Pet Rocks, Roller Skates, and Shag Carpet — Do You Remember These Forgotten ’70s Fads?

Lauren Novak June 22, 12:00 pm

If you grew up during the 1970s, you probably remember the vibe and know that it was unlike any other decade. While the era is often remembered for its biggest cultural touchstones, sometimes it’s the smaller memories that bring back the strongest sense of nostalgia.

The trends and the everyday experiences that seemed perfectly normal at the time can feel surprisingly strange today. If you came of age in the ’70s, chances are you’ll remember at least a few of these blasts from the past.

How we boogied

Before roller rinks became a retro novelty, they were one of the places to be. Kids, teens, and adults alike laced up their skates and spent weekends circling under disco balls and colored lights. Roller skating was already popular, but roller disco gave it a whole new personality. It wasn’t just about skating anymore as many people dressed up in psychedelic outfits to impress at the roller rink. It hit the big screen too, with movies like Roller Boogie starring Linda Blair and Skatetown, U.S.A.

1979 disco skaters in New York, likely at the Sheepshead Roll-A-Palace

Wikipedia

You also didn’t have to be John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever to feel the pull of disco. The music seemed to be everywhere, from nightclubs and skating rinks to weddings, school dances, and basement parties. Disco dancing had its own look and rhythm and came with its own dance movies and even outfits.

It was a major phenomenon in the ’70s, and whether you loved it or hated it, it was not going anywhere during the decade.

How we dressed

THE SONNY AND CHER COMEDY HOUR, from left: Sonny Bono, Cher, (1973), 1971-74.

Roger Prigent/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection

Bell-bottoms were everywhere in the 1970s. Then there were platform shoes, which added height, attitude, sometimes fish, and the occasional ankle hazard. Paired together, bell-bottoms and platforms created a trend that could only belong to the ’70s. There was also the denim on denim look, tie-dye, satin jackets, or perhaps the crocheted top, which are all back in style again.

Before social media invited everyone to announce their mood, there were simple mood rings. Supposedly, the color of the stone revealed how you were feeling, whether calm, nervous, happy, or mysterious. Of course, the ring was really reacting to temperature changes, but that hardly mattered. Part of the fun was checking the color and deciding what it meant, especially if someone else was checking too.

How we decorated

1970s era living room - stock photo A wide, horizontal shot of a retro living room with a centered composition, showcasing a floral-patterned sofa and armchair, a wooden coffee table with a potted plant, and a stone fireplace with a television set against a wood-paneled wall, all under warm, soft lighting.

Getty Images

If the ’70s had a texture, it might have been shag carpeting. It was thick, fuzzy, and available in pretty much any color you could think of. It was also great at hiding crumbs and anything else that disappeared into its depths. Lava lamps brought their own kind of magic, shifting in a way that made them feel more like entertainment than décor. Add in a macramé plant hanger or two, some wood paneling, and suddenly the room was instantly ’70s.

How we kept things weird

Few fads were stranger in the ’70s than the Pet Rock. It was packaged like a real pet and treated like a joke that everyone wanted to be in on, and even got its own country hit. Created by Gary Ross Dahl it became one of the decade’s most memorable novelty gifts and made him a millionaire. It was silly, but it became proof that sometimes the right gimmick at the right time can become a cultural moment. Be honest, did you have a Pet Rock?

How we talked

Smokey and the Bandit Part II, Burt Reynolds, 1980,

Universal/Everett Collection

Long before texting and location sharing, CB radios gave people a way to talk on the road. Truckers made them famous, but plenty of regular drivers joined in too, using handles and slang. Movies like Convoy and Smokey and the Bandit really drove the trend, and there was just something fun about the secret-code feeling of it all. “Breaker, breaker” became part of the language of the decade.

How we listened

Vintage 8-Track Tape Player inside dashboard of a 1977 AMC Pacer DL Wagon at auto show, March 9, 2002 in Pasadena, California.

Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images

For music lovers, 8-track tapes were part of the decade’s soundtrack. They were a little clunky, but they made it easy to bring favorite albums into the car or play them at home. They were bulky compared to cassettes and wildly inconvenient by modern standards, but that was part of the charm. For many people, the sound of an 8-track switching programs is as much a ’70s memory as the songs themselves.

Now, on to the ’80s fads!