Happy Shopper shops on '1980s Food: Everything We Loved & Lost' on Channel 5

Happy Shopper shops on the Channel 5 programme '1980s Food: Everything We Loved & Lost'.

A Happy Shopper shop in Ilkeston, Derbyshire (2020)

It was brilliant to be able to contribute to the Channel 5 documentary '1980s Food: Everything We Loved & Lost' and help to tell the story of Happy Shopper shops.

A sign at the Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire (2021)

The programme was broadcast on Channel 5 today and was an edit of '1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost' shown last year. These programmes followed 'The 1980s Supermarket', which included a feature on Happy Shopper shops in episode 3 when it was first broadcast in 2024.

Visiting a fully branded Happy Shopper shop is like stepping back in time

One of the  brands I remember clearly from growing up in the 1980s and 1990s was Happy Shopper. The colourful sign with the happy chappy face is a lovely throwback. Happy Shopper received a rebrand in 2000, but if you are lucky you can still find the original branding and signage on some shops.

The Happy Shopper shop on Chaucer Road in Sittingbourne, Kent (2022)

You can the watch the programmes via the Channel 5 website:

• 1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost
• The 1980s Supermarket

A ghost sign at the old Happy Shopper shop in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk (2020)

Check out my Happy Shopper shops playlist on YouTube.

Happy Shopper shops on 1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost

Check out the Channel 5 programme '1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost'.

It was brilliant to be able to contribute to the Channel 5 documentary '1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost' and help to tell the story of Happy Shopper shops.

A sign at a Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent (2022)

This programme follows 'The 1980s Supermarket' that was broadcast last year, and which included a feature on Happy Shopper shops in episode 3.

A ghost sign at the old Happy Shopper shop in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk (2020)

You can watch both programmes via the Channel 5 website:

• 1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost
• The 1980s Supermarket

A Crazy Golf postcard from Filey

A look at an old Crazy Golf course postcard from Filey, North Yorkshire.

This particular postcard was sent from Scarborough to Thirsk at 10.15am on the 29th August 1980.

Minigolf Postcard - Crazy Golf, Filey. F.0226. Printed & Published by E. T. W. DENNIS & SONS LTD., SCARBOROUGH. Posted from Scarborough to Thirsk at 10.15am on 29 Aug 1980

There's still a minigolf course at the same location in Filey. We played a previous incarnation of the current layout back in 2008 when it was the 9-hole Ocean Drive Crazy Golf course.

The course was refurbished in 2023 and we're yet to return for a game on the new layout.

Also in 2023 we were immortalised on a piece of Filey artwork (that was also turned into a postcard) by Leeds-based artist Jack Hurley (aka Loud Ribs) as part of his tongue-in-cheek, affectionate and characterful Rubbish Seaside 'Dystopia-on-Sea' collection!

Happy 45th birthday Pac-Man

Pac-Man was first released in Japan on this day in 1980.

A small selection of my Pac-Man collection

I like to celebrate the brilliant video game character as often as possible!

Playing Pac-Man in Morecambe

Related blog posts:

• Pac-Man