1991 flashback: what was hot and not in Australia 33 years ago

Steve Vizard was our biggest TV star, hypercolour clothing was all the rage and Daryl Braithwaite’s rendition of The Horses first hit the chart. How many of these 1991 events do you remember?

Hypercolor T-shirt in 1991.

In 1991, Paul Keating toppled Bob Hawke as PM, Kylie Minogue and Michael Hutchence broke up, rollerblading was the latest craze and Nintendo Game Boys were the hot new toy.

Steve Vizard was our biggest TV star, Kevin Costner’s epic film Dances With Wolves was the year’s biggest movie, and Hypercolor clothing was the new must-have fashion item.

Kylie Minogue with boyfriend, INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, in Sydney in 1991 shortly before their break-up after a two-year relationship.

Cynical TV cartoon family The Simpsons and various spin-off products including T-shirts and dolls were the latest thing, as the popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles waned.

The unemployment rate neared 11 per cent as the number of financial crashes grew, but thankfully Keating’s “recession we had to have” ended in September.

And 1991 was a huge year in global affairs too: the Cold War ended, the Soviet Union collapsed, the Gulf War ended, and apartheid was abolished in South Africa.

Bob Hawke (left) and Paul Keating in Canberra in 1991, seven months before the Treasurer toppled his boss as PM.

What we were wearing

The latest fashion craze was Hypercolor T-shirts, with the heat-sensitive “mood ring of the ’90s” flying off shop shelves.

Knitted leopard print garments created for an Autumn/Winter 1991-92 collection.

Bright neon colours were in, especially swimsuits emblazoned with splashes of fluoro colours.

Also popular were Nike Air Jordan basketball boots, scrunchies, hot pants, blazers, oversized knit jumpers, animal prints, japaras, stirrup pants, and shiny silk blouses with puffy sleeves paired with pleated pants or skirts.

Oversized knit jumpers, like this one by Adelaide textile artist Liz Newman, were big in 1991.

Japaras and stirrup pants were popular in 1991.

Songs you couldn’t get out of your head

Bryan Adams’ schmaltzy (Everything I Do) I Do It for You was Australia’s top hit single of the year after spending a whopping 11 weeks at no. 1.

Other memorable chart toppers included The Horses, by Daryl Braithwaite, Unforgettable, by Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole, and I’m Too Sexy, by Right Said Fred.

Steve Vizard (left) with Michael Veitch in a scene from TV show Fast Forward.

TV Week Gold Logie winner

Steve Vizard – Fast Forward

Alex Papps’ and Nicolle Dickson’s on-screen characters marry on Home & Away in 1991.

TV shows we were watching

Hinch

E Street

Neighbours

Home and Away

Sale of the Century

Hosts Glenn Ridge and Jo Bailey replaced Tony Barber and Alyce Platt on Sale of the Century in 1991.

The Simpsons was the hottest new show in 1991.

The Simpsons

Matlock

Family Feud

Wheel of Fortune

Blind Date

The Main Event

Hey Dad

Quantum

Get Smart

MASH

Murder She Wrote

All Together Now

Aerobics Oz Style

Hit films

Dances With Wolves

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

The Silence of the Lambs

Edward Scissorhands

Backdraft

City Slickers

Keanu Reeves in a scene from 1991 film Point Break.

Stars we loved

Craig McLachlan, Georgie Parker, Rebecca Gibney, Annie Jones, Elle Macpherson, Daryl Somers, Ray Martin, Jana Wendt, Mel Gibson, Robin Williams, Kevin Costner, Michael J Fox, Steve Martin, Julia Roberts, River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jodie Foster.

River Phoenix in 1991 film My Own Private Idaho.

Jim Stynes of the Melbourne Demons wins the 1991 Brownlow Medal.

AFL champs

Premiers: Hawthorn

Brownlow Medal winner: Jim Stynes

Norm Smith Medal winner: Paul Dear

Other Aussie sporting heroes

Tony Lockett, Nicky Winmar, Garry Hocking, Billy Brownless, Paul Roos, Gavin Brown, Barry Mitchell, Allan Border, Merv Hughes, Geoff Marsh, David Campese, John Fitzgerald.

Villains

Christopher Skase: The disgraced businessman declared bankruptcy, fled Australia and was found living the high life with wife Pixie on the Spanish island of Majorca, claiming back problems and severe illness prevented him returning to face charges.

Bankrupt fugitive businessman Christopher Skase and wife Pixie in Spain in December, 1991.

Mr Cruel: Karmein Chan, 13, was abducted from her Templestowe home by the child rapist, who had terrorised Melbourne for four years. Her body was found a year later.

Robert Arthur Selby Lowe: Six-year-old Sheree Beasley was kidnapped, raped and murdered by the Sunday school teacher and church elder.

John Friedrich: While facing charges relating to missing millions from the National Safety Council, the Victorian boss of the organisation was found dead on his Victorian property.

Joh Bjelke-Petersen: The former Queensland premier pleaded not guilty on a charge of perjury alleging he had lied to the Fitzgerald Inquiry in 1988 about his knowledge of Singapore entrepreneur Robert Sng’s business activities.

Alan Bond: Lost the helm of Bond Corp and spent most of the year in the courts battling creditors as he edged closer to his conviction for fraud and jail sentence for siphoning $1.2 billion.

Top nightclubs

The Metro, Chevron, Chasers, Billboard, Redheads, Inflation, The Warehouse, The Tunnel, The Commerce Club, Tok H, Transformers, Santa Fe, The Depot, Amadeus, Harlem, Darby’s, Stylus, the 21st Century.

Politicians

Who was PM? Hawke, until toppled by Keating.

Victorian premier: Joan Kirner

World leaders: George H.W. Bush, John Major, Mikhail Gorbachev, then Boris Yeltsin

Australian of the Year

Peter Hollingworth, Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane and social justice advocate

Big events

An explosion and huge fire at the Coode Island chemical storage complex sent poisonous black smoke across the city.

Collingwood football star Darren Millane, 26, was killed in a car smash.

The ringleader of Melbourne’s hedge burners was sentenced to two years’ jail.

World-famous heart surgeon Dr Victor Chang was shot dead in a Sydney street.

The Cold War ended and the Soviet Union collapsed.

Apartheid ended in South Africa.

Australia won the Rugby World Cup.

The world wide web became freely available and the first website was created.