There’s a popular question on the internet: What’s something you thought was a rich people thing when you were a kid?
Let’s get this straight—that’s not what this is.
There were certain things that every kid wished their house had when they were growing up. Okay fine, I’m a ’70s/’80s kid, but these things were (and in some cases are) pretty universal.
READ MORE: How Many of These Objects From the ’70s Can You Identify?
Since TV was our babysitter and we watched a lot, that was in most cases the basis for pretty much everything we wanted, whether that be sugary cereal (happened) or trips to Disney World (never happened).
Here Are 7 Things Every Kid Wished Their House Had When They Were Growing Up
Photo of a vintage home telecom system
An Intercom System
I knew a kid who lived in a very humble home in a subdivision from the ’50s. Every room in this house had an intercom on the wall, even the bathrooms. Did they all work? Heck no. The funny thing was that the house was so small that we would use the half-dead intercom to talk to each other in different rooms, and since you had to shout, his mom would scream, “Will you kids stop shouting in the house?!” Now, with smart speakers, you can pretty much do the same thing, but like most things now, it’s less fun.
Photo of an indoor pool in a wood-paneled room
An Indoor Pool
I knew one kid with an indoor pool. I only remember swimming in it once because it was always in some state of dangerous disrepair. The smell of the chlorine also made you want to—ironically—run outside. All that said, I remember thinking, “It’s a pool – but inside!” How incredibly magical.
READ MORE: 14 Things That You’d See When Visiting Grandma’s House
A photo of a luxury treehouse in a backyard
A Treehouse
When I say “treehouse,” I’m not referring to what we had—just a plank precariously nailed into three weak branches, almost guaranteeing a broken limb (both yours and the tree’s) and a complimentary tetanus shot. I mean the ones you see in movies: a proper treehouse. A house… in the tree, complete with windows, curtains, a floor, a lockable door, and an actual roof. Bonus points if you had a cool rope ladder that actually worked.
Basement Arcade with vintage arcade games and pinball machines
An Arcade in the Basement
It wasn’t uncommon for a friend to have a single pinball machine in the garage, but what about those folks who had an ENTIRE arcade in their basement? Dad was likely a collector, and you were only allowed to play one game, usually the knock-off one that he didn’t care much about. Still, the whole setup looked and sounded just like a real arcade.
READ MORE: 5 Fisher-Price Playsets That Every Kid Wanted
Stair lift scene from ‘Gremlins’ movie
A Stair Lift
I’m probably going to get in trouble for admitting this, but hear me out. I was a good kid—like, really good. But let me tell you, whenever I found myself in a house with one of those stair lifts, a rebellious streak emerged. I couldn’t help but daydream about shedding my goody-two-shoes image and riding that bad boy to the top floor.
However, deep down, I knew it was meant to assist people less mobile than myself. So, even though I fantasized about reenacting that famous scene from Gremlins, it just never happened for me.
A photo of ‘The Brady Bunch’ HGTV House
A Sweet Hardly-Finished Attic (aka “Greg’s Groovy Attic”)
You can have your luxurious attic (“What a fantastic use of unused space!”), but all we desired was a hideaway nestled in the highest reaches of the house’s eaves, complete with the occasional risk of encountering bats, lack of ventilation, and a creaky pull-down door situated in the hallway ceiling. Why? It’s mostly thanks to The Brady Bunch—the recreation of the iconic and highly coveted Brady kids’ retreat, brought to life in the photo above by the team at HGTV.
READ MORE: Things You’d See in a 1970s Kitchen
A Secret Room Behind a Secret Door
A Secret Room Behind a Secret Door
Lastly, it may sound cliché, but thanks to the ’80s classic sitcom Webster and the abundance of secret passageways and rooms in his family’s house, we almost came to expect these in most homes. Interestingly, they’re having a bit of a moment now, as highlighted by a trend piece titled “Not Just for Scooby-Doo Anymore – The Secret Door Is Having a Moment.” So what they’re saying is … there’s still a chance?
LOOK: Can You Recognize These Iconic ’70s Objects
Let’s take a walk down a very groovy memory lane and ponder some of the things that made life easy, fun and undeniably cool in the ’70s.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
LOOK: Things You Saw at Grandma’s House
Step into Grandma’s house, where cookie tins hold mysteries and even the toilet roll cover has a story to tell.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
LOOK: These Are Things You’d See in a ’70s Kitchen
From mushroom decor to that iconic jug (you know the one), let’s take a nostalgic trip down memory lane to the quintessential ’70s kitchen.
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
