Fads of the 1970s

Can you identify these mostly-American fads from the 1970s?
Quiz by CBTemple
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Last updated: September 21, 2018
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First submittedSeptember 26, 2012
Times taken26,488
Average score60.0%
Rating4.18
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Clue
Fad
Style of 1970s dance music
Disco
"String" in a spray can
Silly String
Pets that don't do.... anything at all!
Pet rocks
Pot of melted cheese or chocolate
Fondue
Suit with no tie to wear during your free time
Leisure suit
Candy that explodes in your mouth
Pop rocks
Get seasick in your sleep on this!
Waterbed
Running naked in public places
Streaking
Do this line dance from a Van McCoy song
The Hustle
The first video game to attain mainstream popularity
Pong
Radio for truckers & other good buddies
CB radio
Seating that molds to your body
Bean bag chairs
VERY long-napped floor covering
Shag carpeting
Predecessor of the cassette player
8-tracks
Flashing light with adjustable frequency
Strobe lights
Synthetic clothing material
Polyester
Pets that are watered. And they grow!
Chia pets
Phrase that accompanied a smiley face
Have a nice day
Campy midnight movie with audience participation
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Its color matches the emotions of the person who wears it
Mood ring
+1
Level 79
Aug 22, 2012
Funny...very nice quiz!
+1
Level 41
Sep 23, 2012
I am slightly horrified that I got 100% on this one.
+1
Level 68
Aug 6, 2015
Ditto. I am a child of the 70's, sadly
+3
Level 49
Sep 23, 2012
Not proud that I did better on this one than I did on the Biblical characters one.
+2
Level 40
Sep 24, 2012
Can ou accept Leisure for Leisure suit? I typed Leisure alone and never thought to add suit. You accept shag, bean bag and others. Great quiz though...
+2
Level 57
Jan 7, 2021
Why would you not add "suit" though?
+2
Level 47
Apr 27, 2022
Because the word "suit" is already in the question. They're asking what KIND of suit.
+5
Level 75
May 15, 2014
I thought the fabric was called double knit, and it was made from polyester. I still remember my mother dressing me in that stuff. I think it has a half-life of 1000 years.
+1
Level 76
May 29, 2015
Is the CB in your "name" inspired by CB radios?
+4
Level 80
Jun 25, 2015
[buzzer]....No, but thanks for playing!
+1
Level 65
Aug 6, 2015
Your initials?
+1
Level 85
Jun 19, 2015
got 100% due to living through the 70s but didn't partake in many of these fads
+3
Level 88
Jun 26, 2018
I'll never admit it either.
+3
Level 59
Jul 12, 2015
I loved my mood ring!
+3
Level 72
Jul 31, 2015
Am I the only one who tried quaaludes for the "get seasick in your sleep" question?
+3
Level 88
Jun 26, 2018
Yup, you lived in the 70s.
+4
Level 65
Aug 6, 2015
candy mouth explosion: any chance of includng space dust as an answer for the Brits who do this fun quiz
+3
Level 69
Feb 13, 2019
Yes, it's Space Dust or popping candy - never heard it called anything else.
+2
Level 65
Feb 13, 2019
It's also Pop Rocks. In fact that is the only name I knew it to be called here in the US. I have never heard of Space Dust.
+1
Level 61
Feb 13, 2019
In the US Pop Rocks and Space Dust were two different candies put out by the same company. Pop rocks came first.
+2
Level 72
Aug 6, 2015
Popping Candy.....
+1
Level 44
Nov 24, 2020
That's what I put
+2
Level 68
Aug 6, 2015
Please accept Qiana as an answer for the synthetic material. It was all the rage in the 70's and there's even an Etsy collection of vintage Qiana shirts. Those not in their teens in the 70's, please forgive us our fashion sense.
+1
Level 21
Aug 12, 2015
can you accept variations of spelling for fondue
+1
Level 85
Nov 21, 2016
Born in the 80s. A lot of these were still popular at that time. Missed leisure suit and the Hustle.
+2
Level 37
Dec 7, 2017
Missed 7. Though I lived through the '70s, I guess I wasn't paying too much attention.
+4
Level 86
Oct 7, 2018
Wow. It's amazing how many of these I knew purely from watching The Simpsons.
+2
Level 77
Nov 26, 2018
Could someone explain the "Have a nice day" one? I never would've guessed it as a fad phrase. Am I missing something?
+1
Level 76
Feb 13, 2019
It's pretty much what it sounds like: a whole bunch of stuff marketed with the yellow smiley face and the phrase "Have a nice day." Here's a rundown on the history of the smiley, which touches on the phrase as well.
+1
Level 67
Feb 13, 2019
I think our comments appeared at the same exact moment. Nice.
+1
Level 67
Feb 13, 2019
There were t-shirts (and I think mugs, bumper stickers, and lots of other things) with the yellow smiley face on them that said "Have a Nice Day." The phrase itself isn't a 70's fad, but those particular shirts were very popular. It's referenced in Forrest Gump.
+1
Level 37
Feb 13, 2019
I once supervised a guy who used "have a nice day" as an invective... always accompanied by a sneer!
+2
Level 60
Feb 13, 2019
Tried popping candy, didn't work then inadvertently got it when i was typing the answer for the campy midnight movie. Also, couldn't get past safari suit, as to me that was a definite 70's fad.
+4
Level 65
Feb 13, 2019
For an old Brit like me, "shag carpeting" sounds funny, but I suppose that is something you can do on it.
+1
Level 72
Feb 13, 2019
There's also the shag haircut. Here in the states before Austin Powers, we never realized there was another meaning to it.
+1
Level 75
Feb 13, 2019
In parts of the US, shagging also means dancing.
+1
Level 67
Jul 22, 2022
It does to me too although I definitely remember shag pile carpets
+1
Level 47
Feb 13, 2019
We used to call it "squirty" string in the UK, at least where I grew up. We were very literal!
+1
Level 82
Feb 13, 2019
Huh, I always thought the hustle was a partner dance, but apparently it was also a line dance.

