Wawa is going back to the ’80s with ‘The Goldbergs’ for its birthday

Break out your jelly shoes, Aqua Net, and shoulder pads because area Wawas are getting ’80s makeovers beginning on Friday as part of a weeklong celebration of the chain’s 57th anniversary in partnership with the TV show, The Goldbergs.

All stores in the Delaware County-based chain will display special “throwback” signage and pump 1980s music through its speakers (who doesn’t want to hear “Take On Me” while picking up a Sizzli or “So Emotional” while standing before a touch screen). Stores will also feature clips of “famous Wawa scenes” from The Goldbergs at their fuel pumps and will have a special The Goldbergs Garlic Chicken Cheesy Parm hoagie in honor of Beverly Goldberg, who loves parmesan recipes, according to a news release. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the sandwich will benefit the Children’s Miracle Network.

Given The Goldbergs is set in 1980s Jenkintown and references are often made to the Wawa there, the Jenkintown store will get extra-special treatment, including additional themed decor, vintage uniforms for the staff, and a “Home of the JTP” plaque unveiling on Friday (JTP stands for the “Jenkintown Posse,” a name one of the show’s characters has for his group of friends). On April 23, local police and fire departments will participate in a Smash Ball competition with water balloons at the store, a nod to characters on the show who play Smash Ball in the Jenkintown Wawa parking lot.

According to a news release, Wawa, which opened its first store in Folsom in 1964, began the 1980s with 238 stores and closed out the decade with 450 (today, there are more than 940 stores in the chain). The 1980s saw the introduction of hot foods — including meatballs — to the chain’s offerings and it was during the 1980s that hoagies first became built-to-order (though touch screens were still a thing of the future).

Wawa Week will run from April 16 to 23.