02/27/2005 Entry: "Charmies!!!!"

If you're around my age and a girl, you probably collected tons of small, plastic charms throughout childhood. Usually clipped onto and worn on pastel chain-link necklaces, the charms covered everything from tiny whistles to soda bottles, little cars, boats, hearts, dolls and beyond. Though no one company held a majority share in this market, there was definitely a big difference between "good charms" and "bad charms." Good charms were well crafted, nicely painted, fairly large and plenty durable. Bad charms came from one-point Chuck E. Cheese prize bins and dentists' offices. Good charms had little silver bells attached. Bad charms only spoke if you chewed them.

Generally, guys weren't allowed to take part in the craze. At least, not to the degree of collecting and wearing the charms -- that was a fast ticket to recess punches. Still, I admit to have had a small affinity for all of the charms based on some real life commercial item -- like the tiny Pepsi bottles and whatnot. The stupid things sell for tons nowadays. In 1985, they did not. In 1985, they were cheap. And sometimes they came on headbands.

Yes, it's the official "Charmies" head band, a high fashion artifact with four different brightly colored charms. Originally retailing for 98 cents, they narrowly beat out twenty-five cent charm vending machines in the bargain department, and at least with these, you knew what you were getting yourself into. Charm-filled vending machines could shit out anything from good charms to CHARMS FROM HELL. If you liked what you saw in the Charmies assortment, this was a no-risk situation. As an added bonus, the Charmies/hip teen combo logo could easily be cut out and glued onto marble notebooks for what we in the biz call "extra cool in school."

There's a whistle, a bicycle, an I-think-it's-a-calculator, and a toilet with flip-up lid and seat. The toilet's kind of a strange choice considering the target demo, but any boys lucky enough to land themselves a girly Charmies headband at least gained an impressive commode for their Battle Beasts. My hunch is that the bootleg company that made these knew that the headband was a worthless bonus -- kids who bought this just ripped off the charms to add to their big ass necklace, discarding the headband as they would any soda six-pack plastic connector. Remember to break them before trashing, or many fish will die. The End.

Chestnuts roasted by Devin @ 02/27/2005 07:15 PM EST

don't have anything to say....but must post....because my earliest ever....ahhhhhh

Chestnuts roasted by Justin @ 02/27/2005 07:20 PM EST

Wow, today is definitly my day for early posts.. 5 minutes earlier and Idda got first!

Chestnuts roasted by Cyanyde @ 02/27/2005 07:57 PM EST

My older sisters had then, well shit versions like then. Most of the time they would dangle off christmas stocking and i allways felt it odd that they were just all randon things like ball of wool or neon green duck. Part of me felt bad because i would get cool ninja turtle clip ons that actually were made out of plastic and wires and shit and they got stuck with 4 cents of horror. Long story short i ate the green duck while playing with my Egon Spangler ghostbuster, the cool "face action popper" ghostbusters, you know, the ones that made a crazy eye popper face when you pressed down on their arm. I also got kick ass Mad Ball knee pads that year. Ha ha mad ball knee pads only now do i find that kind of wiggy.

Chestnuts roasted by Zombie Derrick @ 02/27/2005 08:06 PM EST

Man, the comment about the dentist office made me remember the big-ol-bucket-o-dentist toys that Dr. Pauly had. I frequently got the little plastic tooth to hold my real tooth, freshly yanked from my cavity infested face. Some people are afraid of the dentist. Me? Not a chance! Why, you...probably don't ask? He had the Star Wars X-wing arcade game (Oh no, I lost R2!) and Space Invaders, with as many free games as you could get in before you went under the drill. Right on, right on...

Chestnuts roasted by Mad Cow @ 02/27/2005 08:29 PM EST

Oh, lord, did we have a ton of these charms. My sisters and I collected them like crazy. They were one of the few 80s fads to make it to South New Jersey in great quanties and in every store, from the 99 cent place in Cape May (now another T-shirt shop) to K-Mart. Don't remember the toilet, but we had something like the bike, and the mini-Pepsi bottle, too. My specialty was strawberries. My favorites were a flat, pink berry charm and this huge-ass, heavy red plastic berry that would have made a nifty weapon in a pinch.

Alas, the charms themselves are all gone now...but my brother has somehow retained what remains of my red charm chain necklace, which he uses to tie up his action figures.

Chestnuts roasted by starwenn @ 02/27/2005 08:40 PM EST

Matt, you're my hero. Those two pictures... they're priceless. Cheers, mate.

