Totally Bogus (But True) Tales from the 1980s

By Will Padilla

Alien encounters, audacious heists, and ripped-off rappers. In the 1980s, long before everyone had a WOPR (the super-computer in War Games) in their pocket, weird things happened. And like the fashion of the decade, those events were colorful. Without the convenience of modern technology, however, many of the most fascinating tales weren't as widely known. After all, only so many stories could be told on Ripley's Believe It or Not Totally Bogus (But True) Tales from the 1980s is a humble contribution to the media that kept audiences curious and occasionally frightened. While other collections shared tales from various eras, this book includes strange-but-true moments from the 1980s, real stories from the decade of big hair and even bigger mysteries.

From the first official UFO sighting to the dubious origin of the Cabbage Patch Kids, inside these pages, you'll find accounts of criminal oddities, alleged supernatural encounters, and unusual pop culture phenomena. They're events so peculiar they read like fiction. And while the title of the book invokes slang popularized by Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted "Theodore" Logan, every one of them is real. Or, at least, "real." For even the unbelievable stories that would serve as plots for movies and TV shows (and do) are maintained as fact by those that allege to have experienced them. And while some made headlines, and others went the way of the waterbed, all of them speak to a truth that's unsettling and entertaining. The 1980s weren't just weird. They were like totally weird for reals to the max. Word The truth isn't just out there, it's in the pages of this book--and it's got a Walkman, a mullet, and one hell of a story to tell.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FB12KJNJ
• ISBN13: 9798218674694
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: 1980s Now
• Length: 140 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 13 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary