They were the Cineleisure Kids of the 80s.
Armed with jarring colours, curly-fries hair and thick shoulder pads, the Centrepoint Kids were once a permanent fixture at Centrepoint, where they simply hung out and were somewhat of a nuisance to the shop tenants.
Who were the Centrepoint Kids?
The teenagers of the 80s. A typical profile of a Centrepoint Kid: A latchkey kid with a penchant for chaotic fashion and sought company with like-minded teenagers. These teenagers were under intense media spotlight back in 1986 when The Straits Times wrote about them extensively.
According to The Straits Times, there were some 40 organised groups among the Centrepoint Kids. Each group functioned like a street gang: jostling for supremacy and shoplifting were seen as competition. The teenagers identified members by the colour of their clothes or gestures.
In a survey done by a social group - Youth Challenge - in 1986, the majority of the Centrepoint Kids were students (53.6%) with pre-university/junior colleges educational level (42.8%) and hung out at malls to pass time (49%). The youngest one interviewed was 10 years old and the oldest 26.
Why Centrepoint?
Built in 1983, Centrepoint was one of the newest mall in Orchard Road back in the day, making it easily identifiable to the teenagers. Before Centrepoint was built, the site housed The Cold Storage Milk Bar - another popular hangout place.
And from the horse's mouth:
Although reports stated that some of them did illegal stuff like glue-sniffing and other drug offences, like teenagers in every generation, they felt misunderstood.
Check out the full footage, which was part of a uber nostalgic 80s current affairs show called Feedback. By SBC, no less.
" width="760" height="420" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">
A short film on the Centrepoint Kids called CP Kidz will open in May 2015. Click here for more details.
Were you a Centrepoint Kid once? Drop us a line!
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to get the latest updates.