I'm too young to remember all of these, but old enough that quite a few were still around in my childhood.

+2
Level 78
Feb 13, 2019
As a teenager in the 70s i say Nylon for the synthetic clothing, playsuit for the suit, pop candy and tape recorder and I agree with tbd 123 about the string
+1
Level 75
Feb 13, 2019
Fondue really belongs in the 60s quiz. I remember attending numerous bridal showers in the 1960s where the happy couple received a fondue pot. I attended one shower in which they received three. I don't know of a single couple who ever actually used them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fondue
+1
Level 37
Feb 13, 2019
They are great for heating hot chocolate.
+1
Level 47
Jun 18, 2020
I thought I was misspelling the "mattress" in "water mattress" and gave it 3 tries before hitting on "water bed" haha
+1
Level 59
Jun 19, 2021
In the U.K. we call it a tracksuit, can they be allowed? Also another vote for nylon as the fabric and popping candy for the sweet.
+1
Level 71
Apr 11, 2022
Tracksuit is not the same, though you have now inspired me to search for "Superstars" episodes to see some 70s sportswear (and Kevin Keegan's bike crash).
+3
Level 69
Aug 16, 2021
The only "add water" pet I could remember from the 70s was sea monkeys.
+3
Level 89
Apr 11, 2022
I thought of that too. But I got rock when I was trying to type Rocky Horror.
+1
Level 71
Apr 11, 2022
Could stroboscope be accepted for strobe light?
+1
Level 67
Apr 11, 2022
Consider adding "Stereo 8" as a valid substitute for "8-tracks", it being the formal name of the product.
+1
Level 72
Apr 11, 2022
People in Detroit do the Hustle to Stevie Wonder's "My Eyes Don't Cry No More."
+1
Level 73
Apr 11, 2022
Usually you allow a few mispelling variations, however, husstle was not accpeted. I accidentally hit the s twice in a rush to type and just assumed it was wrong so moved on. When I had lots of time left, I went back and re-tried with the correct spelling, it took it. Suggest to allow some minor misspellings on this one.
+1
Level 47
Apr 27, 2022
Bean Bag Chair stumped me, even though I had several all through the 70s and 80s. I still have one even today, but they call it a "Love Sack".
+1
Level 67
Jul 22, 2022
Not sure 8 tracks really made it to the UK, think we went pretty much straight to cassettes. Or maybe it was like betamax where anyone who bought those was gutted as they got replaced by VHS 2 minutes later
+1
Level 73
Feb 24, 2023
20/20 in 2:01. Hilarious memories! Thanks for the quiz!