In the 1980s, the hair was big, the clothes were big (nice shoulder pads), the music was big, and the political climate was grandiose, too (Reaganomics, "Star Wars"). With the introduction of the cellular phone and cable television, this decade triggered much of the tech boom that would really get cooking in subsequent decades. With the ever-increasing range and scope of the media, music- and electronics-based fads got bigger and faster in the '80s. Here are a few fads that took the country by storm and helped define the generation that just wanted its MTV.

1. "Valspeak"

Did you, like, realize that in the '80s, like, everyone totally got pulled into this thing called Valspeak? Seriously! The old way of talking with, like, specificity and declarative statements was, like, super lame-o! Like, whatever! So, like, the San Fernando Valley in California was, like, the place where it started. But soon it was a nationwide, like, trend. Can you even stand it? And it's totally still, like, a thing? You know, like, a totally awesome way of speaking. And, like, you thought Valley Girls were a passing fad. Whatever!

2. The Walkman

Though the technology looks ancient to us today, we wouldn't have the beloved iPod if it wasn't for the Walkman. In 1979, Sony introduced their first portable music player in Japan. By 1980, America had jumped on the bandwagon, and there were dozens of portable cassette players on the market. They were heavy, didn't deliver great sound quality, and initially cost upwards of $150, but it didn't matter -- they were delivering tunes to the masses, one tape at a time.

3. Atari

The name of the gaming system that started them all loosely translates from Japanese to mean "prepare to be attacked." Thus, it's fitting that the first video games were simple UFO shooting games or games such as Frogger, which required players to move a frog across a busy road without getting squished. Atari, Inc., was formed in 1972, and five years later one of the most successful gaming consoles of all time -- the Atari 2600 -- was released. Millions of consumers bought the devices and spent hours (and days) glued to the TV set, playing Q*Bert, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders. The Atari company consolidated a few years ago but still has a hand in shaping today's much more advanced gaming world.

One of the most successful gaming consoles of all time is the Atari 2600.