Great Animated TV Shows that Time Forgot

As I sit and watch today's standards for cartoons on Saturday morning, I think back to the golden years when cartoons stood for something other than giving someone a wet willie! So, without further ado, let's look back at some of the long and forgotten greats of the era, and maybe we might be able to show the animation studios a thing or two about making a cartoon! :

1) "Ewoks: The Animated Adventures" (*ABC, aired Sept. 7th, 1985 to Nov. 1st, 1986) - After 'Return Of The Jedi' hit theaters and the Ewoks craze was on, Nelvana Unlimited (* the Canadian animated studio responsible for such forgotten hits as 'Rock and Rule', 'Rome-O and Julie-8', 'The Devil and Daniel Mouse', and the current animated remakes of the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles') produced this show for Saturday morning as we looked into Wicket and his life as a teenager before he went to war againt the Empire. These cartoons were cute, funny, and always had a strong moral message for our kids, such as friendship, facing our fears, etc. What I loved the most about this particular series is that it gave us an even broader look at the race and its heritage (*and also for 'Star Wars' fans, it is an absolute must!)

2) "Bigfoot and The Muscle Machines" (*Syndicated, aired Oct. 6th, 1985 to Fall of 1986) - I love this show as it was kind of like looking at another great show with a talking car, NBC's 'Knight Rider', but in an animated format. Monster trucks are still huge even in today's society, and Marvel only soldified that proud heritage by making an animated show with talking monster trucks and their drivers taking on world crime syndicates and any other threat as they fight to protect our proud USA!

3)"The Comic Strip" (* Syndicated, Rankin/Bass Productions, aired Fall 1987)- This two hour block of animated shows created by Rankin Bass Studios, included everything from comedy all the way down to action, as we were always taken to new worlds of animated exploration. There was 'Karate Kat', a bumbling feline private eye who also was a self-proclaimed karate master who constantly kept bungling things while trying to make things right. (*Think 'Hong Kong Phooey', but almost seventeen years later).

Then, we had 'Mini Monsters', the coming-of-age adventures of a group of pre-teen mosters that were the children of such monster masters as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy, and the Wolf Man, and their crazy adventures while being at summer camp.

'The Street Frogs' was another great comedy hit that was based on the current hip-hop and breakdancing phenomenon, starring a group of hip 'hoppers' known as Big Max, Spider, Moose, Doctor Slick, and 'HoneyLove' Loretta, a group of street-wise kids who used their hip-hop skills for the greater good as well as teach our kids decent moral values.

Lastly, we had 'Tiger Sharks', about a group of superheroes that had the power to morph themselves into the great creatures of the deep. Fighting for their homeworld against aliens that sought to take it over as well as their nemesis, Captain Bizzarly and his ship of pirates, who sought to destroy the team in order to get their hands on the magical pool of sea water that allowed their transformations, the Tiger Sharks are on the job the minute that their base and their home is in danger! While it had the same formula as two other Rankin/Bass hits, 'Thundercats' and 'SilverHawks', it was still a great take on the whole ocean thing, and it's a series that I really miss!

4) "Defenders Of The Earth" (* Syndicated, Marvel Productions and King Features Entertainment, 1985-1986) This show brought back some of the great comic-book heroes of yesteryear and gave them a more futuristic edge. Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Lothar fought to save our planet again from the clutches of the planet, Mongo, and its ruler, Ming the Merciless. But, they are not alone, as they now have their kids that fight alongside them in their endeavors and their computer, who carries the spirit of the deceased love of Flash's life and wife, Dale Arden! This one, to me, was a masterpiece, and you can now rent it from Netflix for those of you who have accounts! Check this one out!

5) "Dungeons and Dragons" (* CBS, 1983-1987) - This long-running animated series put us in the world of the popular role-playing game, with six teenages who are plummeted into a magical and dangerous realm by the mysterious Dungeon Master, who seeks their help in its protection against the evil and manipulative sorceror, Venjer (* played by Peter Cullen of 'Transformers' fame). This series was excellent as not only did it has an all-star cast (*Willie Aames, Adam Rich, Frank Welker, and Donny Most, just to name a few), the stories were well-written, and have an excellent moral fiber for kids. I actually own this set myself and have it in my movie collection!

6) "Drak Pack" (*CBS, aired Sept. 6th, 1980 to Sept 12th, 1982) - Comedy mixes with the monster-movie legends as we follow Drak, Frankie, and Howler on their misadventures as an elite monster crime-fighting unit who is out to stop Dr. Dred and his gang of monster minions known as O.G.R.E. (*Organization For Greatly Rotten Endeavors), who are trying to take over the world. Answering to the call alongside them is their ancient mentor and 'father', the famous vamp, Count Dracula. The two great voices for this series come from Don Messick (* one of the greatest in cartoon voice-overs) and Hans Conreid (* who you may know from later cartoon renditions of 'The Grinch' and other Dr. Seuss cartoons, as well as Disney in Fess Parker's 'Davy Crockett' series), and it was their voices that helped this long-forgotten series shine!

