A list of the twenty greatest, most memorable and most popular catch phrases from 80s TV, film and advertising. Catch phrases are a fixture in pop culture, and the generation that came of age during the 1980s should get a rush of nostalgia from revisiting these "pre-Internet memes" and jokes from 30 years ago or more.
A number of these catch phrases have remained popular, or have undergone a renaissance in recent years. Mr. T's memorable "I pity the fool" has remained his most recognizable routine, and figured in to the recent big screen adaptation of the show "The A-Team." Al Pacino's delivery of the key line from Brian De Palma's "Scarface" remains a frequently parodied and iconic movie moment.
Though catch phrases are often depicted as hacky or mocked as a low-brow form of comedy, it's undeniable that they have the power to connect millions of people around a humorous phrase or observation. Below are 20 of our favorite examples. Vote for your favorites and leave other suggestions in the comments!
http://www.ranker.com/list/the-twenty-greatest-80s-catch-phrases/the-master,
Where's the beef?
I'll be back
ORIGIN:
Terminator. The first one. Arnold's Terminator character is at a police station and is told to wait for something. He calmly tells the officer at the counter that he'll be back. He drives a freaking car through the police station.
USE:
Pretty much any time Arnold Scharzenegger leaves any place, he still uses this quote of his to state the fact that he will return. This has been parodied/lampooned in pop culture ever since its inception and has since become the most memorable line from the Terminator franchise next to "Come with me if you want to live".
Gag me with a spoon!
ORIGIN:
From Moon Unit Zappa's Valley Girl
USE:
Means, basically, that you find something gross. This was used really often in the 80s, and still occasionally, when someone found something disgusting. It's basically a show of disapproval. It's often said (in comedy) when someone does something overly mushy or when something romantically undesirable is proposed.
Say hello to my little friend
ORIGIN:
Scarface. The main character (Tony Montana) unleashes a Tommy Gun from under his coat and exclaims to the people he's shooting to "say hello to [his] little friend. It's such a ridiculous, funny, yet violent part of the movie, it really stuck with everyone.
USE:
Whenever you brandish pretty much anything of power or importance by surprise, you can use this phrase. It's been so overdone in pop culture at this point that a lot of people don't even know what it's from.
It's often been used to brandish literal "little friends" from under coats (little people, fictional characters, penises).
By the power of Greyskull!
ORIGIN:
The He-Man series Masters of the Universe features the main character (He-Man) shouting this in the credits sequence. It is one of the most memorable lines from any 80s cartoon show.
USE:
In the show it was used as sort of a declaration of power. It's since been used in many comedy movies and spoofs as an exclamation or as a nerdy showing of a newly found power.
I Want My MTV
ORIGIN:
MTV came out and it came out strong. The cool, subversive thing to do was to demand your MTV. If you were a kid and you wanted to be cool, this was the channel with all the coolest people in the world, teaching you exactly how to be as cool as they are via music videos that were played 24/7 (remember when MTV had music?).
USE:
It was almost a call to musical action for an entire generation. The same way the campaign in the video to the left said it, people would say it in sitcoms, in real life and in various places in pop culture to illustrate that people that didn't used to have a television outlet now have one.
That concept is now moot.
Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?
ORIGIN:
The popular catchphrase said in almost every episode by Gary Coleman's character "Arnold" in the popular 80s TV show Diff'rnt Strokes.
USE:
The catchphrase penetrated pop culture in a way that few others have. It's still the thing that has carried Gary Coleman's career, and will forever be his legacy. They had plenty of guest stars come on/off the show and occasionally they would be graced with Arnold asking what they were talking about.
Say what you will about Coleman, or catchphrases in general, but these moments were often the highlight of every episode.
Now, some people use it as just a way to ask what someone is saying.
I pity the fool...
ORIGIN:
The A-Team. B.A. BARACUS would often say it in reference to someone who would mess with him/the team.
USE:
This is basically what Mr. T is known for. It probably doesn't help that he still dresses, speaks and acts exactly like the character that coined the phrase.
This phrase may also be used in reference to absolutely anyone who is about to get their ass kicked.
Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?
ORIGIN:
An 80s advertisement for mustard, as seen in the video to the left. Two Rolls Royces pull up next to each other, one passenger asks the other if they have any Grey Poupon, the other says "but of course".
USE:
A slogan used for commercials for Grey Poupon for MANY years to follow, it also penetrated pop culture by being a staple of anyone making fun of the upper class. It makes a lot of sense because the very concept of "fancy mustard" is pretty ridiculous in of itself.
I've fallen and I can't get up
ORIGIN:
An infomercial where an old woman falls, can't get up, and delivers the line in such a cheeseball, ridiculous fashion that people couldn't help but laugh. The instance in the commercial is actually supposed to be quite dire, but give it to America to make one, long, onrunning joke about it.
USE:
Whenever anyone falls, a way to say it melodramatically is to say the line the way the old woman said it in the commercial.