Ultimate 1980's Trivia Quiz Answers
Source of questions:
 unknown.
Answers Compiled by:
 Roshan's Humour List - By Roshan Sembacuttiaratchy
and The E-Funnies Mailing List (inactive) - By Rustin Kreider
Latest version maybe found at:
http://www.kreiderfamily.com/rustin/eighties/
and http://www.netinteraction.com/rhl/80s_trivia.htm
This is Version 3.81: 16th September 2002

Dissagree with an answer? Mail rustin@kreiderfamily.com, with "disagree with 1980's Quiz" in the subject." Please cite the question number and a source of your alternative answer if you can.

1. What was the British equivalent of "We Are The World?"
"Do they know it's Christmas?" by Band Aid.
2. Name six members of the Brat Pack.
Molly Ringwald, Emilio Esteves, Ally Sheedy, Rob Lowe, Judd, Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall, Mare Winningham, Demi Moore, Charlie Sheen, Andrew McCarthy, and sometimes Matthew Broderick.
3. What Liverpool band popularized the Doors' "People Are Strange?" in the 80's?
Echo and the Bunnymen.
4. Who had the trademark saying "Nanoo Nanoo?"
Robin Williams (Mork from Ork) in "Mork and Mindy."
5. What was the original name of Duran Duran?

This one has been very hard to pin down!

Duran Duran was the original name for the group. Bassist John Taylor took the name of the villain in Roger Vadim's 1967 film "Barbarella" starring Jane Fonda. He liked the rhythm of the name and decided it matched the band's "edgy" sound at the time. Two of the founding members were considering another name, a three-letter acronym (RAF?) that wasn't intended to stand for anything.

Arcadia was formed after Duran Duran by band members Simon Lebon, Nick Rhodes, and Roger Taylor, while the other 2 members (John and Andy Taylor) formed Power Station with Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson. Arcadia had a big single "Election Day". Duran Duran got back together after the Arcadia and Power Station Projects, but without Andy and Roger Taylor.

6. What was the name of ET's favorite candy?
Reese's Pieces.
7. What did people desperately try to avoid getting on "Press Your Luck?"
Whammies.
8. Name 3 books by Judy Blume or Beverly Cleary.

Judy Blume - Superfudge, Blubber, Iggy's House, Deenie, Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great, Forever, Wifey, Freckle Juice, Tiger Eyes, "Then Again, Maybe I won't", "Starring Sally J. Freeman as Herself", Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Are you there god, It's me Margaret.

Beverly Cleary - The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Socks, Fifteen Henry and Beezus, Ramona the Pest, Ramona Quimby age 8, Ralph, Henry Huggins

9. Who was the leader of the Transformers? (according to the cartoon)

Autobots: Optimus Prime. After the Transformer movie it was Rodimus Prime. (Hot Rod) There was also a brief period in the movie where Ultra Magnus was the leader.

Decepticons: Megatron. After the movie, it was Galvatron (Megatron rebuilt). Starscream was also the leader for a short period of time.

