Even if you don’t miss school, you may miss back-to-school shopping season. Buying office supplies as an adult just doesn’t compare to browsing aisles of rainbow-leopard-print school supplies in the late summers of your childhood. Fortunately, this tradition doesn’t have to end with graduation. If you’re a nostalgic kid-at-heart and or a parent shopping for kids of your own, here are some retro school products from the 1970s, ‘80s, and ‘90s that you can still buy today.
Lisa Frank’s technicolor aesthetic was unavoidable if you were a kid in the 1980s or ‘90s. The artist’s school supplies aren’t as ubiquitous as they once were, but they’re still easy to purchase online. This rainbow unicorn mini backpack from Lisa Frank and Loungefly is available for $75 on Amazon, and if you’re too old to carry around crayons and math homework, the bag still works as an adorable accessory.
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Trapper Keepers are just as useful today as they were when they debuted. If you want to keep your folders and papers organized—and do it in style—invest in this innovative three-ring binder. The covers seals shut with Velcro, and it comes in six funky patterns. Whether you go with the retro paint splatter or pastel color block design (the latter of which is pictured above), you’ll think you’ve been transported to a middle school in 1985.
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With gel pens, taking notes in class feels a lot less boring. This pack of Gelly Roll pens from SAKURA features 10 colors, half of which are iridescent. The paint-like ink rolls on smoothly and pops against any shade of paper. They also make a cute supplement to the standard blue- and black-ink pens you likely already have on your desk.
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Unlike regular markers, stamper markers are only good for printing one design. But what they lack in practicality they make up for in fun. This bucket contains 44 markers capable of stamping everything from tiny stars to smiley faces, hearts, and more in a variety of colors. They’re an easy way to add personality anywhere, whether it’s an art project or the margins of your history notes.
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These foam pencil grips do more than keep hands comfortable. The old-school accessories also add a pop of color to an otherwise drab writing implement. The grips in this 12-pack come in five colors, and they’re easy to slip on to any standard pencil.
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No matter what you pack for lunch, it’s hard not to feel nostalgic eating out of a tin lunch box. This one comes with a throwback Spider-Man design that harkens back to the original Marvel comics. The set includes a matching thermos so you can pack a balanced meal.
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The bulky Spacemaker pencil boxes from the ‘90s are hard to track down today, but this product from Emraw captures that same vintage feel. The clamshell design consists of clear bottoms and colored plastic tops that come in a variety of bright shades. The bubbles molded into the lid are designed for stackability, so you can keep the six boxes that come in each pack well organized.
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These multicolored plastic counting bears aren’t typically included in school curriculums past kindergarten. That doesn’t mean you can’t buy this 71-piece set for your workspace. Even if you already know how to count, playing with the eye-catching trinkets will give you something to do with your hands during Zoom meetings.
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These pencils are guaranteed to turn heads in any office or classroom. These colorful writing utensils are topped with oversized erasers shaped to look like bunnies, cupcakes, and other twee designs. The erasers pop off, so you can mix and match them with different pencils in the 12-pack, or use them to liven up the plain pencils you already have at home.
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These old-school notebooks are still pretty ubiquitous inside the classroom. The composition books in this five-pack come in a variety of marbled colors: red, blue, yellow, green, and classic black and white. The notebooks have more competition today than when they debuted centuries ago, but they’re still popular for a reason.
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Since their heyday in the 1970s and ‘80s, the scratch and sniff fad has faded like an old strawberry-scented sticker. The simple technology may not be as novel as it once was, but it’s still fun to experience at any age. You can purchase 85 sheets of fragrant stickers for less than $20 on Amazon. The scratch-friendly cartoon pictures of fruit, ice cream, and candy correspond to their appropriate scents.
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If your favorite color varies with your mood, you may benefit from owning a multi-colored pen. The instrument allows you to switch between six different colors by flipping a tab. There are six pens in this pack, so you don’t have to worry about conserving ink, either.
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Michele Debczak
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