~ Best Collection Reminiscence ~ Cartoons of the 70s 80s 90s

[Skykid]

Thread split of sorts. Discuss the shows that broadened your horizons as a kid, post youtube vids and flag up obscurities!

Here's a kick-starter:

[D]

[Ruldra]

Not only a very enjoyable show but it'd also talk about environmental issues that kids are normally oblivious about.



Carmen Sandiego broadcasted for a short time in my country but I enjoyed it a lot. Very entertaining and educational to boot. Every episode was a travel to a new real-world place and they would often talk about its history and customs. Before the intermission it'd leave a question related to the episode so it encouraged you to pay attention to its details.

At some point they start travelling through time so you'd have episodes about the American Revolution and Benjamin Franklin with his kite experiment.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

There was the short-lived one season series of NBC's The Might Orbots from 1986...no U.S. promotional toy merchandise accompanied this particular anime series either.

It still hasn't been re-released on DVD nor Blu-Ray formats...only VHS tapes of it exist to this day. Sure'd be nice to get some re-mastered and cleaned up footage of the entire TMO series.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[CMoon]

Thanks for starting this thread Skykid. Being a little older (I'm 40 next week), I don't share a lot of nostalgia for the 80's-90's, but greatness is greatness. That said, there's little from the 70's (when I was growing up) that I'd add. Everything was just dumb episodes, and nothing I really want to see again.

As mentioned in the Pony thread, I'd like to see more like Mysterious Cities of Gold and hopefully the two Avatar series are pointing the way toward a higher standard in childrens' animation. Mostly though I'd like to see more series where the artists/writers actually take their work seriously and provide continuity within the series.

Actually, Osamu Tezuka is effectively forced to botch several examples in the 60's with his Kimba series:



The problem of course comes from the US. In the Jungle Emperor story, it is continuous, Kimba grows up, and finally dies. Because the US is funding this, we get only vague hints at continuity, most of the heavier elements are dropped (though some remain in the Japanese version) and Kimba gets super powers. Amazingly, Tezuka made a follow up series (I've seen a bad dub of it and wish I could see it the way it was originally intended) and a reboot, the latter being more problematic, but none of these being completely satisfying. Serious lost opportunities since all three series have amazing things about them.

Fortunately, Tezuka's 80's reboot (back to the 80's) of Astroboy is actually good though and through, though it does not even try to take the same risks that the Kimba series did, so sometimes you can win by playing it safe:

[Skykid]

Here are some super obscurities that you may or may have not seen:

Oz no Mahou Tsukai ~ The Wizard of Oz ~

Production values through the roof, and an amazing adaptation. It was dubbed into English as I watched it in the 80's, but apparently there's a fansub floating around somewhere.




Peter Pan no Bouken ~ Peter Pan ~

Another amazing adaptation with knockout animation quality. If the character designs look familiar, that's because they're done by Katsuhiro Otomo of Akira fame. This was on briefly when I was young, but not the whole series. Fansubs may exist.



~ Voltron: Defender of The Universe ~

Good old fashioned giant super robot battery. I think we had this in the UK for about 2 months and then I spent years trying to remember what it was. I think there's a remake now.



~ Unico ~

Unico from Osamu Tezuka and published by Sanrio sounds light-hearted, but it's dark stuff that gives kids nightmares. No shit. Animation by none other than Madhouse. The TV series never got translated, but both of the horrifying movies did.

[CMoon]

Skykid> Now you're getting closer to what I'm looking for. Unico has actually been on my list for some time, but because of the problems you've mentioned, I never saw it.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaKx311Zdls

Its like ridley directed jamie and the magic torch. The scribby, cartoony style of drawing really contrast with the amount of mecha, spaceships and planets and stuff to create something really unique. This is actually a lot better than I remember it being.

[Skykid]

Skykid> Now you're getting closer to what I'm looking for. Unico has actually been on my list for some time, but because of the problems you've mentioned, I never saw it.

It's '79, and I added 70's to the topic for you. I think Ulysses is 70's too.

[Ed Oscuro]

I was about to complain that Wizard of Oz wasn't mentioned, good thing Skykid mentioned it. Caught Voltron too.

I would just add David The Gnome

Watching some Batman episodes lately, it's surprising how ham-handed and slapstick a lot of it is. "And now, a word from our sponsors!" - Joker. I don't object to it, though; a lot of it is apparently focused on getting kids thinking about some real-world issues without getting too grim or realistic (for example, in the first handful of episodes there's trafficking, child trafficking, forced labor, and environmental issues - actually environmental issues are pretty common for shows from the late 80s / early 90s).

