You're Invited! Found Birthday Invitations
While trolling thrift stores around the country for found videos, I find a lot of children's birthday party invitations and I'm always struck by the same questions: How did they end up here? Did the kid's party get cancelled? Did they not have enough friends? And what poor sap's mother thought her son would want Go-Bots invitations?
Journey back to a time when there was no Facebook, no eVite, and no internet. When you actually had to choose the eight friends you wanted to attend your birthday party and hand them invitations at school. When birthday parties weren't just meet-ups at local bars, but fun-filled occasions with games, cake and your favorite pop culture icons adorning plates and party hats. Please R.S.V.P. You're invited!
I love these "A-Team" invitations. My parents wouldn't allow us to watch "The A-Team" growing up, but I still loved Mr. T. Plus, look at the speed lines on that van!
Another show I wasn't allowed to watch as kids was "The Dukes of Hazard," because my dad thought it was dumb. But I always loved the idea of "The Dukes of Hazzard." And the graphic design on these invitations is awesome.
This is the one the earliest invitation sets I found, for "Buck Rogers" in 1979. Apparently in space, they add superfluous quotation marks to words like "party."
It's hard to express how much I loved ALF as kids, but let's put it this way: there were times when I wished I had a terminal illness so we could meet ALF as my Make-A-Wish.
"Pee-Wee's Playhouse," the greatest children's show of all time, gets some rather disappointing invitations. Still, I wish I'd had these in 1987.
This "Cocktail Party" cover art perfectly reflects what I thought adult parties were like in the '80s. I think I see James Spader's silhouette in there somewhere.
A pack of original "Star Wars" invitations from 1977, when "Party, Party, Party" meant something.
If you liked this feature, check back often for our next installment of found birthday invitations. Here are just a few we'll be including: "Police Academy: The Animated Series," "Rambo," "A Smurfday Party," and a "Coke Party." Your invitation is in the mail!
Your Pal,
Nick P.
