Ten 1980s Cartoons You Probably Don't Remember
There have been a ton of cartoons that have come and gone over the years. Some of them left a mark on the world and became classics, others disappeared into the dark void to be forgotten. I've come up with a list of ten animated series from the 1980s that a lot of you may not remember. Some of you might not even know they existed, but they did. A couple of them were even awesome, but most sucked, which is why they didn't last very long.
InHumanoids
Like He-Man, InHumanoids was an action figure toy line before it became an animated series. The story followed a group of scientist-heroes called Earth Corps, and they battled a trio of subterranean monsters called the Inhumanoids with the help of elemental beings, the Mutores. The series started out as a set of six to seven minute shorts. It eventually got a full-length series, but only lasted one season. It was more of a mature themed show that was intended for kids… to give them nightmares.
Gilligan's Planet
This was the second spin-off animated series for Gilligan's Island, and I have no idea what they were thinking when they made it. In the show, the Professor builds an operational interplanetary spaceship to get the castaways off the island. As luck had it, the ship rocketed into space and crash-landed on a planet somewhere in the universe that could support human life. So they were once again stranded waiting around for the Professor to repair the ship so they could try and get home.
Ghost Busters
No, Ghost Busters is not a cartoon based on the movie Ghostbusters. But, it was the success of that movie that made Filmnation resurrect the property, which was previously a 1975 live-action TV series. It wasn't as good as The Real Ghostbusters animated series though. It was just an all-around weak cartoon. The characters in the series lived in a haunted mansion right in-between two skyscrapers. They were on a mission to rid the world of the evil ghost wizard Prime Evil and his villainous henchmen.
It's Punky Brewster
This cartoon was based on the the live-action series that starred Soleil Moon Frye. When I was growing up I enjoyed watching the live-action series, but the animated one didn't interest me at all. Frye provided the voice of her character, and it took Brewster on more wacky adventures. The premise included a city at the end of a rainbow which had magical powers that allowed Punky and her friends to transport to any part of the world instantly.
Shirt Tales
This is what happens when you make a cartoon based on a line of Hallmark greeting cards. The story followed a group of secret crime-fighting animals that included Tyg Tiger, Pammy Panda, Digger Mole, Rick Raccoon, and Bogey Orangutan who talked in a Humphrey Bogart voice. They also teased the park ranger Mr. Dinkle.
Rubik, the Amazing Cube
Oh yeah! The Rubik's Cube was so popular in the 80's that it even got its own animated series. It focused on a magic Rubik's Cube named Rubik, who could fly and had other special powers. The character could only be brought to life when all the colored squares on his sides had been matched up. Rubik was kind of a creepy looking character too.
Lazer Tag Academy
I loved playing Laser Tag with my friends when I was a kid. It was a lot more fun and entertaining than watching this shitty TV series. The show kind of had a Terminator storyline that followed a Lazer Tag Champion from the year 3010 who was sent back in time to the 1980s to help her ancestors from Draxon Drear, a master criminal from the year 2935.
Spiral Zone
I'm not sure why this one was so short lived because this show was freakin' badass. I think maybe because it was too dark and ahead of its time. The sci-fi series was based on a toy line made by the Japanese company Bandai, and the series focused on an international group of soldiers fighting to free the world from a scientist who controls much of the Earth's surface and transformed people into "zoners," people with lifeless yellow eyes and red patches on their faces.
Drak Pack
The characters in this series included a group of monsters named Drak, Frankie, and Howler, who were the descendants of Dracula, the Frankenstein monster and Wolfman. The three characters formed a superhero team that would atone for the sins of their ancestors. They would look like normal humans until trouble arises. When that happened they would strike their right hands together and yell out, "Whack 'em!" Then they would turn into their monster selves. This was kind of a cool concept, only 16 episodes were made.
Kidd Video
This show is the epitome of everything that was terrible about the '80s. The story centered on band called Kidd Video, who are played by live-action actors in the first half of the title sequence. They are kidnapped by a villain named Master Blaster, and transported to another dimension, which was a cartoon world called The Flipside. They were rescued by a fairy named Glitter, and spent each episode of the series either helping the people of Flipside from Master Blaster's rule, or trying to find a way back to the real world.