I consider myself an expert on the ’80s for one simple reason: I loved it. I wore parachute pants, carried my Trapper Keeper, and wore out the batteries on my Walkman more times than I can count.

Even back then, I knew the ’80s felt different from the ’70s, and by the time the ’90s arrived, I recognized that decade felt different from the ’80s too. I’ve even written extensively about this era, covering everything from ’80s TV theme songs to the locations from ’80s TV shows and movies I desperately wanted to visit, to the coolest features of ’80s cars and the ways we used to listen to music that we all still kind of miss.

Actor Gene Kelly, singer Olivia Newton-John and actor Michael Beck attend the

These three co-starred in the movie we picked for X on our ’80s A-to-Z list. Any guesses?

So I’m always looking for different ways to explore the most awesome decade in American history, and this time I decided to challenge myself.

EVEN MORE ’80s: TV Shows From the ’80s and ’90s – Did Anyone Watch Them?

The challenge? Choose one iconic ’80s person, place, thing, or trend for each letter of the alphabet. You know what? It wasn’t easy.

Some Letters Were Easy. Some Weren’t.

Some letters had a plethora of options. C meant choosing between dolls and bears, while Q came down to a real debate between quintessential rockets and a video game character. Other letters were surprisingly sparse — I’m looking at you, U. You’d think X would be the hard one, but as an Olivia Newton-John superfan with a love for roller skating, it was probably the easiest pick on the whole list. Was that too much of a hint?

So let’s get started. As you already know, we’re starting with a video game system and ending with some of the best rockers in history. That’s quite a range! I’ve even included some of my runners-up in case you disagree with any of my picks.