We didn’t know how good we had it at the movies back in the 80s.

One only has to look to todays theater offerings to see that things just aren’t the same.  Sure there is the occasional amazing character driven blockbuster (Iron Man anyone?).

It seems like the days of that indelible character in a film that just makes the whole movie are way behind us.

These are a few 80’s characters that in our opinion, transcended the movies and leapt into popular culture.

80s Movie Characters that Made You Laugh…A Lot.

Don’t you just love this kid?

I mean every time you see or eat a Baby Ruth don’t you just think of this little bundle of joy… Chunk!

He’s one of many characters in the 80’s classic Goonies. It’s about a bunch of kids on a quest to find a hidden treasure and the totally 80’s adventure they have along the way.

This is every kids (and adults) dream… isn’t it?

Oh and lets not forget Chunks lovable buddy in the film Sloth.  These two together gave the term odd couple a whole new meaning. We broke down the whole Goonies crew on its own page.

One of the funniest stoner dudes ever portrayed on the big screen… Jeff Spicoli!

Fast Times At Ridgemont High was full of great characters but Spicoli stole the show.  His interactions with Mr. Hand are among some of the best, funniest scenes in movie history. He used Mr. Hands classroom like his own personal cafeteria.

Dude didn’t give a damn about nothing but his tasty waves and a cool buzz.

Gotta love this guy! Fast Times has a proud spot in our 80s teen movies rundown, too.

Doesn’t life move pretty fast?… Oh yes it does Mr. Bueller!

What kid didn’t want to skip school and hangout with Ferris?

This character is iconic in so many ways.  Ferris was the cool kid everyone wanted to be. He always seemed to be one step ahead of Principal Rooney. Yeah…F.B. had everyone guessing, even his parents.

And who could forget his jealous sister?

This kid had his shit together and than some. True believers can keep going with our full Ferris Bueller deep-dive.

Oh man when Axel gets on the scene all hell is gonna break loose!  What 80’s movie character is more hilarious and iconic than Axel Foley?

Eddie Murphy, who really should be on the list of 80s action stars, played this part perfectly and brought that contagious laugh to the big screen.  If your ever in a bind who you gonna call?  No, not the Ghostbusters.  We’re calling Axel!!

Any man who can smooth talk his way into a mansion and leave Beverly Hills with a bunch of robes is aces in our book! We gave Axel Foley the full write-up he deserves.

Didn’t every kid or adult for that matter secretly wish that Clark was their dad?

Chevy Chase just nailed this part and created a timeless character. He is Mr. Griswold! The tone is set early on in this film when Clark gets talked into buying the family “truckster”. Oh what a car!!

Clark also has some interesting relatives that we meet along the way.  But whatever obstacles are put in front of Clark he seems to keep his focus on one thing.

The quest for fun… We’re going to Wally World! (Vacation also earned its spot in our best 80s comedies list.)

Bill Murray barely had a script for this one — most of Carl was improvised, including the entire “Cinderella story” speech. A greenskeeper locked in total war with a dancing gopher, and somehow it’s the most quotable performance of the decade. So he’s got that going for him. Which is nice. If Carl left you wanting more, we rounded up the decade’s most quotable movie lines.

Leslie Nielsen playing it completely straight while the world collapses around him is a comedy engine that never breaks down. Nice beaver? “Thank you, I just had it stuffed.” Every frame of this movie has a joke in it somewhere, and Drebin never notices a single one.

Tim Burton’s first movie, and Paul Reubens’ masterpiece. A grown man on a cross-country quest for a stolen bicycle shouldn’t work as a film, but “I know you are, but what am I?” entered the permanent vocabulary of everyone who saw it. Tell ’em Large Marge sent ya. The whole saga — bike and all — is in our full Pee-wee Herman story.

John Candy flipping giant birthday pancakes with a snow shovel is one of the great images of the 80s. Buck is the relative nobody wants to call until they have to, and Candy fills him with so much heart you end up wishing he was in your family. The Macaulay Culkin rapid-fire interrogation scene alone earns the spot.

Rick Moranis as the world’s most dedicated accountant, throwing a party he can write off as a business expense right up until he gets possessed by an ancient demon dog. Every line out of Louis is gold, and he doesn’t even know he’s funny — that’s the trick. Meet the rest of the containment unit in our Ghostbusters characters breakdown.

Bill Paxton invented an entire species of obnoxious older brother with Chet. The buzzcut, the shakedowns, the “how about a nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?” He gets exactly what’s coming to him, and it is disgusting, and it is perfect.

Curtis Armstrong took a character whose name is literally Booger and made him legendary. Champion belcher, zero shame, all attitude. Some characters transcend their movies; Booger transcended his own name, which is a much harder trick.

Kevin Kline actually won the Oscar for this — Best Supporting Actor for playing the dumbest smart guy in movie history. An ex-CIA weapons man who reads Nietzsche and understands none of it. Just don’t call him stupid.

John Candy’s masterpiece. The shower-curtain-ring salesman who seems like an insufferable motormouth for ninety minutes — “those aren’t pillows!” — and then turns out to be the most heartbreaking character John Hughes ever wrote. He makes you laugh the whole way and then flattens you at the train station. Nobody wrote them like John Hughes — and our Breakfast Club breakdown is more proof.

Beyond the Laughs: More 80s Movie Icons We’ve Covered

Not every great 80s character was chasing a punchline. We covered the decade’s action heroes too: Indiana Jones, John McClane, Rambo, RoboCop, Conan the Barbarian, and the immortal Jack Burton of Big Trouble in Little China.

The stranger corners of the decade got the treatment as well — Gizmo, E.T., Beetlejuice, and the Karate Kid crew — plus the two guys who kept us up at night, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees.

And when you’d rather binge whole lists than single characters, start with 80s horror, sci-fi, action movies, cult classics, underrated gems, and the soundtracks that glued it all together.

The list of 80s movies goes on but these are a few of the absolute stand-out 80s characters that define the comedy of the decade.  Now go and get your Netflix on, grab some popcorn and a Crystal Pepsi and relive some of the funniest stuff you’ll ever see.

We rank stuff like this out loud all the time — the Awesome 80s Podcast is where the arguments live.