Chestnuts roasted by Pirate7L @ 02/27/2005 08:47 PM EST

THats a nice torlet detailed and all

Chestnuts roasted by JAM @ 02/27/2005 08:59 PM EST

I had one of those and im a guy i guess im telling you a little some thing somthing about my self. ahehe

Chestnuts roasted by Jermany @ 02/27/2005 09:00 PM EST

but now returning to the point where we said bye-bye to sanity, how the heck was anyone supposed to wear one of those headbands without a worrying minimal number of eyes?

I'm not saying Charmies ain't top notch, but a blow with that plastic toilet and your eyes is a goner.
Anyway, can't really see the point in them...It's true what they say, men are from Omicron Persei 7 and women are from Omicron Persei 9.

Chestnuts roasted by melonian @ 02/27/2005 10:51 PM EST

I've seen toilet earings before. My toys (regardless of size) took their dumps in the Ghost Busters toilet monster.

Chestnuts roasted by RewolfJ @ 02/27/2005 11:56 PM EST

Beware the re-post. (I didn't want it to get lost out there).

Man, I sure have been posting a lot later. Oh well, better than grading papers.
I am sure most of you guys are out of Turner South's jurisdiction BUT they have a show about going to fleamarkets, yardsales, etc. called "JUNKIN'"
Anyway, they list stuff on ebay for auction and this little doozie has an XE shoutout. ENJOY!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20270&item=6157011114

Posted by The Manimal @ 02/27/2005 09:29 AM EST

Chestnuts roasted by The Manimal @ 02/28/2005 12:03 AM EST

There was this flat red plastic clown with a metal jingle bell on his head that was in the drawer my grandmother kept her phone books in. For years I wondered what the heck it was. Now I'm pretty sure it was a "Charmy." Thanks!

Chestnuts roasted by Bitchick @ 02/28/2005 01:37 AM EST

I remember these! I loved them so much! I don't know if I actually ever had any/many but I know my cousin did and I thought they were awesome.

And don't believe the hype. Elementary-age girls think toilets are hilarious, too. At least I did.

Chestnuts roasted by youjik33 @ 02/28/2005 01:51 AM EST

WOW!! This is the first time I have visited this site and I have to say that this is one of the best sites I have ever encountered! Charmies...I absolutely and totally remember them. I used to have the ones w/ the google eyes and the ice cream cone, and I had the toilet in the picture. I also had several "mini-books" that had actual paper in them. Hah! next time I go home I'l hafta look for them in my old toy box. I used to wear that to school with my jean purse and my purple dragonfly Watchable. Anyone remember Watchables? Those fuzzy stuffed animals you wore on your wrist and opened them up to find a watch?? I haven't encountered them on your site yet, but since this is my first visit, I can't even imagine what I've missed. I'll be back!!

Chestnuts roasted by greenbugsy @ 02/28/2005 02:07 AM EST

I do recall having a necklace with some plastic charms, but that headband is crazy. Who wants a toilet on top of their head all day. I think a kid would get beaten up for that, girl or no.

Chestnuts roasted by JG @ 02/28/2005 05:02 AM EST

Those things were cool, I secretly collected those charmies.. never wore them though.

Chestnuts roasted by G4L @ 02/28/2005 07:50 AM EST

Ah yes, "Watchables" -- there was a boy version of those called "Slime Time," featuring rubber frogs, lizards and whatnot with watch clocks in their mouths.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 02/28/2005 09:20 AM EST

These charm thingys, complete with plastic chain and all, are back, I've seen them at KB Toys and the PX. I forget what they call them now.

Chestnuts roasted by Kennef @ 02/28/2005 09:58 AM EST

Wow- CHARMIES! There's something I can't believe I forgot about (or maybe I blocked it from my mind...) I actually had a frigging SHIRT that had loops all over it and I wore a shirt of charms and thought I was cool...I guess I WAS cool!

Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 02/28/2005 10:31 AM EST

A toilet seat? man I'd love to see the girl that wears that one!

Chestnuts roasted by Czar Matthew @ 02/28/2005 10:33 AM EST

I also remember Watchables.
You know another watch fad I keep wondering will make a comeback? Video game watches. K-Mart used to sell them in the jewelry section all the time. You could play Super Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and a few others on your wrist. You don't see those things anymore. Nowadays, you can play them on a cell phone.

Saw a watch at a flea market that had Count Chocola, Frankenberry, and Booberry on it. Looked pretty cool.

Chestnuts roasted by JLAJRC @ 02/28/2005 10:57 AM EST

I ran and found my old charm necklace (not buried too deeply in my closet) This article took me back to 1985. Thank you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zorbs/5593296/

^^ picture of necklace

Chestnuts roasted by Zorbs @ 02/28/2005 11:00 AM EST

I used to have tons of these--but never the toilet. I'd kill for a toilet with a flip-up pink lid.

