In the mid-1980s the girls in my class were obsessed with plastic charm bracelets and necklaces. Retro fashion inspired by an even earlier era, these charms could be as simple as a plastic shape (animals, hearts, etc) to as complex as little books and phones with dials.
Whatever charms you chose, the idea was to buy a lot of them — and heap them on plastic chains. It went beyond mere schoolyard fashion, being more emblematic of a 1980s trademark — excess.
Do not be fooled by lesser plastic charms. The true vintage 1980 charm will have a little “anchor” fastener (to attach it on the wide loops of the plastic chains) and sometimes a little metal “jingle.”
Today the authentic plastic charms go for a bit in the collector’s market, with sometimes an entire “full” chain grabbing an upwards of $120+.