In the Transformers comic, Shockwave took over as the leader of the Decepticons for a period of time from Megatron. He was certainly leader for longer than Starscream. He was a big purple guy who turned into a gun (as all the Decepticon leaders barring Starscream did) and only had one eye and no mouth. I can't remember exactly which issue of the comics you'll find this (plus I read the British versions, they seemed to match the stories in the American versions but may have been printed slightly out of sync), but it was certainly around issue 30. Anyway, there's an archive containing some of the stories and characters details at the following web address: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Station/6563/ukcomic.html
10. Where did the Super friends congregate and watch the latest happenings on a big screen TV?
The Hall of Justice.
11. What group did New Order evolve from?
Joy Division.
12. What were the names of Kevin's best friend and girl friend on "The Wonder Years?"
Paul and Winnie.
13. What was the name of the mechanical bear on Battlestar Galactica?
Apollo's son Boxie had a mechanical Daggit named Muffit. It was a replacement for a dog that Boxie lost in the Cylon sneak attack and it did look like a bear. It is said that it wasn't totally mechanical, but a mechanical shell which was controlled by a simian.
14. What commercial was Michael Jackson singing for when his hair caught on fire?
Pepsi. (or is it Coke?) Jackson was walking down a flight of stairs with pyrotechnics going off on both sides, and some of the stuff landed in his hair and set it on fire.
15. Who was the 4th child on "Growing Pains?"
Chrissy.
16. Name 3 Strawberry Shortcake characters. (besides Strawberry Shortcake)
Lemon Chiffon, Apple Dumpling, Purple Pie Man, Blueberry Muffin, Orange Marmalade, Huckleberry Pie, Pupcake, Custard, Orange Blossom, Lime Chiffon, Lemon Meringue, Raspberry Tart, Plum Pudding, Escargo. Duplicate flavors are disputed.
17. What, according to GI Joe, was "Half the battle"?
"_Knowing_ is half the battle." (translated as _knowledge in some countries)
18. What was the name of the Bjork-fronted 80's band?
Sugarcubes.
19. Who lamented about "No chocolate-covered candy hearts to give away and no wedding Saturday within the month of June"?
Stevie Wonder.
20. What famous Wham! frontman went on to record a multiplatinum record in 1987?
George Michael.
21. What was Dustin Hoffman's character's name in "Rain Man?"
Raymond Babbit, the 'Rain Man.'
22. Name all five New Kids On The Block.
Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Jonathon Knight, and Danny Wood
23. What was the name of the show that featured Larry Appleton and his zany foreign cousin?
Perfect Strangers.
24. Who played Sarah Connor in 1984's "Terminator"?
Linda Hamilton.
25. Name 8 Muppets from "The Muppet Show".
Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Beaker, Animal, The Great Gonzo, Fozzie the Bear, Rowlff, Camilla the Chicken, Scooter, Skeeter, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Zoot, Rizo the Rat, The Swedish Chef, Waldorf & Statler (the balcony guys), Janice, Dr. Bob, Sam the Eagle, Floyd Pepper, Lou Zealand, Sweetums, Dr. Teeth, Robin the Frog (Kermits nephew) Crazzy Harry, plus a hundred or so more.
26. Who was the actress that played Ferris Bueller's sister? Hint: Patrick Swayze showed her "the time of her life" in a movie a couple years later.
Jennifer Grey.
27. Who was the original singer of Los Lobos' 1987 hit "La Bamba"?
Richie Valens.
28. What was the name of the once Morrissey-fronted band in the 80's?
The Smiths.
29. Who was the actress that made waves in 1984's "Splash"?
Daryl Hannah.
30. Who was the lead actress in the famous bomb "Grease 2"?
Michele Pfeiffer.
31. What craft toy involved cutting plastic figures, coloring them in, and then baking them in the oven?
Shrinky Dinks.
32. Name 3 glam rock bands of the 80's.
We shall define glam(ourous) as: Makeup wearing heavy-metal rock bands. {Thus we get} Poison, Twisted Sister, Warrant, Great White, White Lion, Motley Crue, Cinderella, Kiss (late 80's) {and Possibly} Flock of Seagulls, Roxy Music, Thompson Twins, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Culture Club, Human League, Wham, Katrina and the waves, and The Cure.
33. What planet was Spock brought back to life on?
seti-alpha 5 was the official designation given in the movie. 'Genesis' was really the name of the 'bomb' but I think the planet was also refered to as the 'Genesis Planet' at some points in the movie.