7) "The Biskitts" (*CBS, September 17th, 1983 to September 1st, 1984) - This cute show, (which centers around a group of dog-biscuit sized pups), as they tried to protect their fallen king's treasure from the hands of the evil King Max and his band of doggie thugs! This one was great, and I always remember how it made me laugh! While it looked at lot like 'Smurfs' and 'Snorks' with its formula, it still was a show that took it past the cute little underwater critters and sweet little blue people whose 'La La La' song would make you want to scream, it was a very much-appreciated variant of the theme.

8) "Dragon's Lair" (*ABC and Ruby-Spears Productions, aired September 8th, 1984 to April 27th, 1985) - This series, based on the cult-popular arcade game, had us watch the exploits of knight Dirk the Daring, as he makes his attempts to save Princess Phoebe from hands of the evil dragon, Cinge. I never missed this one, but what disappointed me the most was the fact that the decision-making spots where the viewer made a choice and both outcomes were shown was a little disappointing. But overall, a fantastic show!

9) "The Might Orbots" (*ABC and Intermedia Entertainment, aired Sept. 8th, 1984 to August 31st, 1985) - During the 80's, robot cartoons were a huge staple for kids, especially with the long-running success of 'Transformers'. But, this often over-looked little gem had great potential and was only pulled before the end of its first season because Tonka was having a hissy-fit, saying that the series resembled their 'Gobots' line, and the series was retired before it could reach its full spectrum of audience.

The story starts in the 23rd century, where an evil organization led by a manical cyborg named Umbra threatens the galaxy, and it is up to Rob Summers and his band of mighty robots to save the galaxy from the machine's evil clutches. Resembling very much the same abilities as the fabled lions of the 'Voltron Force', the Orbots are a group of misfit robots with distinct personalities that Rob is always in contention with, who with the help of OhNo are made into one giant fighting robot to protect and serve the galaxy! There's Tor, the egomaniacal robot, OhNo, Rob's robotic secretary, Bort, the scaredy-cat morphing robot who is Rob's assistant, Bo and Boo, the robotic twins, and lastly, Crunch, a big-hearted bot with an attitude like a walking garbage disposal! I loved this show, as it was one of the few robotic shows out there that actually had the action, the thrills, and no blasted Putties to kick and make explode! I begin to wonder if this series was a prelude to, (* dare I say it), 'Power Rangers' ?

10) "Blackstar" (*CBS and Filmation Studios, aired September 12th, 1981 to August 11th, 1882, Repeated up to August 20th, 1983) - This series made an attempt to give He-Man a run for his money before he got into the game, and since it was released in the early part of the era, Filmation was able to go 'free reign' on this one. John Blackstar, a Native American Astronaut, gets lost on a space expediton and ends up on an ancient planet where he must battle with a group of freedom fighters against the evil Overlord. His only weapon, the Starsword, is wanted by the vengeful dictator who needs it to cement his power as the sword is only half of his power, and with Blackstar's other half, it creates the Powerstar, an unstoppable magic sword that will allow him to crush the opposition as well as control the universe! A great 'He-Man' predecessor, and it had all of the spit-and-polish of a fabulous fantasy animated epic! Too bad it was taken from the air so soon.

These are but a few smatterings of long-forgotten cartoon classics, as there are many, many more that I could include on this list that are just as deserving as the ones that I have stated above.

While most critics of the time (as well as currently) say that the cartoons of that time period were nothing more than 'displays of violence and the glorification of said violence', what they failed to see is that cartoons of this era also had a very strong ethical fiber, and they always taught what the consequences of violence and war actually were despite what was being shown. Those that are from my generation were probably better taught about these issues, while the only things that our children get from this today is watching the news and seeing what is really happening. While in the same token that we want are children to understand these realities, the 80's cartoon may have glorified it, but they also showed the costs of it. In today's television society, I have witnessed more problems in this issue just by watching an episode of 'Power Rangers', and that alone is more glorified than what was shown nearly twenty years ago.

So, if you are looking for some better television to show your kids, this small list is a great place to start. Most of them are available now on DVD and can be pruchased for as low as twnty-five dollars. If you have trouble finding something good for your kids to watch on Saturday and you're not pleased with the line-up, look for these shows.

If you are a die-hard fan of these kinds of cartoons, a great source to find them is: http://www.80scartoons.net
This is considered one of the largest resources for these cartoons, and they have a complete list of evry series that has been made as well as cast lists, downloadable theme songs, and other fantastic content that will help you to remember the good old days. It also has links to other sources as well if you can't find what you are looking for on a particular series.

Good luck, and happy hunting!