{"id":1177,"date":"2013-05-26T21:31:38","date_gmt":"2013-05-26T19:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paweldebik.com\/?page_id=1177"},"modified":"2013-06-24T00:35:34","modified_gmt":"2013-06-23T22:35:34","slug":"best-80s-cartoons","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/best-80s-cartoons\/","title":{"rendered":"Best 80’s cartoons"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Our 80’s Childhoods<\/h2>\n

I often like to think back of the cartoons that I used to watch as a kid, and reminisce over the awesome, “larger then life” stories they told. These were cartoons that inspired me, influenced my perceptions of right and wrong, and filled my head with fantasies of far away places and times. 80’s cartoons were the equivalent of the campfire story tellers that I had to go without (just like most urban kids of my generation). Or perhaps they were better yet, as they were just one cornerstone of an 80’s kid’s magical childhood ecosystem (Cartoons, Video games, Toys).<\/p>\n

But there’s also a sense of sadness there, because I know that my son will grow up never experiencing the rise of Turtles and Transformers, or discovering hidden gems like Bionic six and Kidd Video. I’ve tried today’s cartoons, video games and toys, and you know what… They feel soulless somehow. Fake. As if all sharp edges were removed, leaving a designed by comity lukewarm bland porridge. It’s so frustrating to marvel at the level of quality of today’s entertainment, and find that in the process of growing up, it has lost it’s imagination.<\/p>\n

Compiling the ultimate list of the best 80’s cartoons<\/h2>\n

I loved 80’s cartoons. They bounced between being original and corny, epic and lame, beautiful and frighting. It was a hot mess of everything our little brains weren’t ready for. That’s why over the next couple of months I will be compiling a grand list of my favorite and most nostalgic 80’s cartoons. (The part that says “months” should be read as “years”). I hope to cover up to 50 cartoons, before possibly branching out to great 90’s cartoons.<\/p>\n

It’s going to be a homage to the way these artworks have enriched my youth (and that of many others). It will not be a countdown, ending with a winning number 1. I couldn’t possibly choose a winner from all that 80’s goodness.<\/p>\n

Score system<\/h2>\n

Just to give myself some point of focus, I will be judging the cartoons based on the following qualities:
\n1. Nostalgic value
\n2. Character design
\n3. Animation
\n4. Opening theme
\n5. Music
\n6. Storyline
\n7. Awesomeness<\/p>\n

1. Nostalgic value<\/strong>
\nThe most subjective of all criteria, this will be different for everyone. I will look back at why I remember the cartoon and what effect it’s had on me over the years. Putting a score on the cartoons based on nostalgic value will inescapably result in “lower quality” shows to rank higher then they technically should, but I feel that nostalgia must be considered. It’s an important part of the score, if not THE most important part. After all, I would not even be making this list if it weren’t for nostalgia. <\/p>\n

2. Characters<\/strong>
\nThis is basically a score for the personality of the characters in the series. It’s based on design creativity, voice acting, consistency of (inter)actions, believability, character development, etc. The most important thing for characters, is that their actions may never be in service of the story line. I want to see them act according to their knowledge of the situation, and their personal morals and beliefs. I do NOT want to see them be a string puppet that moves mindlessly on the screen in order for the story to keep going.<\/p>\n

3. Animation<\/strong>
\nEven though animation has evolved over time, some of the older 80’s cartoons delivered pretty stunning visuals. (Remember the Dino Riders’ laser effects of the first episodes (before they were nerfed)? Or the shiny metallic Silver Hawks? Or the amazing water effects in the Bionic Six Opening?). Animation will include anything from character movements, to background stills.<\/p>\n

4. Opening theme<\/strong>
\nThe intro is an absolutely crucial part of the final score. A good intro will play in your head for days and days and you will remember it a decade after watching your last episode of the cartoon. If an intro lasts a half minute, and the cartoon has 60 episodes, then you are essentially watching more then an entire episode length of the same animation and tune repeating!<\/p>\n

5. Music and Sounds<\/strong>
\nMany 80’s cartoons had barely a moment of silence in them. All throughout the episode a background music would play to emphasize the action, suspense, comedy, or drama that was going on. Some cartoons got this right to a point where the ambient music was as fun to listen to as the main theme, while other cartoons just begged to be muted instantly. Usually, the sounds were nothing special, while some iconic sound effects like the Transformer’s “Chhr Chhr Chhr” have taken on a life of their own.<\/p>\n

6. Storyline<\/strong>
\nThis is about the setting of the story, and the way it evolves from beginning to middle to end. How creative were the writers’ ideas and how much sense does the story make, and the situations that the characters get into in the cartoon.<\/p>\n