Alternative answer1: Seti-Alpha 5 was the planet that Kahn was marooned on. Seti-Alpha 6 blew up and made Seti-Alpha 5 a wasteland. Spock's body was sent to the Genesis planet (that was its name). It was created out of the vacumn of space when the Genesis device detonated in kahn's ship, that is another reason it was so unstable. I don't really know how you can make a planet out of space dust, take it up with Gene roddenberry, but I'm quite sure that's the story. Alternative answer2: There was no name for the planet Spock was brought back to life on other than "The Genesis Planet". Khan and his gang had taken control of the Reliant and were out of the Seti-Alpha system before they confronted the Enterprise. That science station where they were developing the Genesis Device was light years away from Khan. As for the device, the movie says it works through a "process whereby molecular structure is reorganized at the sub atomic level into life generating matter of equal mass". Now it has been debated by Trekkers at many SF conventions as to where this mass comes from and most of them conclude that the Mutara Nebula (the place where they fought) was the source. Further debate has it that the gaseous composition of the nebula was responsible to the instability of the planet formed afterwards.
34. Name 3 of the actors from "The Goonies".
Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman, Kerri Green, Martha Plimpton, Jonathan Ke Quan, John Matuszak, Robert Davi, Joe Pantoliano, Anne Ramsey, Chris Burton.
35. What was the famous line uttered by an old woman in Wendy's ads?
Where's The Beef?
36. Name the four ghosts from the Pac-Man video game.
In the USA; Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Clyde.
Elsewhere; Oikake, Machibuse, Kimagare, Otoboke.
OR; Akabei, Pinky, Aosuke, Gazuta. (Gee get technical)
In Ms. Pac-Man the ghosts are: Inky, Pinky, Blinky, and Sue.
37. What were the names of the Saturday morning cartoon critters who lived in air-vents and befriended a boy who kept their secret hidden?
The Littles.
38. Name Eddie Murphy's skit about vocabulary on Saturday Night Live.
Mister Robinsons Neigborhood.
39. What was the name of Michael Knight's car?....now, what was the name of his boss?
KITT and Devon. The voice of Kitt is the next door neighbor/prinicpal now on 'Boy Meets World' William Daniels is the name of the actor who played the principal on "Boy meets World". He was also Dr. Craig on St. Elsewhere (the 80s ER)
40. What actor mouthed the line "Whatch you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
Gary Coleman "Arnold" in "Different Strokes"?
41. Who played Axel Foley's best friend in Detroit?
Paul Reiser. Paul Reiser played Foley's partner who Axel constantly degraded, His best friend was the murder victim, which he went to Beverly Hills to investigate. ALSO: Axel worked with Jeffrey (Paul Reiser) but gave every indication that he couldn't stand Jeffrey since Jeffrey was one of those co-workers who always wants to be a part of someone else's life since it is more exciting than their own. I cannot imagine Axel seeing Jeffrey socially outside of police circles. Mikey Tandino (James Russo) was a very good friend (maybe best friend) from Axel's younger days in Detroit. Mikey meant so much to Axel that Axel had to track down Mikey's killer even if it cost Axel his job. Therefore, I believe the best answer to your question is James Russo.
42. What was the name of the funky van Scooby Doo and friends rode in?
The Mystery Machine.
43. To what does the obscure song "Turning Japanese" refer?
Masturbation. (So we are told) Sung by The Vapors
44. Which red-head won Star Search and then went on a shopping mall singing tour that took America by storm in 1987 and 1988?
Tiffany. (One person told me that she was actually only a semi-finalist.)
45. Which band had members Robert Palmer, Andy and John Taylor, and Tony Thompson?
The Power Station.
46. What were the names of all five Huxtable kids on "The Cosby Show?"
Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy.
47. What were the names of the four Golden Girls?
Blanche, Rose, Dorothy, and Sophia.
48. What was the claymation Domino's Pizza thing to avoid?
The Noid.
49. What oldies song was revived by the movie about a certain principal named Joe Clark?
"Lean On Me."
50. What was the name of Ripley's ship in Aliens? (not Alien or Alien3)

