Normally we don’t sign up for trivia games with questions we’ve had before. We didn’t tell the folks we played with virtually on Tuesday evening that we’d already played this question set nearly a year ago. Why? Because that would take the fun out of it! We also didn’t look at the old recap for that game or try to figure out answers for it so we could get a perfect game. Why? Because that would also take the fun out of it!

I assembled an actual trivia “team” for the first time in months! My brother and sister-in-law Mike and Mel, our dear old friend Sam and his amateur hairdresser wife and superwoman Angela (who cut his hair during the game – true story) – and the wily regulars holding down the trivia fort these days (me and Mike).

We wound up missing two questions we’d gotten correct our first attempt at answering them (the player who helped us answer them almost a year ago was absent this time around), and missed the same one we missed last time about a very obscure word for a sexy geek that none of us had ever heard of or encountered before. Maybe because as geeky as some of us were in high school – we weren’t sexy enough to have someone call us that name? Uh, maybe!

We finished in second for the game with 77 points.

Still, any question sets about the 1980s are always a fun way to reminisce! Here were our questions:

1) Film Characters – What 1984 film, set during the holiday season, includes human characters named Billy, Kate, and Randall, and non-human characters named Gizmo and Stripe? Easy way to start the game…

2) Shoes – What brand of sneaker, named after an animal, is notable for having a small, zippered pocket on the side of the shoe? Commence the jokes about inappropriate things to store in these pockets – cocaine, condoms, etc.

3) Holiday Music – What band released the 1989 album Merry, Merry Christmas, which spawned the singles “This One’s for the Children” and “Funky, Funky Xmas?” Miss, though we got it right on our first time (thank you Kim)!

4) Muppets – What American Olympic diver won gold medals in both events at both the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games? Yup, another one Kim helped with that first time – none of us were very well versed in Muppet Babies.

5) Olympics – What American Olympic diver won gold medals in both events at both the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games?

6) Quotes – Who is the title character in a 1985 film that features the line, “Be sure and tell ‘em Large Marge sent ya?” That was a scary time to be in a movie theater as a tween – when Large Marge (well, I don’t want to give any spoilers to people who have not yet seen a movie that is 36 years old)!

7) Politicians – From 1981-1989, Dan Quayle served as a U.S. Senator from which state?

8) TV Jobs – Nicholas Colasanto and Woody Harrelson both portrayed characters with the same job, though at different times, on what TV series?

9) Slang – What word that rhymes with “geek” was used to describe a geek who has undeniable sex appeal? OK, tell me. Who has ever heard of this word (no going to the Internets to cheat)? Show of hands?

10) #1 Hits – What 1986 single was the only #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart by Robert Palmer? A couple of our players this evening used a song from his later album Heavy Nova at their wedding in 1992 called “She Makes My Day.” Awww!

Mystery – Anagrams

Decipher the anagram to reveal the name of an actor or actress that was a member of the Brat Pack.

M2) “Elite Size Move”

M2) “Moodier Me”

M3) “Handcart Cry Mew”

M4) “Lowland Grimly”

Got all of these way too easily…

Final Category – Award Winning TV

We were in fifth going into the final with 57 points.

What TV series had its performers receive more nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series during the 1980s than any other series?

A bit of discussion between two good possibilities, but got it, and moved to second.

As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, that acid-tongued old lady from the Golden Girls who was my absolute favorite, Sophia!