Last Updated on May 7, 2025 by Matt Staff
It’s quite easy to close your eyes and then picture the shag-carpeted living room wherein lava lamps glowed and a bright green fridge hummed away in the kitchen. If that scene at all feels familiar, it means you’re already back immersed in the ’70s. These photos of ’70s trends at work play right into that nostalgia.s
It was a truly iconic decade throughout history. This list pulls together 26 everyday icons that defined the decade’s exceptionally groovy vibe. Take a step back in time and enjoy the nostalgic rush.
1. Lava Lamps
Lava lamps effortlessly channel the true spirit of grooviness. If you’ve ever stared long and deeply into a lava lamp, then you know that it’s a radically immersive experience. One that you can quickly get lost in if you’re not careful.
2. Avocado-Green Refrigerators
It goes without saying that the avocado green fridge certainly wasn’t for everyone. The color created its own kind of mood, and I can’t say that it was honestly a welcome mood either.
3. Bright Orange Tupperware Sets
Seriously, though, it seemed like everyone had it. If you didn’t have the bright orange Tupperware to keep your various food belongings well stowed away, then you were in the slacker class.
4. Rotary-Dial Telephones
These are still fun to play around with to this day. However, back then, if you needed to pull off a speed dial for an urgent matter, you were pretty much out of luck. It would take you a while to get things sorted out.
5. Mood Rings
Mood rings, man. These little things convinced far too many unsuspecting folks that were riding the electric wave of the 70s that they were in fact, expressing moods that they hadn’t come to realize themselves. But hey, they spared one the trip of stepping out for a proper reading at the same time.
6. Bell-Bottom Jeans
Bell-bottom jeans are so due for a comeback. They’re a fashion statement and able to turn the heads in a room at a moment’s notice. They certainly did back in the 1970s.
7. Sky-High Platform Shoes
Who needs a fancy, pumped-up pair of basketball shoes or heels when you’ve got the iconic sky-high platform shoes of the seventies? Seriously. Look out, world, if that was one of your wardrobe staples back in the seventies.
8. Home Versions of the Pong Game
Pong was a simple game. However, therein lies the genius of the game. You didn’t need to go and rack your brain about how to play the game. You just had to put yourself there, and the rest pretty much figured itself out for you.
9. Smiley Face Buttons saying, “Have a Nice Day”
It’s always fun to see the to-go bags that feature the iconic smiley face button with the slogan of the seventies, out and about nowadays. There was something uplifting and genuine about those buttons, man.
10. Waterbeds
Waterbeds can certainly inspire a strange dream state, but that’s what the seventies were all about on one level. They were a groovy series of years, and if you weren’t catching up on your sleep on a waterbed then it’s almost like you hadn’t committed to all that made the seventies so great.
11. Knee-High Tube Socks
I say, bring the knee-high tube socks back in full effect. They’re a versatile vintage look, and they play well on the basketball court as it is.
12. Disco Mirror Balls
The disco mirror balls all but promised a groovy time back during the seventies. If you had a disco mirror ball you had a strong chance at an unforgettable time.
13. The Mind-Blowing Rubik’s Cube Puzzle
If you had a friend who knew how to figure out the seemingly infinitely complex Rubik’s Cube, then you probably considered them some kind of genius. The Rubik’s Cube truly took the world of the seventies by storm. So many hours were sunk into that infuriating cube.
14. Metal Lunchboxes
Because who wanted to run the risk of a jeopardized lunch back during the seventies? Metal lunchboxes were sturdy and up for the challenge, every time.
15. Simon Electric Memory Game
If you didn’t end up winning this game against your friends, the sting was profound. The game itself was pretty tough. Yet, still groovy and a staple of the seventies.
16. Chia Pets
Chia Pets are honestly adorable. You get to water them and watch them grow before your very eyes. I’ve noticed more of a comeback with the chia pets of the seventies, nowadays, but obviously, there’s still a long way to go to get back to where we were.
17. Acrylic “Clackers” Toy
These “toys” could get quite precarious, quite quickly. One might suggest that the seventies was a bit more on the reckless side when it came to the toys that were played with during that time.
18. Oversized Bean Bag Chairs
The oversized bean bag chair is unfailing in its ability to deliver maximum comfort. You fall into one of those oversized bean bag chairs, and good luck to you in terms of not taking a catnap. Naturally, that whole predicament played especially well in the laid-back decade of the seventies.
19. Rainbow Suspenders
The rainbow suspenders were an eye-catching fashion statement that was quite prevalent during the seventies. It’s no wonder. They were one of those clothing items that could swiftly put a smile on someone’s face who was having a tough day.
20. TV Trays for TV Dinners
The TV dinners were running rampant during the seventies. People were just beginning to get in touch with how to maximize the amount of pleasure they experienced while eating their food. This amounted to checking out to check in on whatever was being shown on the screen.
Explore more instantly recognizable moments and trends from bygone eras:
Enjoy reliving the carefree spirit of the decade in 20 Things Kids Did After School In the ’70s That Aren’t Common Anymore and catching some serious retro flair in 20 Vintage Photos That Capture the Seventies Roller Skating Craze.
