We celebrate the first post of 2012 with a look back in time. The South China Athletic Association’s bowling center used to be a hotspot of Hong Kong nightlife in the 1970’s and 80’s. Preserved on rows of lockers buried deep inside the building is unique evidence of the passions and interests of its former denizens. We’re talking about a fascinating collection of stickers that spans four decades!
The hundreds of stickers tell a story about what was cool or popular at the time. The bowlers plastered their lockers with stickers from the different brands, movies, singers, and magazines they liked, along with souvenirs from the places they traveled.
[photopress:superman_the_movie_sticker_pentax.jpg,full,pp_image] Check out the trailer from the 1978 Superman movie here! [photopress:south_china_athletic_association_hong_kong.jpg,full,pp_image] [photopress:skateboarder_magazine_sticker_HK.jpg,full,pp_image] Skateboarder Magazine sticker! [photopress:hong_kong_time_capsule_stickers_HK.jpg,full,pp_image] [photopress:asahi_pentax_sticker_hong_kong_hk_esII.jpg,full,pp_image]When the bowling alley was renovated last year, thankfully, they kept the old lockers.
For fans of Pop culture, the collection here is nothing short of dazzling! Among the many rarities are things that are so old they’ve been rediscovered again.
Representing the 1970’s we have movie icon Charles Bronson and the New York Cosmos! (The New York Cosmos were the first modern dream-team in sports and the legendary Pelé was their star soccer player.)
[photopress:mandom_charles_bronson_sticker_hk.jpg,full,pp_image]Here’s the TV commercial from the campaign!
[photopress:cosmos_nasl_champions_sticker_78.jpg,full,pp_image] For more info about the New York Cosmos, check out this documentaryPele was also very popular in Hong Kong. Have a look at this 1980’s TV commercial with actress Cherrie Chung!
The bands from the early 80’s include Culture Club, Nakamori Akina, The Police, and the Thompson Twins! All are immortalized here in their original, sticker form.
[photopress:80s_stickers_boy_george_cultue_club.jpg,full,pp_image] Boy George!!! [photopress:culture_club_sticker_80s_HK.jpg,full,pp_image] [photopress:akina_nakamori_sticker_80s_the_police.jpg,full,pp_image] [photopress:nakamori_akina_hong_kong_old_locker_sticker_HK.jpg,full,pp_image] Japanese singer, Nakamori Akina [photopress:thompson_twins_sticker_80s_hong_kong.jpg,full,pp_image]The stickers aren’t confined to foreign stars either. There’s even 1990’s Aaron Kwok and Faye Wong!
[photopress:Aaron_Kwok_Faye_Wong_stickers_hong_kong.jpg,full,pp_image]Yes, there were Apple fan boys in Hong Kong even back in the early 80’s, when the company was still known as Apple Computer! These stickers typically came inside the box back when you purchased an Apple IIe!
[photopress:80s_apple_computer_sticker_hk_hong_kong.jpg,full,pp_image] [photopress:apple_personal_computers_sticker_hk.jpg,full,pp_image] [photopress:asahi_pentax_camera_sticker_60s_70s.jpg,full,pp_image] The revolutionary Asahi Pentax camera also came with cool illustrated stickers!Enjoy! Wishing you all the very best in the new year! 🙂
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dude, that Mandom commercial is hilarious! he must have put half the bottle on himself in one go!
Oh man I had that same exact Aaron Kwok Yes card hahaha
Great pieces of collection! Especially that sticker on National radio cassette! Wow, being a long time