Submitted by Brian O, disillusioned 30-something:

I remember going to the mall as a kid and wanting to spend all day at Aladdin’s Castle. Looking back now, the place seems pretty junky, but as a kid it was the best place in the entire world. It was like a miniature carnival stuffed into a dirty mall, where gold coins replaced quarters and tickets flowed from the machines like little rivers of paper. After spending about a hundred dollars you could take your tickets up to the disillusioned 30-something guy at the prize counter and he’d trade your hard earned tickets in for rubber stamps and gross stuffed animals. Man I miss those days…

Submitted by Stephen G, who spilled a little over the side.

Oh, every one of us loved a good ball pit, despite potential hygiene issues (because when you’re that young and carefree, those don’t even cross your mind). It’s such a simple concept, no wonder they became a universal staple at “fun” places all around the world. Once you got older (but not so old that your presence became…creepy), it became more about throwing balls at your friends than about “swimming” around.

Submitted by Stephen G, windex man.

No old school arcade would be complete without a Hoop It Up Game. And what a great name, too! I haven’t come across one of these in awhile, but if I did, it’d have my tokens!

Submitted by Stephen G, who has a light side and a dark side.

So, they’re chips, right? But what sets them apart from other deliciously salty treats is A) their cutesy name and B) the fact that they’re made to look like potatoes, with a dark side (the skin) and a light side (the inside). Tato Skins were introduced in the late ’80s. I’m not sure if you can still find them in some places, but I’ve never seen them in stock anywhere.

’80s Music Video Thursday returns, and it will return next week. Leave suggestions in the comments after you’ve taken some time to view these fascinating relics.

“Spirit in the Sky” by Doctor & The Medics, submitted by QuoteMan.

You see, the singer is climbing up…to the sky…where the spirit is. So dense with opaque symbolism!!!

“Little China Girl” by David Bowie, submitted by Peter Griffin.

Though elements of this video are quite cheesy, the repeating 360-degree pan around the kissing couple, during which the shot slowly turns from sepia to full color is pretty cool. The video was widely banned, but fared well on MTV; it won the first ever Best Male Video award.

“It’s My Life” by Talk Talk, submitted by bdwilcox.

It is a sad fact that if you took a poll today, most people would identify this song as a No Doubt single. But the original reigns supreme. And the video, in all of its wild kingdom glory, is pretty neat, too.

“The Last in Line” by Dio, submitted by CosmykDolfyn.

Well, I certainly am not looking forward to taking the elevator down when I leave from work tonight. Thanks, Dio! Not!

A few more from the past:
’80s Music Video Thursday For Tender
’80s Music Video Thursday: Yeah, We Really Want To
’80s Music Video Thursday: It Will Compute