Since Carmen Sandiego was mentioned, there's a fair number of animated stuff done by PBS, although most is live action. I think I've mentioned MathMan before, but that was a fun one. Not really anywhere near the artistic level of hand-drawn animation in the rest of this thread (but it's not supposed to be); still enjoyable.

Biker Mice From Mars?

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

70's

I'm sure Ulysse was 82 - 84. Wheres Gatchaman then?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

You might recall another short lived anime series by the name of "Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors" that was in syndication on the U.S. airwaves back in the mid-1980s.

The anime series of "Thunderbirds 2086" was ace in my book as well -- it used to be shown from time to time on the Showtime cable channel back in the day.

Of all the major cool mecha based anime series that aired in Japan, there was one called Dorvack that never was shown in the USA (despite flooding the U.S. stores with unsold Dorvack series die-cast metal toys and model kits in 1985-1987). The Deluxe Autobots of Roadbuster and Whirl are based on their original Dorvack counterparts of the Variable Vehicle and the Variable Helicopter mecha fame.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[CMoon]

Holy shit! Ringing Bell subtitled!!!

[Skykid]

You might recall another short lived anime series by the name of "Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors" that was in syndication on the U.S. airwaves back in the mid-1980s.

It's in the OP. It ruled.

QUIZ TIME:

There's a cartoon I remember from forever ago that I'm pretty sure came from the Netherlands because I remember the character lived in a clog... or there was a clog in it somewhere. And it had windmills.
I'm sure it was Japanese animated and I think it was about a little bird... or a chicken, and it was harrowing because he got orphaned early on when his family got offed by a car when crossing the road.

I seem to remember it was quite realistic and a little dark, but had good quality storytelling. Lots of fields and natural scenery.

Can anyone name it, because I can't find it anywhere.

[Ebbo]

Moomin (Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka, 1990)


The 90's Moomin TV series pretty much defines my childhood. I don't know how well-known moomins are outside of Scandinavia, but here everyone I know saw this show as a kid. I enjoyed it back then and still watch reruns every now and then - actually I think I've started to appreciate it even more now. Animation looks good even today, characters and stories are memorable and the soundtrack... Simply beautiful.
A show that truly has stood the test of time, atleast in my eyes and I'm sure to watch this with my own kids one day

Alfred J. Kwak (1989)


This show was pretty damn weird at times but had also lots of heavy undertones. For an example, Alfred's family gets killed in the car accident during the second episode and is adopted by a mole named Henk. The main villain of the series is a crow named Dolf who at one point of the series stages a coup d'etat and takes over the country.

Subtle, I know.

@ Skykid: Right on time I see.

[CMoon]

Moomin (Tanoshii Mūmin Ikka, 1990)


The 90's Moomin TV series pretty much defines my childhood. I don't know how well-known moomins are outside of Scandinavia, but here everyone I know saw this show as a kid. I enjoyed it back then and still watch reruns every now and then - actually I think I've started to appreciate it even more now. Animation looks good even today, characters and stories are memorable and the soundtrack... Simply beautiful.
A show that truly has stood the test of time, atleast in my eyes and I'm sure to watch this with my own kids one day

I know the books and enjoy the old felt fuzzy series (hard to describe if you haven't seen it), but am curious about this newer series.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=752W0mrvP5w the music is amazing

[1up]

Back in 1986 I was 7. We finally Got access to foreign channels, so I have fond memories of watching The Fun Factory on Sky Channel. Favorite show was Inspector Gadget, but also liked watching Hé-Man, Mask, G.I. Joe, Transformers and The Ghost Busters. Not The Real Ghostbusters, but the one with the gorilla and the takling car.

[Herr Schatten]

The 90's Moomin TV series pretty much defines my childhood. I don't know how well-known moomins are outside of Scandinavia, but here everyone I know saw this show as a kid. I enjoyed it back then and still watch reruns every now and then - actually I think I've started to appreciate it even more now. Animation looks good even today, characters and stories are memorable and the soundtrack... Simply beautiful.
A show that truly has stood the test of time, atleast in my eyes and I'm sure to watch this with my own kids one day

As you can guess from my avatar, I love the Moomins. I do remember the show being remarkably close to the books, story-wise.
Interestingly, here in Germany people my age don't know the animated show well, instead they remember the Moomins from an adaptation a famous German puppet theatre did, whose plays used to be on children's TV all the time when I was a kid.





My favourite show as a pre-school kid used to be Captain Future. I know there were also French and Japanese versions of the show, but I don't know if it aired elsewhere.