Chestnuts roasted by Rosella @ 02/28/2005 11:05 AM EST

My older sisters had hundreds of these. I distinctly remember the bicycle, toilet and those BELLS! Matt I Love You!

p s.

Do another article about Corey Haim's video diary!

Chestnuts roasted by Rad @ 02/28/2005 11:14 AM EST

I believe the contemporary iteration of the charmies are those nomination bracelets women were wearing a year or two ago. But unlike charmies, older women would wear the nomination bracelets (by older, I mean women in their 20s and 30s, women who in all likelihood wore charmies as kids.)

Chestnuts roasted by Pedro @ 02/28/2005 11:39 AM EST

ZORBS- great necklace, ALMOST as cool as my charms SHIRT.

Chestnuts roasted by Muppet Baby @ 02/28/2005 11:47 AM EST

JLAJRC, My husband found his old tetris watch, I now have claimed it to mine to wear...if he doesnt steal it to play with!

Chestnuts roasted by IHAQ @ 02/28/2005 12:26 PM EST

Great post. I`m sure the craze could come back with the proper cartoon/video character or boy band.

Chestnuts roasted by Croww @ 02/28/2005 12:46 PM EST

I had these too! I had one that was supposed to be a little cake I guess. It looked like a white sugarcube with a ball on it (a cherry I'm thinking?) and it was all on a little purple plate. OH, hey Matt!! Met Tim Curry for the 8th time this past weekend, saw his new play Spamalot. You MUST go. FABULOUS!!

Chestnuts roasted by Melissa Y. @ 02/28/2005 01:00 PM EST

That friggin' toilet's hardcore. *thumbs up*

Chestnuts roasted by Predacon Warlord @ 02/28/2005 02:54 PM EST

Lots of my female friends of the past were into these things. I often played with them, and they were freakin' cool, even though I didn't have any myself. I think all of my friends had a toilet in their collection. I always got a kick out of that one. Hell, I'm laughing right now.

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 02/28/2005 03:56 PM EST

Cool site. My sis had charms everywhere. If you didn't have those things your life really sucked back then. Check this kids site out. Give him a dollar or two for being creative.

http://gijwl.tripod.com

Chestnuts roasted by lee1579 @ 02/28/2005 04:37 PM EST

Charms never got too popular around where I lived, nor became popular at all.
And I had one of those mini-Pacman arcades.

Chestnuts roasted by radiodj19 @ 02/28/2005 05:00 PM EST

On the subject of the Nintendo Game & Watch series, I SO remember wanting those things, but never getting them. My parents were completely opposed to the idea of me having video games everywhere I go. As a result, I was not allowed to have a Game Boy or any of the handheld games. I wanted that Zelda watch terribly. In fact, I wanted anything Nintendo-related badly. Nintendo was my life. Once I got an NES, I forgot all about action figures and even to some extent cartoons (however, I watched the various Nintendo cartoons religiously).

My friends and I basically established the First Church of Nintendo. We had the ritualistic Discussions of Nintendo at School, Sharings of Secrets, Viewings of Nintendo Power (I currently have issues 1-27, covering the entire NES era), and Gatherings of the Players. Our God was Nintendo, and his incarnation was Shigeru Miyamoto (just kidding; we didn't even know who he was back then).

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 02/28/2005 05:23 PM EST

Y'know, I notice the words "Made in Taiwan" on the package, and it makes me wonder what all these overseas laborers think of the cheaply made toys that they make for us American (and Canadian and European) kids. Wastes of plastic? Wastes of money? Choking hazards? It's interesting to think about.

Chestnuts roasted by Nate @ 02/28/2005 05:29 PM EST

I don't think that craze made it to Montreal. At least, I don't remember anyone in my class wearing them, and my sister, who was born in the late 1970s, certainly didn't have anything like that. I mean, she had junk plastic jewelry, like most little girls in North America had, but nothing with a whole bunch of stuff on a plastic headband.

The boring kind of plastic headband, which even anglophone kids called "barettes" in the Montreal area, were fairly popular in the mid-80s, but I don't remember any wacky varieties.

Chestnuts roasted by Steve Brandon @ 02/28/2005 05:37 PM EST

Mad Cow, my dentist used to have this drawer full of assorted plastic toys. Nothing spectacular, but still, just the fact that you could get a toy for visiting the dentist was always cool. I don't remember anything specific except that the toys looked like they were from the Oriental Trading Co. catalog.

