Collecting Bell Charms

Along with shoulder pads, fingerless lace gloves, jelly shoes, parachute pants, add-a-bead necklaces, oversized hoop earrings, giant scrunchies, neon headbands, Sony Walkmans, Swatch watches, and Rubik’s cubes, one of the most popular and inclusive trends of the unforgettable 1980s was bell charms.

Collecting bell charms was widely popular, open to all ages, inexpensive, fun, diverse, and, ultimately, very satisfying. They were the ultimate birthday party favor for tweens and teens who danced to songs like Madonna’s “Material Girl,” The Go-Gos’ “Our Lips are Sealed,” and Bon Jovi’s “Runaway.”

So, you remember the drop-waist Laura Ashley dresses, the Official Preppy Handbook, and ruffle-collared blouses, but you just don’t remember bell charms?

Well, you are not alone. Why? Bell charms were not made of quality materials, they were not at the forefront of the collecting arena in the mid-

1980s, and since they looked like something that came out of a Cracker Jack box from the 1960s, many people missed the bell charm trend altogether.

Known interchangeably as bell charms or flash charms, the most coveted examples of these collectible toys were mass produced by a handful of toy companies: Jingle Gems, Imperial, and Boogie Oogie charms.

Each of the tiny bell charms hung from a colorful plastic clip that could be attached to the pocket of a denim jacket, plastic link necklace, backpack, belt loop, etc. There were different styles of bell charms, which helped collectors distinguish between which manufacturers produced a specific charm.

The plastic charms consisted of a tiny bell attached to a brightly colored and realistic miniature version of an everyday item: telephones, cookie jars, scales, articulated figures, batteries, fire hydrants, keys, Oreo cookies, traffic lights, mirrors, whistles, tennis racquets, birdhouses, dress shirts, racecars, please see CoLLEC tiNG on facing page

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