Throwback Thursdays: Retro 80s Cartoons

The 80s were the Gr8ies. In the days of broadcasts and TV guides, I remember rushing home from school and also getting up early on the weekend just so that I could catch my favorite shows. So go grab a bowl, milk and a box of your favorite cereal and let's dive neck deep into nostalgia with my list of the twenty best retro 80s cartoons.

20. Dino Riders

This short lived series spawned some limited edition awesome toys. I mean dinosaurs with riders with giant guns and armor! This was every kids dream! Did you have any of the cool toys?

19. Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers

For some weird reason I always seemed to think this was a sequel to Bravestarr or set in the same universe. Turns out this was quite a unique anime back in the day. The first US created anime and a rather entertaining plot. Do you recall this series?

18. Voltron

One of my absolute favorite shows. There were quite a few variations and spin offs of this (power rangers?!) and a new series on Netflix that's actually really good. 

17. My Little Pony

"All the pink in the world can’t disguise the irrefutable fact that centaurs and castles and dragons and magic are all standard nerd tropes. Ergo, My Little Pony is nerdy." - Dustin, Stranger Things S03

Cute. But nerdy. 

16. Care Bears

What originated as drawings on greeting cards turned into a multi franchise with teddy bears, cartoons and bright pastel colored rainbows. Yep, before internet cats, our cuteness dose came from these adorable bears.

15. Filmation's Ghostbusters

Before The Real Ghostbusters, we had this really fun and wacky ghostbusting series from Filmation which included a gorilla called Tracy and a ghostly car with a bad whooping cough. 

14. G.I. Joe

Man oh man the toys! After He-Man, Thunder Cats and Transformers, the Joes were some of the best action figure toys of the 80s. Whether you preferred Snake Eyes or Storm Shadow or the regular troopers, these or similar versions were in every 80s kid's play ensemble. The cartoons I don't recall watching on TV but, like with Transformers, my Dad would rent the VHS tapes over weekends.

13. Transformers

Continuing with the toy theme, we have the totally awesome and ever popular Transformers. I must admit, I only ever watched the series on VHS after my Dad rented it on weekends at the video store. The animated movie was brilliant but crushing!

The Michael Bay versions were...okayish. But nothing beats the fun of the actual Transformer toys!

12. The Mysterious Cities Of Gold

I absolutely loved this show! The story of Esteban and the search for El Dorado, the city of gold was one of the most fascinating cartoons of the time. It had a real catchy theme song and was filled with so much of South American mythology (maybe not accurate but still insightful).

11. Inspector Gadget

Go Go Gadget Copter! Inspector Gadget is another favorite show of mine. The bumbling, clumsy detective is always on the trail of the nefarious Dr Klaw and his sinister organization called M.A.D. Gadget's niece Penny and trusty dog Brain are the real err "brains" of the operation in solving all of the crimes. Then there's the poor police chief keeps getting himself blown up in every episode!

10. Scooby Doo Where Are You!

Saturday mornings were always the best times for cartoons. And it always had Scooby Doo in the mix. I remember the Saturday Scooby movies as well as the original Scooby Doo cartoons. The originals were actually from the late 60s but still classic and funny today.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Turtle power was a real beat back in the late 80s and into the 90s. We had the action figures, the coloring books, the sticker albums, the clothing, the toy weapons (or home made versions thereof), our own makeshift cardboard sewers...and most of all...PIZZA!

8. Bionic Six

The family of bionically powered heroes is next on my list. Back in the day, we all made paper Bionic Six badges which we would wear on our arms.

7. The Real Ghostbusters

After the awesome success of the movie, the cartoon was like a continuation of it in many ways. There were some cool toys and action figures from Kenner back then but all we really wanted were some proton packs and slime!

Who was your favorite ghostbuster? And...did you make a cardboard cereal box proton pack!?

6. The Smurfs

The Smurfs! The little blue guys made a comeback with a CGI movie in 2011 but the original cartoons from the 80s are still the best. Gargamel and his evil cat are always on the prowl for Smurfs but good inevitably triumphs over evil.

A bit sus how there's only ever one lady Smurf.

5. Bravestarr

Then one day, a lawman appeared

With powers of hawk, wolf, puma and bear

Protecter of peace, mystic man from afar

Champion of justice, Marshall Bravestarr!

I loved this show. Filmation & Lou Schneider had some real gems and this was one of them. The sci-fi western setting of New Texas and the cool Shaman Lawman made for a riveting cartoon. I might even want to watch this series again now!

4. Thundercats

I doubt there was a kid in the 80s who didn't rush though their afternoon homework and chores to be able to sit down in front of the old Telefunken or Panasonic tellies with some puffed colored cereal corn or puffed chips to watch Thunder Cats.

We all wanted to be Lion-O and wield the sword of omens. Or Pathro, Tygra or Cheetara. I remember spending hours afterwards with cousins building Lego versions of the Cat's Lair Thunder Cats castle.

Which cat was your favorite?

3. He-Man And The Masters of the Universe

Probably the one 80s show that resonates the most with me as I recall rushing through afternoon chores and homework just so that I could watch He-Man and wield the power of Grayskull. It's pretty campy now but back then He-Man and also She-Ra was every little kid's dream. The toys were damn cool too. I had the battle armor He Man with the axe and a few others. The originals are worth quite a bit today!

Did you own any of the toys?

2. Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears

One of my favorite shows of all time. From the catchy theme song and the secret Gummi Berry juice and the crazy Duke Igthorn and his bumbling ogres, this was afternoon TV at it's best.

I remember having a bag of 'bunnylicks' (iced lollies but not iced) and imagining that the red ones were secret gummy berry juice. A few squirts of that down your throat and off we would go...bouncing here there and everywhere!!! 😂😭

Which was your favorite character in Gummi Bears? Mine was always the wizard Zummi, who keeps wixing up his mords...err mixing up his words.

1. Robotech

This was one series I re-watched at least 3 times. The first season is still my favorite but all 3 volumes are amazing. Also called Superdimensional Fortress Macross in Japan, this gem of a show is anime at it's best. The Veritech VF1 fighters that transform into fighting mechs, the unique SDF1 battleship and the memorable characters make this one of the best 80s cartoons ever.

You guys remember the Robotech chips? It was made in SA only!