7. Awesomeness<\/strong>
\nThe awesomeness of the show depends on a lot of little things. The impact of the characters’ actions, the epicness and scale of the cartoon universe, the character of the show, etc. All these are still a little subjective, but I think that most people would agree that for instance the Transformers cartoon should score a lot higher on awesomeness then Gobots. Essentially, we want to see the heroes beat the odds and win. So the challenges and bad guys have to post a realistic threat. At the same time we want to know that in the end the bad guys can actually be defeated. The more the cartoon has you sitting on the edge of your chair, the higher the awesomeness score.<\/p>\n

Selecting the best of the 80’s cartoons<\/h2>\n

While doing some preliminary, I found out that some of my favorite cartoons were surprisingly not made in the 80’s but a little bit later. Batman: The Animated Series aired first in 1992 for instance, but just doesn’t feel like most 90’s cartoons to me, so may still give it a spot on my 80’s list.<\/p>\n

Other shows that started in the 80’s kept on going way into the 90’s, like the Turtles that kept on going from 1987 to 1996. And after that, the show kept getting remakes of which the newest one in 2012. What I’d like to do, is add a buffer zone to my list, and just include every show that had a strong enough 80’s vibe, even if it did come out in 1990 \/ 1991. I won’t include The Tick (1994) for instance because it completely lacks the 80’s vibe due to its grungy atmosphere. So even though it’s a great cartoon to watch, I want to keep it on hold for now, and see if I do a 90’s Cartoons list one day. Same goes for the Thunder Lizards (1993) e.a.<\/p>\n

You won’t find much anime there, simply because I don’t know enough about 80’s anime series. I watched only a few, like Sailor moon (I was like, 10 years old, OK), but skipped most episodes. But more importantly, those older anime series tend to freak me out. They are way abstract, usually more then a little bit terrifying, and half of the time gave me bad dreams. So, not re-watching any of those. The exceptions are Teknoman, because it was too awesome, and the Pizza cats, because they were too funny.<\/p>\n

There will also be very little Marvell\/DC comics cartoons there because they were all kind of similar and a bit too cheesy in my opinion. Fun to watch, but not very creative or memorable in the long run. How things have changes for the better these days, with shows like Young Justice.<\/p>\n

The grand list of the best 80’s cartoons<\/h2>\n

(more or less sorted on good to bad cartoons in descending order)<\/em><\/p>\n

Transformers Generation 1 <\/a>(1985 \u2013 1992)<\/em><\/span>
\nBionic Six <\/a>(1987 \u2013 1989)<\/em><\/span>
\nDungeons and Dragons <\/a>(1983 \u2013 1985)<\/em><\/span>
\nTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 \u2013 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles#TV_series
\nSilverHawks 1986 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/SilverHawks
\nThe Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Adventures_of_Teddy_Ruxpin
\nAdventures of the Gummi Bears 1985 – 1991 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disney%27s_Adventures_of_the_Gummi_Bears
\nJayce and the Wheeled Warriors 1985 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jayce_and_the_Wheeled_Warriors
\nChip & Dale: Rescue Rangers 1989 \u2013 1990 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chip_’n_Dale_Rescue_Rangers
\nDenver the last dinosaur 1988 \u2013 1989 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Denver,_the_Last_Dinosaur
\nDino Riders 1988 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dino-Riders
\nDuck Tales 1987 \u2013 1990 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/DuckTales
\nJem and the holograms 1985 \u2013 1988 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Jem_and_the_Holograms
\nCaptain N: The Game Master1989 – 1991 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Captain_N:_The_Game_Master
\nKidd Video 1984 \u2013 1985 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Kidd_Video
\nM.A.S.K. 1985 \u2013 1986 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/M.A.S.K
\nC.O.P.S. 1988 \u2013 1989 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/C.O.P.S._%28Cartoon%29
\nThe World of David the Gnome 1985 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_World_of_David_the_Gnome
\nPole Position 1984 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pole_Position_(TV_series)
\nStarcom: The U.S. Space Force 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Starcom:_The_U.S._Space_Force
\nThe real Ghostbusters 1986 \u2013 1991 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Real_Ghostbusters
\nAlfred J. Kwak1989 \u2013 1991 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alfred_J._Kwak
\nCamp Candy1989 – 1992 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Camp_Candy
\nThe New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 1988 – 1991 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_New_Adventures_of_Winnie_the_Pooh
\nVisionaries: Knights of the Magical Light 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Visionaries:_Knights_of_the_Magical_Light<\/p>\n

