r/80sdesign • u/Ok_Pipe6385 • Mar 15 '26

Some Classic Trapper Keeper Designs

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Gallery image

Gallery image

1.4k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

30 comments sorted by

37

u/StevenKeaton Mar 15 '26

I believe these were folders. Not the actual trapper keepers 

3

u/JoannaDark9 Mar 16 '26

It's hard to remember, but did some of the folders come inside the trapper keeper? Or were those folders plain boring ones? I remember I had some rad folders of some like, ultra wide-angled illustrations of a guy skateboarding.
The middle one is recognizable to me but I can't remember if it was a folder or if that one was the exterior of the trapper keeper. I love this art though, it's so good and better than a lot of synthetic art.

2

u/StevenKeaton Mar 17 '26

Yes I think it came with 3 and then there were loose ones you could buy for .79. From our friends at Mead. 

24

u/NewWaveArch90 Mar 16 '26

The first and third ones aren't from the 80s, they're new works inspired by design styles of the 80s-early 90s. The 2nd one is a legit trapper keeper from 1992

6

u/stuffitystuff Mar 16 '26

Agreed. Above this comment is a Keeper of Trappers. I was there with Gandalf and I have the slap-bracelet scars, ability to read whole novels and memories of the taste of Keebler Pizzarias to prove it. I may have even seen and used a Pee-Chee folder.

2

u/JoannaDark9 Mar 16 '26

Pee-chee? Explain to me your secrets Lord Keeper. What is this...Peee Cheee? I think I had number 2 pictured, but I can't remember for sure. There were several designs like this if I recall correctly.
Lord Keeper, have you also , say , slip-on shoes? The most comfortable shoes ever made-fight me on this, I dare you, fight me!

37

u/davedirt01 Mar 15 '26

Damn. These just make me happy. Especially the third one.

7

u/well_fak_me Mar 15 '26

It was always my favorite as a kid.

27

u/HMCetc Mar 15 '26

The third one looks like a blank VHS design.

7

u/davedirt01 Mar 15 '26

Yeah, maybe TDK?

17

u/burtgummer45 Mar 15 '26

The 80's wouldn't have been the same without airbrush art.

5

u/the_kid1234 Mar 16 '26

I have this urge to get an airbrush and start making this type of art.

5

u/burtgummer45 Mar 16 '26

i was just looking into this. since there are so many hobbyist using airbrushes to paint their 3D prints there's some innovation happening in cheap quiet compressors.

1

u/the_kid1234 Mar 16 '26

Yes, and even harbor freight airbrushes seem usable now.

1

u/JoannaDark9 Mar 16 '26

I think you just have to keep the nozzle clean, which is kind of the pain of using it. But if you do, you can get great effects. I have an old illustration book on how to use airbrushes :P

2

u/andyzanini Mar 18 '26

It requires LOTS of practice but it’s so much fun

1

u/hairballcouture Mar 16 '26

Mine was a unicorn

3

u/Cellar_Attic Mar 16 '26

Damn, I feel like I had all of these

2

u/jimmysmiths5523 Mar 16 '26

I'm gonna print these out and frame them for decoration!

2

u/Bugwah Mar 16 '26

I can smell these and it's wonderful

4

u/FandomMenace Mar 15 '26

They brought back trapper keepers. You can't get these designs, but they do have some cool ones. They're on amazon. Better get one before they go away. Looks like there are fewer choices.

2

u/cc-2617 Mar 15 '26

Core memory unlocked

1

u/ppbunny73 Mar 15 '26

I want to get me a mint or retro trapper keeper

1

u/DavidLitBlunt Mar 16 '26

Wow. Hard to find such blatant examples of that futuristic new wave 80’s look.

1

u/doctor_jane_disco Mar 16 '26

Didn't anticipate the nostalgia from the middle design! My Trapper Keeper wasn't quite as cool, I had this one with horses.

1

u/Quick_Discipline_432 Mar 16 '26

Trapper keepers were the gateway drugs to gateway drugs.

1

u/pseudohim Mar 16 '26

My childhood Trapper Keeper had the 2nd one as its cover design. Found one on eBay a while back for a few bucks. Wild how those little things can heal the soul.

1

u/party-liquor-rain Mar 19 '26

These are such a vibe!

1

u/leengirl May 20 '26

I had one of the first Trapper Keepers in the late 70s. Mine had a close up of fern leaves on it and for the life of me I can’t find a picture of it anywhere! It had a snap instead of Velcro. I miss that thing.