What I Loved in the 80's-Cartoons

What I loved in the 80's-Cartoons

I was a kid of the 80's, and we had the best freaking cartoons. You know, I never understood why people got so upset that cartoons were like little half hours commercials for toys. So??? I mean, I ran out to buy Star Wars action figures and I'm pretty sure George Lucas had more in mind than just selling toys. Seriously, what was the big deal? These toys weren't dangerous or anything they were, toys! News flash, kids play with toys and I loved them all. Some argue that kids should be watching educational programming. That’s fine, but what’s wrong with cartoons? The stories are good and the morals solid. I still remember some of the lessons G.I.Joe taught at the end of their cartoons, like not to stay in water during a storm or what to do if you get a nose bleed (keep your head down, not up!) So what was the problem?

Anyway, I didn't want to rant about that I wanted to talk about the cartoons I loved in the 80's.This is not a formal "top 5", there is no specific order.

#1. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Alright, I'm gonna deal with the elephant in the room. First of all, I loved this show. He-Man was a superhero only his power came from his sword. Prince Adam was a regular guy and when he held up his sword and proclaimed "By the Power of Greyskull!" (an action I copied many times) he became He-Man, defender of Eternia. I can't let this go without talking about all the gay innuendo surrounding this show. Here's my take: WHO CARES!! Why do I always feel like I have to be ashamed to admit I liked this show? This issue infuriated me, it's like people who didn't grow up with this show have to trash it. It's just like how Star Trek fans are stereotyped to be pathetic nerds. As kids we didn't care about the homoerotic subtext, we just liked watching He-Man kick ass. This show was my childhood, and I didn’t giggle like a girl when He-Man “held aloft his sword”.

Okay, that's my last rant. I promise.

#2. Super Friends.

You know, it's funny but I bought a DVD collection about a year ago and as I watched the episodes, I wondered why I liked this show. It was silly and cornball, but for some reason when I was a kid I loved it. I watched it all the time, and it directly led to my love affair with comic books. How could you miss, the world’s greatest superheroes all together in one show. Sure, the villains were weak and the stories could be downright silly. But hey, it was freakin Superman!

#3. Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends.

This show kicked ass! Unlike Super Friends this show attempted to be a little smarter. I loved it when this show came on. I was never a huge fan of Marvel, but just hearing the theme song is enough to get me excited. The amazing friends were Iceman and Firestar, and I loved this show. This show really got me familiar with the Spider-Man character and mythos, in fact almost all I knew about him when I was a kid probably came from this show.

#4. Muppet Babies.

I know, really? This is the show that started the concept of recreating a popular series with the characters as children. After this we had A Pup Named Scooby Doo, The Flintstone Kids, and others. This is the only one I liked however. I think one of the things they did right was not trying to make the characters just imitations of the adult versions. They also gave this show a concept; involving imaginary stories which we would see get played. They were a bit ahead of their time, doing parodies on movies and TV shows years before stuff like The Simpsons or Family Guy, and it was just a fun show to watch. I love anything Muppet and this was no exception.

#5. G.I.Joe:A Real American Hero

This show has a very special place in my heart for a couple reasons. First, it was the last cartoon I deliberately watched regularly, day after day. After this if I watched a cartoon it was because of others, especially my younger sister who exposed me to Duck Tales among others. Second, I was in love with one of the female characters. Lady Jaye was so hot, and I watched this show for her. This was a great show, lots of action and even good stories. I even liked the bad guys, who wouldn't like cobra commander? Sure, they had their silly episodes but that's ok. I lost interest after they changed things to much later on with that awful 5 part mini-series entitled "Operation: Dragonfire”. This actually hurt to watch as they shredded the Joe's and turned Cobra Commander into a lizard or something. However, prior to that this show was gold.

#6. Alvin and the Chipmunks.

There are very few things that just scream "80's" like this show does. Except for maybe Alf, this show was the 80's for me. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore. Do I need to say more? It was silly, it was cute, and I loved this show and enjoyed watching it. The Chipmunks were a music act so when they weren't getting into trouble they were staging concerts which included whatever was popular at the time. If you're wondering what I thought about the movie from a few years ago, it was ok.

#7. Garfield and Friends.

I love Garfield, that can't be overstated. This show was like a dream come true, here was the Garfield from the comic's every weekend (by the way, they actually took comics and animated them as fillers between the commercials. These were often my favorite part). Sure, some episodes got a little silly and sure, I never cared much for the U.S.Acres shorts although I grew to appreciate them. Hey, it was Garfield. That was enough for me.

Ok, a few honorable mentions. Transformers was a great show but I don't really remember being into it. The toys on the other hand, I loved. I still wish I had an Optimus Prime. Same with Thundercats, M.A.S.K, and Bravestar, I just never watched them.  People may wonder why The X-Men cartoon or Batman aren't on here. Sorry, I'm old and never saw them. A few others I remember: Real Ghostbusters, Pac-Man (yes, this existed), (I’m embarrassed to say) It’s Punky Brewster, Mr.T, Shirt Tales, and of course :

The Smurfs. If you were a kid in the 80's you had to watch this show, I think it was a law. Seriously, this show was fun and lovable and I enjoyed it. I had the toys and cherished them. I think my favorite episode was the one that introduced Smurfette, don't know why. While not a "hardcore fan" I truly respect and appreciate this show. That's why I didn't see that live action movie that came out, I'd like to keep some childhood memories intact. (A new Muppet movie??? Noooo!)

I consider myself fortunate that I grew up in the good old days when Saturday Mornings were an event for children. While I missed out on those 70's cartoons (which never bothered me, they always seemed so silly. And I hated The Brady Kids!!) I used to get up early, sneak downstairs, and watch cartoons and loved every second of it. Which were your favorites?

Some other time I will talk about 80’s PSA’s that aired during Saturday mornings. Who remember time for timer, Schoolhouse Rock, and One To Grow On?