Defunct Brands in the 1980s

Brands here are grouped by their most relevant year in the 1980s (we prefer the year a brand ended; if unknown, we use the start year).

7 brands in this decade

• Braniff International Airways (1928–1982) • Braniff International Airways stopped flying on May 12, 1982 and filed for bankruptcy shortly after. The airline had been squeezed by deregulation-era competition, rising fuel costs, a recession, and the strain of expanding too fast. The Braniff name lived on through heritage and licensing activity, which is why it still turns up today. Aviation
• Buick GNX (1987–1987) • One-year limited run of 547 units built with ASC/McLaren that discontinued at the end of the Regal-based Grand National program Automotive
• C-3PO's Cereal (1984–1985) • Discontinued Food/Breakfast cereal
• Lawn Darts (Jarts) (1950–1988) • Metal tipped versions illegal in the U.S. after U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ban in 1988. Modern soft-tipped versions are legal, but fundamentally different than the original. Toys/Games
• Marathon (U.S. braided caramel bar) (1973–1981) • National production ended when the product was discontinued in the U.S. by the early 1980s. Food/CPG
• Megatron (Transformers action figure) (1984–?) • Realistic handgun alt-mode largely retired from U.S. mass retail; modern Megatron toys default to tanks or sci-fi cannons, with handgun versions mostly limited to adult collectors. Toys/Games
• Orko (He-Man & Masters of the Universe) (1983–present) • Enduring franchise character; appears across cartoons, comics, and multiple toy lines since the 1980s. Toys/Games