an issue than it once was, as society will continue to use the Internet and smartphones. “Over time, technology will simply become more powerful and invasive,” he explained. “Culturally, I fear that physical retail (aside from Wal-Mart) will be largely kicked to the curb in favor of clicking ‘add to cart’ from the comfort of the couch. I doubt that malls as we know them will be around forever.”

“I'm glad that I grew up in the '80s and '90s, but honestly, I wish I was older!” Dave added. “My parents were married for nine years before I was conceived in a seminary dorm in 1980. It would have been incredible to experience the '80s as a teenager.” 

If you’d like to learn more about Dave’s love for nostalgia or reminisce about your own youth by reading through his blog, be sure to check out Retro Injection right here!

If you’re starting to feel officially old, just remember that age is but a number, pandas. Plus, with age comes wisdom, right? We hope you’re enjoying this trip down memory lane, and if you’re too young to understand any of these pics, don’t worry, you’ll feel old soon too! Keep upvoting your favorite photos, and then if you’re interested in reading another Bored Panda article dedicated to all things nostalgic, look no further than right here!