Since I'm on the topic of OTC, X-E should do an article on that catalog. It's like the old Johnson Smith catalogs, except the products were usually poorly crafted. On the plus side, you could get ten gross of plastic skeleton rings or really generic Halloween masks for cheap-o prices.

Chestnuts roasted by Kathodos @ 02/28/2005 06:25 PM EST

I love the OTC and have ordered from there many times. Back when I had friends, they supplied the goods for any theme parties I hatched.

Chestnuts roasted by Matt @ 02/28/2005 06:34 PM EST

For as far back as I can remember, I had a cheap little purple wrench that said "love" on it with a silver bell. Now I finally know what the hell that thing was! Sadly, when our house got robbed last year the thieves left everything expensive but took everything awesome, like that charmie. :'(

Chestnuts roasted by Caitlin @ 02/28/2005 08:47 PM EST

Zorbs, thanks for sharing! And you've got some mad programming skills too!

My little sister had a fairly large collection of these. I think my mom was a sucker and bought her a ton because she collected "real" charms when she was young. My mom still occasionally gets her charm bracelet out of her jewelry box and admires the finely crafted gold baby carriage, baby doll, car, etc., each a gift from her own mother for a birthday or other achievement. My sister, on the other hand, no longer has her Charmies.

Chestnuts roasted by Shelby @ 02/28/2005 09:29 PM EST

Wow, charm necklaces. I think I still have mine somewhere, you say they're selling for a lot now?

The thing I remember most about the time of charm collecting at my school is it was my first real glimpse of a stupid criminal. The charm necklace of one of the girls in my class went missing one day, and she was very upset about it. Later, she saw another girl in my class had several new charms on her necklace, that seemed awfully familiar. She confronted her about it, and the girl confessed she had stolen them and gave them back. If you're going to steal something, how about not wearing it in front of the person you stole from?

Anyway. The only ones I can really remember at the moment, probably brought on by the dentist mention, was a toothbrush and toothpaste tube. I wish I had the toilet tho, the flush toilet is my favorite invention of the past century.

Chestnuts roasted by maglizrd @ 02/28/2005 10:06 PM EST

Toilet.

On your head.

Toilet on your head.

ON YOUR HEAD!!! AH!

Chestnuts roasted by Scott @ 03/01/2005 03:22 AM EST

My life will not be complete until I have a whistle mounted just above my right ear. Another one for the 'If you have one week to live' list.

Chestnuts roasted by onslaught86 @ 03/01/2005 05:58 AM EST

I wore one of those charm necklaces when I was Punky Brewster for halloween. I hated them because the charms always got tangled in my hair, so I never wore it outside of Halloween, and it hung from my bookshelf like a big gaudy bookshelf decoration.

Chestnuts roasted by Jill-o @ 03/01/2005 12:06 PM EST

Good god!! I still have a Charmies necklace, with charms on it! I thought I'd never see these again.

Ooo, Matt, for some reason I just thought of another 80's girly toy you might do a feature on if you can ID it...they were big plastic "jewels" that transformed into little animals..I had a horse and a toucan. But I can't remember what they were called!

Chestnuts roasted by Cat @ 03/01/2005 04:50 PM EST

I'm a child of the 90's, so i have no idea about Charmies, but I remember, back in the late 90's, there was a fad at my school to hand as many keychains as was humanly possible off your backpack. I didn't get to "humanly possible," but I was pushing it... I remember my light-up Squirtle was my favorite. Or what it my dictionary?

Chestnuts roasted by Freezair @ 03/01/2005 07:19 PM EST

Ah-HAH! Sweet Secrets!! That's what those transforming jewel thingies were called.

Those were cool. I miss them.

Chestnuts roasted by Cat @ 03/01/2005 09:45 PM EST

I found some of these when I was cleaning out my old toy box a couple years ago. I had the toilet and the bicycle. I have no idea how I got them and why I only had those 2. I'm thinking I must've stolen them from my older sister and those 2 were the only ones I could get away with.

Chestnuts roasted by Stacey @ 03/01/2005 10:11 PM EST

OMIGOD Charmies!! I had totally forgotten these existed. Thank you, Matt, for remembering. I think I still have some loose ones floating around. I totally had that bike one. Egads, the memories!! And Sweet Secrets!! I loved those. I had so many of those, too. Like the ones that played music and stuff. Man, I need to find those! *dies in a flurry of girly nostalgia*

Chestnuts roasted by Nikkii @ 03/01/2005 10:35 PM EST

OMG I can't believe I got the first post!

Chestnuts roasted by Amos @ 03/01/2005 11:43 PM EST

Oh...

