Top 10 80s Cartoons on VHS
The following is an unranked list of my favorite cartoons from the 80s.
The Real Ghostbusters (1986)
In this beloved Saturday morning cartoon, four guys work as ghost exterminators in New York City and deal with some pretty frightening foes. With the help of Egon’s high-tech gadgets, the team handles a different menace every episode and manages to save the day.
The Real Ghostbusters is loosely based on the 1984 blockbuster movie Ghostbusters, being released two whole years after the movie. Even though it was based on the motion picture, the cartoon needed to be given the qualifier “The Real” due to the existence of another animated television show called The Ghost Busters, which also came out in 1986. Besides having similar names and the fact that both are shows about a team of ghost hunters, they are very different.
In turn, The Ghost Busters was based on a live action kids show from 1975 with the same name. Growing up in the 1980s, I was vaguely aware of The Ghost Busters but was pretty confused whenever it was on TV. The cartoon of The Real Ghostbusters and the toy line from Kenner launched simultaneously and are extremely popular to this day.
Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984)
Five lion robots and their pilots battle the evil forces of King Zarkon and Prince Lotor by joining together to form the giant robot Voltron. This was the plot of the orginal run of 124 episodes.
The American cartoons that share the title of Voltron are actually combinations of a few different Japanese anime television series from Toei Animation. These include Beast King GoLion and Armored Fleet Dairugger XV.
GI Joe: A Real American Hero (1985)
The private paramilitary group called GI Joe fights for freedom wherever there’s trouble against the international terrorist organization Cobra. The plot usually involves infiltrating someone’s secret base in the midst of lots of animated destruction. While basically being a commercial for the toy line, as was the comic book series from Marvel, both did impart some form of basic morality. It’s also interesting to see a representation of modern threats to freedom such as media propaganda and infiltration of the deep state in a cartoon aimed at children.
What really drove home the fun factor was getting to see the action figures you owned onscreen, especially the vehicles. Likewise, it was easy to imagine the cartoon when having battles with your own Joes. Completing your GI Joe and Cobra teams was the best.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983)
For aeons, the Sorceress of Greyskull has kept the universe in harmony from the planet of Eternia. But the dastardly Skeletor and his armies of darkness are always attempting to end this period of tranquility. In order to do that, they must conquer the enigmatic Castle Greyskull and become all-powerful.
This was one of the very first cartoon and action figure tie-ins that proved to be insanely popular. The series led to a spin-off show called She-Ra Princess of Power that was released in 1985. The show featured some of the same characters but also introduced the diabolical Hordak and his Evil Horde.
Transformers (1984-1987)
The friendly Autobots seek to protect the inhabitants of Earth from the evil Decepticons. Both of which are in a crucial race to find an energy source for their homeworld Cybertron. Optimus Prime and Megatron clashed every Saturday morning with exciting robot battles.
Transforming toys were all the rage in the 80s, and it all started with insanely cool Japanese toy designs from lines like Microman and Diaclone.
M.A.S.K. (1985)
Multi-millionaire Matt Trakker leads a special team of masked crime fighters (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) against Miles Mayhem and his criminal organization known as V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). Those exact words were probably uttered in a board room somewhere at DIC Entertainment in the early 80s.
The vehicles, which all have hidden functions and special forms, were made into an amazing toy line by Kenner. M.A.S.K. is an important part of 80s action animation nostalgia and the intro features one of the most iconic 80s theme songs.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987)
Four mutant turtles are raised and trained by Master Splinter, a radical mutant rat, to fight the evil Shredder and his henchmen. Based on the comic books by authors Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the animated version strayed from the source material in a few interesting ways. For one, and probably the most obvious, is the addition of orange, purple and blue headbands. Another is that in the comic books, the mutagen makes organisms grow rapidly, but in the cartoon, it tends to mix human and animal characteristics.
It’s easy to see why this franchise was so incredibly popular. The fun loving, pizza eating, ninja fighters are aided by April O’Neil, a local news reporter. April provides them with late breaking information and together they save the day. The Playmates toys that were based on the show were a smash hit, and the cartoon even spawned a few live-action movies. Cowabunga!
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors (1985)
A young man named Jayce leads a small group called the Lightning League in search of his father Audric. Using the various vehicles in their fleet, they fight the forces of the evil Saw Boss and his Monster Minds along the way.
The show ran for sixty five episodes, and was created to support Mattel’s Wheeled Warriors toy line. These toys were not as popular as some of the other cartoons in this list. Nevertheless, the vehicle designs are some of the coolest ever. Finally, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors had the best theme song of any cartoon ever, hands down.
Thundercats (1985)
A team of humanoid cats from the planet Thundara awake from their suspended animation on Third Earth after ten “galacto-years”. Now, they must battle the evil forces of Mumm-Ra and learn some valuable lessons along the way. The Thundercats cartoon, and especially the Thundercats logo, is one of the most iconic of the entire decade.
This is another cartoon that had a really cool toy line. These figures were created by LGN (which became Acclaim Entertainment in ’94). The figures and accessories look great, and stand a bit taller than most other action figure lines. As a result, the toys are very fun to collect. In fact, I’m always looking for a ThunderTank to add to my collection. Thundercats, ho!
Centurions (1986)