One interesting fact about the show is that it received completely different soundtracks in each country it got localized for. This was due to the music and the voices being merged on the same track, so they couldn't be seperated. Thus, when the show got dubbed, they put a whole new soundtrack in. The music of the German version turned out particularly funky, as can be witnessed in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so4E2EpXNGU

Here are the different intro themes for comparison.
Germany
France
Japan

[nem]

The first cartoons I remember watching were by Hanna-Barbera. Most of these were made in the sixties.

My favorite show ever is the original Flintstones (1960–66)



Anyway, some more good ones from the sixties:









Admittedly, they also made a lot of drivel as well, like Birdman, Space Ghost, Wacky Races and Dastardly & Muttley in their Flying Machines.

Before they had their own studio, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera worked at MGM (fourties and fifties). There they made Tom & Jerry. Their era was absolutely amazing, including:







Naturally the show went to absolute shit after they left (later somewhat saved by Chuck Jones).

[Skykid]

Alfred J. Kwak (1989)

Holy shit, that's it!

Been trying to remember that one for... well about 23 years. Alfred J. Kwak, it's all coming back now, epic stuff. Thanks much!

[xbl0x180]

Okay, I'll byte. Here are some of the shows I used to watch as a kid:


Clutch Cargo


This show was kinda of the B-version of Johnny Quest, but the most curious thing was how this show was animated. It looked mostly like still images, but they used REAL MOUTHS Creepy and cool technique that we still use today (see Thumbwars and Annoying Orange). This same company also made Space Angel, but I never got to see that one.


The Lone Ranger


I recall it was a bit violent, as The Lone Ranger really liked gun play. The animation seemed a little bit like the intro to the Wild Wild West, which is why I dig it.




Hercules


It sort of had the Fleischer Superman aesthetic and it pretty much was "Superman," except he was called Hercules in this one. I don't remember too much from this since I was barely getting past my toddler years when this was on the air.


Jot


I liked everything about this show: designs, music, and themes. You could tell whoever was in charge of making these had fun. It's definitely got a distinct style even for today's standards - almost like some kind of throwback to the Space Age Googie designs from the late 50s and early 60s.


Barbapapa


Who'd think that a cartoon about a shape-shifting family of blobs could be so memorable? Again, it's a strange, peculiar style, but it definitely caught my attention.


Ribbon No Kishi ("Princess Knight")


Classic Tezuka Osamu title from way back. It came bundled with Astroboy and Kimba.


Don Quijote De La Mancha


This was a crappy cartoon from Spain, but the theme song was catchy at the time (for a kids' song). Most cartoons made in Spain and Latin America are really crappy; they're definitely geared for toddlers and children under 5 or 6. I don't recall seeing stuff for older kids.


Ruy Diaz


Hispanic productions only became awersome when a Japanese studio became involved. This is a cartoon about El Cid, but when he was a kid. Leave it to the Spaniards and Mexicans to make a mess of it: the versions I find nowadays have altered theme songs, different dubbing, and even different titles/intros. It's funny, but I'd probably do better finding the Japanese copy since that one's probably more reliable and true to the original.


This goes beside the point that I used to watch cartoons from the big studios:

- Disney
- Warner Bros.
- Hannah Barbera
- Walter Lantz
- Harvey/Archie Comics
- Filmation
- and an assortment of American independents

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Who's the bear who flies through the air like a streak of red?

[dingsbums]

Yatterman


Brave Starr


Smurfs


Hong Kong Phooey


Fantastic Max (this & Pandamonium never came up - sometimes I think I was the only kid who liked these two shows )


Pandamonium


Mila Superstar


Ren & Stimpy

[1up]

Anyone remember a Cartoon which takes place in space with these monsters that can turn into trucks and cars? I remember the heroes car has a Big drill on the roof. Monsters spawn from these big plants or trees.


Sh!t... Its the 2 pics in the 2nd post. Whats it called?

Also, who remembers this guy? Stupid theme song is stuck in my head forever

[t0yrobo]

I think the op covered nearly everything I watched but I can still add a few.




I clearly remember when the Bugs Bunny and Tweety show went off the air back home, it pretty much marked the death of anything worthwhile on Saturday mornings, but it had been going downhill for quite awhile. Last I checked (not anytime recently) Saturday mornings are dominated by shitty live action shows and have barely anything animated .

[xbl0x180]

Whoa. I WISH we had Mila back then AND now. I love that cartoon!


I also kinda liked Meatballs & Spaghetti, as well as the rotoscoped intro for Jem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSKwP5p7qeU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNqrWm1M3Sc

[Skykid]

Rocco's Modern Life



Bat Fink



Top Cat



Sharky & George

[Ruldra]

Oh shit, how could I forget Saint Seiya!?



This one made my childhood.

[UnscathedFlyingObject]

No Pink Panther? Cowboy Bebop? Trigun? Outlaw Star?

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