Barely \/ never watched:
\nG.I. Joe 1985 \u2013 1986 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/G.I._Joe:_A_Real_American_Hero_%281985_TV_series%29
\nAdventures of the Galaxy Rangers 1986 – 1989 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Adventures_of_the_Galaxy_Rangers
\nGobots 1983 \u2013 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gobots
\nDinosaucers 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dinosaucers
\nMighty Orbots 1984 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mighty_Orbots
\nLazer Tag Academy 1986 \u2013 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lazer_Tag_Academy
\nThundercats 1985 \u2013 1989 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ThunderCats – http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Y-sOaUAgbB4
\nUlysses 31 1981 \u2013 1982 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ulysses_31
\nVoltron 1984 \u2013 1985 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Voltron
\nBraveStarr1987 \u2013 1988 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BraveStarr
\nRing raiders 1989 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ring_Raiders
\nThe Legend of Zelda 1989 \u2013 1989 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Legend_of_Zelda_%28TV_series%29
\nInhumanoids 1986 – https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Inhumanoids
\nDefenders of the Earth 1986 \u2013 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Defenders_of_the_Earth
\nSpiral Zone 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spiral_Zone
\nCenturions 1985 \u2013 1987 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Centurions
\nRobotech 1985 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robotech_%28TV_series%29
\nPryde of the X-Men 1989 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pryde_of_the_X-Men
\nSaber rider 1987 \u2013 1988 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Saber_Rider_and_the_Star_Sheriffs
\nShe-Ra1985 \u2013 1987http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/She-Ra<\/p>\n

# Best of 90’s cartoons
\nI did watch:
\nGargoyles 1994 \u2013 1997 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gargoyles_%28TV_series%29
\nX-Men 1992 \u2013 1997 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/X-Men_%28TV_series%29
\nTeknoman 1992 \u2013 1993 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Teknoman
\nBatman: The Animated Series 1992 \u2013 1995 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Batman:_The_Animated_Series
\nSamurai Pizza Cats 1990 \u2013 1991 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Samurai_Pizza_Cats
\nSpiderman: The Animated Series 1994 \u2013 1998 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spiderman:_The_Animated_Series
\nThe Tick 1994 \u2013 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Tick_%281994_TV_series%29
\nBucky o’Hare 1991 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Bucky_O%27Hare_and_the_Toad_Wars
\nDarkwing Duck 1991 \u2013 1992 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Darkwing_Duck
\nCaptain planet 1990 \u2013 1993 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Captain_planet
\nKing Arthur and the Knights of Justice 1992 – 1993 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/King_Arthur_and_the_Knights_of_Justice
\nWhere on earth is Carmen SanDiego 1994 – 1999 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Where_on_Earth_is_Carmen_Sandiego#List_of_episodes
\nSavage Dragon 1995 – 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Savage_Dragon
\nTalespin 1990 – 1991 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Talespin
\nAnimaniacs1993 \u2013 1998 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Animaniacs
\nBattleTech 1994 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/BattleTech:_The_Animated_Series
\nBiker Mice from Mars1993 \u2013 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Biker_Mice_from_Mars
\nJames Bond Junior1991 \u2013 1992 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_Bond_Junior
\nTom & Jerry Kids Show 1990 \u2013 1994 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tom_%26_Jerry_Kids
\nIron Man 1994 – 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Iron_Man_%28TV_series%29
\nAction man 1995 – 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Action_Man_%281995_TV_series%29
\nFantastic Four 1994 – 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fantastic_Four_%281994_TV_series%29
\nMad Jack the pirate 1998 \u2013 1999 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mad_Jack_the_Pirate
\nTerrible Thunder Lizards 1993 \u2013 1997 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Terrible_Thunderlizards
\nTiny Toon Adventures 1990 \u2013 1995 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tiny_Toon_Adventures
\nEarthworm Jim 1995 \u2013 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Earthworm_Jim_%28TV_series%29
\nThe Incredible Hulk 1996 \u2013 1997 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Incredible_Hulk_(1996_TV_series)
\nDexter’s Labratory 1996 \u2013 1999 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dexter%27s_Laboratory
\nJohnny Bravo 1997 – 2004 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Johnny_Bravo<\/p>\n

Barely \/ never watched:
\nMutant league 1994 – 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mutant_League
\nSpawn 1997 – 1999 http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0118475\/
\nSonic SatAM 1993 \u2013 1994 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_%28TV_series%29
\nMega Man 1994 \u2013 1995 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mega_Man_(TV_series)
\nSpace Ghost Coast to Coast1994 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Space_Ghost_Coast_to_Coast
\nThe Power Team 1990 \u2013 1992 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Power_Team_%28TV_series%29
\nAdventures of Sonic the Hedgehog 1993 \u2013 1996 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adventures_of_Sonic_the_Hedgehog
\nSwat Kats 1993 – 1994 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Swat_Kats
\nBots Master1993 \u2013 1994 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/The_Bots_Master
\nWild c.a.t.s 1994 \u2013 1995 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wild_C.A.T.s_%28TV_series%29
\nCyberSix 1999 https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cybersix
\nDiabolik 1999 – 2001
\nSuperman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our 80’s Childhoods I often like to think back of the cartoons that I used to watch as a kid, and reminisce over the awesome, “larger then life” stories they told. These were cartoons that inspired me, influenced my perceptions of right and wrong, and filled my head with fantasies of far away places and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1177","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"skill_set":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1177"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1189,"href":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1177\/revisions\/1189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paweldebik.com\/paweldebik\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}