Chestnuts roasted by Amos @ 03/01/2005 11:44 PM EST

Kathodos, OTC represent! Seriously, your comment makes me think that they publish some sort of secret "Dentist Edition" catalog. I mean, where else are you going to get the little bb mazes, that you always played with quickly but never chose, with a dreaded CAVITY on it? What makes me sort of mad is I distincly remember occasionally reading at the Dentist's, too. Why read when I could have been wailing away on one of these bad boys? http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9773

Chestnuts roasted by Mad Cow @ 03/02/2005 02:16 AM EST

I had a charm that was a cross with jesus on it. And I also had a Sweet Secrets one it was a pony that turned in to a piano too bad the clip part broke off. When I was little my neighbor gave me some fish charms and they had a bell on them.

Chestnuts roasted by pikiachulover @ 03/02/2005 03:11 AM EST

I love charmies! Had 10 or so with blue and yellow necklaces. No potty seat though. Bike, berry, googly eyed blue thang, heart, oooo i want one. O.k. this is bad, I'm 27. p-e-c

Chestnuts roasted by HEAT @ 03/02/2005 08:35 AM EST

Where can I get one ? BESIDES from E-bay? EN1 !!HELP!MUST...HAVE...1...again.Seriously, Heather Elliott P.S. Will pay 20$ u.s. currency 4 1 necklace w/ @ least or more than 20 charmies!

Chestnuts roasted by HEAT @ 03/02/2005 08:39 AM EST

I think the closest to an actual toilet charm that my older sister had was a magenta toilet seat, with a movable lid and everything.

Chestnuts roasted by Spanky The Dolphin @ 03/02/2005 04:20 PM EST

My dentist has those plastic toys too-in a cardboard pirates' chest no less. Very awesome. Shame they don't offer me a pick anymore.

I live in New Orleans, and one of the Mardi Gras parades throws plastic toilets in addition to the beads and other madness. My boyfriend caught one, and I saw the true beauty of these-you fill the tank up with water, and when some unsuspecting friend curiously lifts the seat, it sends out a fairly high powered stream of water into their eye!

Chestnuts roasted by Mara @ 03/02/2005 10:58 PM EST

Awesome! I used to have TONS of those. We all used to wear them in elementary school on little plastic chains. I don't even know where I got them all, but I sure wish I still had them. Now I know what they were called. Thanks!

Chestnuts roasted by Alison @ 03/03/2005 07:12 AM EST

Who would actually waste money on those ?

Chestnuts roasted by RedneckPyro @ 03/03/2005 10:52 PM EST

I had those charm necklaces as a kid. I went to kindergarten in 85 and all the girls had them, with atleast ten pounds of plastic charms on there! o.o

We were always compairing charms too. Some of them were really nice. I almost kinda wish the fad would come back...

I remember our teacher really didn't like them. And she told us we weren't allowed to wear them for our kindergarten graduation. XP

Chestnuts roasted by Adrastia @ 03/06/2005 03:00 AM EST

I got busted for stealing some other girl's. I thought I was so slick. Despite being unsucceseful, that was the beginning of my life of 5 finger discounts.

Chestnuts roasted by Nee @ 03/06/2005 02:06 PM EST

Holly crap i stole my big sis's charmies Belt i just only now know wha they are! gave the charms to my my little ponys and, well cut up the belt to make a collar for myself i didn't know they wher awsome 80's shit but at least they make a snazzy collar

...hmm 65th comment it's so totaly not going to be read, damgdammit

Chestnuts roasted by Potatoes! @ 03/08/2005 02:58 AM EST

also there's a little pic on th right bottom corner and i have that one don't kno bout you but we always thought it was porrage, or ice cream.

Chestnuts roasted by taters again @ 03/08/2005 03:01 AM EST

i used to LOVE sweet secrets!!! but their not the same as charmies. i know many of the sweet secrets came on necklaces and i think bracelets. i do remember seeing charmies, but if they were popular in '85 i was only 2 then and wouldn't really remember...but i definitely want a bracelet, belt, or handband w/ those!

Chestnuts roasted by bianca @ 03/09/2005 05:42 PM EST

I had a ton of these...haven't thought about them in years. My fave was this skeleton with rhinestone eyes. i remember a little phonebook the plastic chain but I dont rember any others.

Chestnuts roasted by Shannon @ 03/11/2005 05:06 PM EST

Dude, its the middle of march. Get rid of the christmas lights and that picture of the Mr. T doll. Its disturbing.

Chestnuts roasted by The Easter Bunny @ 03/15/2005 12:29 PM EST

Oh my god!!! that is one detailed toilet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did anyone actually wear that toilet on their head?!

Chestnuts roasted by Allison @ 03/21/2005 03:20 PM EST