10 Cartoons of the 80s We Can't Help but Miss

The cartoons of the 1980s were bright, colorful, imaginative, and best of all, they were cheesy. Many would complain, at the time, that they were completely devoid of any educational value. Whether or not the children of the 80s learned anything from these cartoons, no one can deny that many of those cartoons still hold a special place in the hearts of the children who watched them. Here are ten cartoons that still seem to captivate the child within us all.

1. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Mention the names of "He-Man" or "Skeletor" to just about anyone who was in the under-10 set in 1983-85 and their eyes fill with nostalgia induced stars. Though the series, intended to sell Mattel's newest action figure line, only lasted two seasons, the adventures of those who inhabited the planet Eternia became an afternoon staple. The cry "By the Power of Grayskull" could be heard on just about any school playground and soon, just as Mattel had hoped, Christmas wishlists filled with requested Castle Grayskull playsets and Trapjaw action figures.

2. The Smurfs

You either loved them or you hated them. These blue, happy creatures weren't really animals, but they weren't exactly human, either. In fact, what were they? Whatever they were, they gave Saturday mornings a theme song that parents must have surely abhorred while kids loved nothing more than to ponder why Smurfette was the only girl Smurf in the village.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Cowabunga, dude. These muscle bound turtles became so popular that they spawned three live action films and have most recently found a new audience with the upcoming TMNT film, pairing CGI with an old 80s favorite. Though, at the time of this writing, the film has not been released, the filmmakers seem to understand one vital element of bringing back our old favorites: update the technology, but don't update the characters (if you doubt me, take a look at the latest reincarnation of Strawberry Shortcake).

4. Transformers

With a brand new live action film directed by Michael Bay coming out on July 4th of 2007, it's very possible that an entirely new generation of fans will come aboard the Transformers fan wagon. Based on two warring group of vehicles that transform into more menacing, larger-than-life robots, this series, with its musical catch phrase "more than meets the eye," continues to bring in new fans with comic books and anime.

5. Dungeons & Dragons

The premise was simple. A group of kids, riding a medieval themed dark ride while visiting an amusement park, suddenly found themselves thrown into the world in which the ride was set. Based on the popular roleplaying series, this animated series was the precursor to Harry Potter for the children of the 80s.

6. Jem

The 80s were an era of hair bands, loud rock and roll and ill-colored tresses. Jem was Hasbro's attempt to market a cartoon and subsequent merchandise to the youngest of the MTV generation. Like any respectable 80s cartoon, the series centered around the duality of the lead character, Jerrica Benton. By simply touching her star-shaped earrings and exclaiming, "Showtime Synergy!" Jerrica became her alter-ego, rock star Jem, front-woman of The Holograms.

7. Inspector Gadget

If you gave Get Smart's Maxwell Smart a Transformer make-over, what you would wind up with is something close to Inspector Gadget. Of course, as Gadget was voiced by Don Adams of Get Smart, it's easy to see why the two series so closely paralleled each other. Gadget, along with his niece Penny and her dog, Brain, spent each episode solving a new mystery and foiling the diabolical schemes of the series villain, Dr. Claw.

8. Muppet Babies

Perhaps no man, other than Walt Disney, has helped mold the minds of children more than Jim Henson. Successfully helming a number of kids series featuring The Muppets and Muppet-like characters, Jim returned to his roots of animation bringing the Muppets into the animated world. The show was a success and featured the infant Muppet gang using their imaginations to pass away the day in their nursery.

9. She-Ra: Princess of Power

Mattel, in an attempt to cash in on the success of their He-Man toy line, decided to extend the universe to a more "girl friendly" series. She-Ra: Princess of Power was the result. The long lost twin sister of He-Man, She-Ra and the members of her rebellion attempted to take control of the planet of Etheria from the forces of the series villain, Hordak. Oddly enough, even though the dolls were made to resemble Mattel's other line, Barbie, the villains of She-Ra were added to the He-Man line, which was marketed mainly to young boys.

10. Voltron

Ninety-five percent of all 80s cartoons either featured large fantasy beasts or robots. Voltron was no exception to the robot rule. In a decade filled with series and toy lines such as Transformers and Go-Bots, Voltron paired sci-fi with warrior-bots to create a series that, like Transformers, continues to be produced in various forms today.

Whatever you may think of them, the cartoons that were produced in the decade that birthed the Rubik's Cube and Pac-Man remained firmly placed within a world of un-sanitized entertainment. There were no television rating systems yet (though they were being worked on, no doubt) and cartoon violence was as much a staple of the cartoon as the ink itself. But, despite all those past claims of our cartoons having no educational value, many children of the 80s will quickly tell you that those cartoons woke up their imaginations and made childhood what it was supposed to be: fun.