This one is tough to pin down. Hopefully, the following explanation will satisfy everyone.

According to the script in Aliens, it was the _Narcissus_. However, it might have been changed for the movie. The USS _ Sulaco_ was the Marines ship. ("Sulaco" was the town in which most of Joseph Conrad's book entitled "Nostromo" took place.) In Alien, Ripley's ship was the mining ship USCSS _Nostromo_. If you wanna get hyper-detailed about it, it was the Weyland- Yutani Corporation's ship, and it was completely destroyed in the blast at the end of _Alien_. Ripleys ship in Alien 3 was an escape pod from the _Sulaco_, in which Ripley has a Cold- sleep nightmare. MORE: Ripley's ship at the beginning of Aliens was the lifeboat of the Nostromo from Alien. The name of the lifeboat according to the script is Narcissus. Otherwise the ship used by her and the marines is called the Sulaco.

51. What TV actress co-starred in 1986's "Howard The Duck"?
Lea Thompson.
52. Name 5 movies written and/or directed by John Hughes in the **1980's**.
Writer filmography: Director filmography:
53. What was the first video played on MTV?
"Video Killed The Radio Star" by the Buggles.
54. What was the name of Garfield's teddy bear?
Pookie.
55. What was the name of the bartender on "The Love Boat"?
Isaac Washington.
56. Who was the head villian on "The Smurfs" and what was his cat's name?
Gargamel and Azrael.
57. What was the name of the guy who couldn't enunciate on "The Fat Albert Show?"
Mush Mouth.
58. What was the name of the hollow hole-covered plastic ball kids used to hit instead of a baseball?
Whiffle Ball.
59. What was the name of the singer who died in Robotech's first generation?
It was Roy Fokker who died in the first generation of robotech, However, he was an ace pilot and not a singer, but he died while singing to his girlfriend, the bridge crew member Claudia Grant. Lynn Minmay lived to be a frumpy, middle aged has been lounge singer and was in a pilot episode for the "Robotech Sentenels" featuring the wedding of Rick Hunter and Lisa Hayes. (Perhaps this was a trick question?)
60. What was the name of Bo and Luke Duke's automobile?
General Lee.
61. Name 3 of the original 5 MTV VeeJays.
Mark Goodman,(was the first to appear on MTV, his first words were "Ladies and gentlemen, Rock and Roll") Nina Blackwood, JJ Jackson, Martha Quinn, and Alan Hunter. Adam Curry came much later, Kurt Loder did the MTV News not videos, and Collin Quin co-hosted a game show.
62. What German siren sang "99 Luftballons" (known in the US as "99 Red Balloons")?
Nena.
63. Name the 5th original member of Depeche Mode who left the band, formed Yaz, and then went on form a more-lasting group.
We are told that Depheche Mode never had 5 members. When Vince Clark left, the band recorded their second album with the 3 remaining members (Martin Gore, Dave Gahan, Andrew Fletcher). Then Alan Wilder joined with the band for their 3rd album and has been with them since.
64. What group sang "Come On Eileen"?
Dexy's (Dexi's?) Midnight Runners.
65. What speed did Marty have to reach in order to activate the flux capacitor? (once you remember the movie, this should be easy)
88 mph.
66. Name the two mega-popular bands which got their start on college-radio in Athens, Georgia?
REM, B-52's.
67. What was the name of the heroic boy in "The Never Ending Story?
Bastian was his name in real life, but Atreyu was his name in the book. Bastian reads the book and tells Atreu what to do. In the second movie Bastian is the heroic one. Atreyu and Bastian were _NOT_ the same character in any way, shape, or form. That should be abundantly clear to anyone who has read the book (which encompasses both movies--though the second movie was drastically changed from the book), as they spend much of the adventure side by side.
68. So, who shot JR?
Kristin Ellen (Sheppard?)- Check the TV guide for June 29 - July 5. Page 56, in the box marked number 13. (Various people claimed it was Kristin's sister, Sue) Who Shot J.R.? (March 21, 1980) It is night, and coldhearted J.R. Ewing sits in his office alone. And no wonder: In the course of the previous 50 minutes, he has manged to alienate, infuriate, and betray most of Texas, and all of his relatives. It's Miller time! Then a door in the outer office opens and someone enters. "Who's there?" J.R. asks. BLAM! He clutches his chest. BLAM! He hits the floor, exhales, and... dies? The following November, more than 80 million viewers--nearly as many as voted in the presidential election that month--tuned in to Dallas for the resolution of this tantalizing cliffhanger. In case you forgot: It was Kristin who wounded J.R. I'm also told it was all a dream.
69. What kind of sword did Thundar the Barbarian have?
A Sun Sword.
70. What was the name of He-Man's magician sidekick?
Orko.
71. What band sang the theme song to "The Breakfast Club?"
Simple Minds.
72. Name the ORIGINAL girls from the "Facts of Life" and their chaperone.

Only three regulars stayed with the series for its entire run. They were:
1) Lisa Whelchel played - Blair Warner (79-88)
2) Mindy Cohn played - Natalie Green (79-88)
3) Kim Fields played - Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey (79-88)

Four others were regulars in the first season. They were:
1) Felice Schachter played - Nancy Olson (79-80)
2) Julie Piekarski played - Sue Ann Weaver (79-80)
3) Julie Ann Haddock played - Cindy Webster (79-80)
4) Molly Ringwald played - Molly Parker (79-80)

Chaperone: Charlotte Rae played Mrs. Edna Garrett (79-86)

At the start of the second season, the cast was trimmed down to include just Charlotte Rae, three original girls (Lisa Whelchel, Mindy Cohn, and Kim Fields) and one new character: Nancy McKeon as Jo Polniazek (80-88)

All this was found at: http://fly.hiwaay.net/~djberry/aol-fol.htm

73. What gothic rock group did "Tones on Tail" become?
"Love & Rockets". After Peter Murphy left the band Bauhaus to pursue solo projects, the remaining members of Bauhaus formed "Tones on Tail" which went on to become "Love and Rockets"
74. What were the names of the host and his sidekick on "Fantasy Island"?
Mr. Roarke (Rork?) and Tattoo.
75. Name Buck Rodgers' pal
Twikki. (or Twiki?)
76. What was the movie that starred the little furry creatures from "Return of the Jedi"?
"The Ewok Adventure," and "Ewoks - Battle for Endor."
77. What was Tom Cruise's call sign in the movie "Top Gun"?
Maverick.
78. Who got his 100-meter dash gold medal stripped away due to his steroid use in the 1988 Olympics?
Ben Johnson.
79. Who sang "Shattered Dreams" in 1987?
Johnny Hates Jazz.
80. Who played Ming of Mongo in "Flash Gordon"?
Max Von Sydow.
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The number of people who helped to compile this list of answers was immense! he never expected such a terrific response. Listing each one out would be impractical and impossible. Our thanks go to all the people who sent in answers, and for the critics as well! :)

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Last modified September 2002
This page was created and is currently maintained by Rustin Kreider. The materials presented within this site represent only the interests of the creator and should not be seen as reflecting on any other party.