10 Forgotten '80s Cartoons That Deserve Another Look

The 1980s saw many major changes to the entertainment industry. One of the biggest shakeups was when President Ronald Reagan deregulated advertising in children’s cartoons, resulting in a new wave of cartoons that could best be called half-hour commercials. This helped accelerate the rise of toy-driven franchises such as The Transformers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and G.I. Joe.

Among these juggernauts of popular culture were numerous other television shows that have since faded from public knowledge. However, with how varied and imaginative 1980s cartoons could be, there are more than a few that are worth revisiting.

10

‘Dino-Riders’ (1988)

The Valorians are a peaceful, human-like alien species whose homeworld has been conquered by beast-like aliens called Rulons. One Valorian, Questar (Dan Gilvezan), leads a group to escape the Rulons using experimental time-traveling technology, which sends them and a group of Rulons led by Krulos (Frank Welker) back to prehistoric Earth. Thus, the war continues in this new environment, and both sides, through friendship or enslavement, use dinosaurs to augment their forces.

Dino-Riders is simultaneously stupid and badass, which is what makes the cheesy ’80s show so enjoyable. It knows exactly what it is and goes all in on its premise, giving us a good versus evil plot augmented with dinosaurs mounted with giant lasers. Despite a successful toy line, the show sadly only ran for 14 episodes, but in today’s era of binge-watching, that can be cleared pretty quickly.

9

‘Blackstar’ (1981)

John Blackstar (George DiCenzo) is an astronaut who gets sucked into a black hole and, rather than die, is transported to the planet Sagar in another universe. There, he learns that the planet is ruled by a tyrannical Overlord (Alan Oppenheimer) who seeks to combine two magical swords into a powerful weapon called the Powerstar. John acquires one of the weapons, the Starsword, and joins the rebellion to overthrow the Overlord and maybe find a way home.

Blackstar was one of Filmation’s earliest shows, and in many ways can be looked at as a precursor to He-Man. Still, there’s plenty to enjoy in its 13 episodes, such as its pulp sci-fi plot and the various creatures and magic that bring Sagar to life. The main cast are also pretty well-rounded: John is a good combination of physical and mental abilities, while his allies include a dragon-horse mount named Warlock, a shapeshifter named Klone (Patrick Pinney), and Mara (Linda Gary), an enchantress.

8

‘SilverHawks’ (1986)

Mon*Star (Earl Hammond) is the leader of a galaxy-spanning crime syndicate that terrorizes the Limbo galaxy. To stop him, a team of specialized police officers is assembled and given cybernetic enhancements to become “part metal, part real.” Named the SilverHawks, and led by the officer who originally apprehended Mon*Star, Commander Stargazer (Bob McFadden), the team travel from planet to planet, restoring order and working to bring down Mon*Star’s criminal empire.

SilverHawks was produced by Rankin/Bass, known for their holiday specials and the popular Thundercats cartoon, and while not as iconic as those other accomplishments, there’s plenty to enjoy about the show. The idea of superhero galactic police officers is one that lends itself to a lot of ideas, from galaxy-destroying superweapons to evil clones of the SilverHawks and mundane apprehension and transportation of criminals. It also helps that the characters are fun and memorable in their own ways, such as Bluegrass (Larry Kenney), the only flightless member of the team, who makes up for this with his piloting skills and cowboy persona.

7

‘Bravestarr’ (1987–1988)

Bravestarr and Thirty/Thirty clasp hands

The planet of New Texas is rich in a mineral called Kerium, which can be used for interstellar travel. This results in an influx of settlers who come to mine the valuable mineral, but they are plagued by outlaws like the Broncosaur Stampede (Alan Oppenheimer) and his Carrion Bunch gang, led by the wicked Tex Hex (Charlie Adler). Fortunately, New Texas has a hero in the form of Marshal Bravestarr (Pat Fraley), who can call upon spirit animals to give him the strength of a bear, the speed of a puma, the eyes of a hawk, and the ears of a wolf.

Bravestarr was the final show released by Filmation, and what a way to send off such an influential legacy. This show is a good one for them to go out on because it highlights their strengths as a company: the characters have cool designs, and the world is a good mix of science-fiction concepts with cheesy cartoon writing. The best example is Bravestarr’s horse and partner, Thirty/Thirty (Ed Gilbert), who can stand upright and fight the bad guys with his Kerium-powered gun, which he affectionately calls Sara Jane.

6

‘Bionic Six’ (1987)

The Bionic Six posing and ready to fight

Jack Bennett (John Stephenson) is a test pilot who is given bionic enhancements by genius roboticist Professor Amadeus Sharp (Alan Oppenheimer), allowing him to fight against the plans of the evil Doctor Scarab (Jim MacGeorge). One day, while vacationing in the Himalayas, Jack and his family are caught in an avalanche that exposes them to radiation, and though Jack is fine, the others fall into comas. Sharp theorizes that Jack’s bionic enhancements protected him from the radiation, so he augments the rest of the family, who join Jack in his heroism.

Bionic Six is what you get when you combine the superhero family dynamic of The Fantastic Four with the sci-fi premise of The Six Million Dollar Man. Each member of the Bennett family is given their own unique enhancement, ensuring that they can work together as an effective team that complements each other, while their varied personalities also lead to realistic conversations when hanging out as a family. The show was animated by TMS Entertainment, the same company behind Akira, so it goes without saying that the animation is gorgeous and highly detailed.

5

‘Thundarr the Barbarian’ (1980–1981)

Thundarr the Barbarian stands in the jungle

In the year 1994, a passing celestial object shatters the moon and sets off a chain of events that destroys human civilization. 2000 years later, the survivors now live in a post-apocalyptic world, inhabited by mutants and ruled over by wizards who combine science and sorcery. Amidst this chaos travels three heroes; Thundarr the Barbarian (Robert Ridgely), the wheeler of the Sunsword; Ookla the Mok (Henry Corden), a powerful feline-like mutant; and Princess Ariel (Nellie Bellflower), a powerful sorceress.

Thundarr the Barbarian can best be described as Conan the Barbarian meets Star Wars, and is as glorious as it sounds. Along with playing into beloved sci-fi and sword and sorcery tropes, the show had pretty strong writing that led to engaging episodes, solid action sequences, and inventive character designs courtesy of comic book legends Jack Kirby and Alex Toth. Sadly, the show was prematurely canceled, so the network could push the less violent Laverne & Shirley in the Army, but what we got is sure to entertain anyone looking for a good sword and sorcery adventure.

4

‘The Mysterious Cities of Gold’ (1982–1983)

Esteban (Masako Nozawa/Shiraz Adam) is an orphaned Spanish boy who possesses a moon-shaped amulet and the ability to summon the sun. He joins a morally dubious navigator named Mendoza (Isao Sasaki/Howard Ryshpan) on an expedition to the New World to seek out the Seven Cities of Gold, though Esteban hopes to find his missing father. Along the way, they are joined by Zia (Rei Sakuma/Janice Chaikelson), an Inca girl who was kidnapped and taken back to Spain, and Tao (Juko Hori/Adrian Knight), the last member of an ancient civilization.

The Mysterious Cities of Gold combines South American history with intriguing mystery and science fiction elements, resulting in a one-of-a-kind adventure show. You feel like you’re exploring new lands alongside the characters, and get a sense of accomplishment when more and more pieces of the puzzle are revealed. Each episode also had a short segment that went into more detail about some of the topics explored, which ensures that the kids get their mandatory bit of educational value in this essential animated show.

3

‘The World of David the Gnome’ (1985)

David (José María Cordero/Tom Bosley) is a 399-year-old forest gnome doctor who has made it his life’s mission to help any animal, gnome, or human in need. Aided by his loving wife Lisa (Matilde Conesa/Jane Woods), and his fox friend, Swift (Ramón Langa/Vlasta Vrána), he travels the world to help the sick and injured, solve personal problems where he can, and thwart the plans of Hollar (Paco Hernández/A.J. Henderson), a wicked troll. In between his adventures, David loves to educate humans about the secret lives of gnomes.

The World of David the Gnome is one of those shows that managed to combine mandatory educational material with clever writing and inventive scenarios. David’s lessons about gnome culture foster a relationship between him and the viewer and make gnomes feel like a living, breathing culture in a fantastical world, while the adventures draw from mythology and fairy tales to make challenging but lighthearted obstacles for our heroes to overcome. The show also never talked down to kids and knew when to take itself seriously, as best seen in its finale, one of the saddest episodes of any children’s cartoon.

2

‘Ulysses 31’ (1981)

Having successfully negotiated peace on the planet Troy, Ulysses (Osamu Kobayashi/Claude Giraud/Matt Birman) is ready to get back to his home on Earth. However, he accidentally offends the Gods of the Olympus galaxy when he saves his son, Telemachus (Yū Mizushima/Séverine Morisot/Anick Faris), and two blue-skinned aliens, from being sacrificed to a robotic cyclops. Now trapped in the Olympus galaxy, and with his crew frozen in suspended animation, Ulysses must pilot his ship, The Odysseus, from planet to planet until he can find the Kingdom of Hades, where he can hopefully save his crew and get back to Earth.

Ulysses 31 is a stellar example of how to take a famous mythological tale and give it a new spin. Each episode features a creative blending of mythology and sci-fi concepts, brought to life with gorgeous animation courtesy of French and Japanese studios. The writing is where the show really shines, capturing the atmosphere and pathos of a Greek tragedy, which makes you empathize more with the characters and admire how, no matter how much the gods torment him, Ulysses remains committed to his quest to get home.

1

‘The Raccoons’ (1985–1992)

Ralph, Burt, and Melissa Raccoon standing together

Burt Racoon (Len Carlson) is an impulsive yet big-hearted raccoon living with other anthropomorphic animals in the Evergreen Forest. Most days, he can be found going on adventures with his friends: married couple Ralph (Bob Dermer) and Melissa Raccoon (Linda Feige and Susan Roman), level-headed sheepdog Schaeffer (Carl Banas), and neurotic aardvark Cedric Sneer (Marvin Goldhar). However, the forest is often threatened by Cedric’s father, Cyril Sneer (Michael Magee), a millionaire who is always looking for ways to make a buck and won’t hesitate to exploit the land and people around him to do so.

The Raccoons is one of those shows that is surprisingly more mature and nuanced than it initially seems. The stories covered a wide range of topics, from standard messages for kids like protecting the environment and not smoking, to more complex ones like gambling addictions and adoptions. The characters all grew and changed over the course of the show, with the best example being Cyril, who goes from being a standard greedy villain to a complex antihero shaped by his upbringing.