Thundercats!

Thundercats was another cartoon obsession of mine, and now, I just find it plain weird, LOL. But, digressing...Thundercats was the tale (no pun...ok, pun intended) of Lion-o and his friends who escape from Thundera, which is nearly destroyed, and crash land on Third Earth. There, they start a new life while trying to defeat Mum-ra, The Ever Living and the mutant gang that followed them to Third Earth. Lion-o possesses a magical sword which makes him ruler and more powerful (uh...He-man anyone?) and is nothing...uh, short...of a phallic symbol.

The Thundercats, of course, were humanoid with cat-like qualities. Whoever thought this up should have been given some award for creativity to say the least. Still, it has a place among our other "Really Cool Cartoons".

Strawberry Shortcake

While it wasn't really a TV show, but a series of videos and a collection of scented dolls (and no, the new Strawberry Shortcakes do NOT smell like the old ones), I still feel this cartoon deserves a place among "Really Cool Cartoons".

Strawberry Shortcake lived in Strawberry Land, where all of her friends had food names, like Lime Chiffon and Huckleberry Pie (the one boy among them) and their pets had food names as well (Strawberry's pet was Custard).

There was also villians, the Purple Pieman and Sour Grapes, who were constantly trying to thwart Strawberry and her friends.

The specials were most likely a vehicle through which to sell the toys...but that was ok by me. It worked, and I LOVED my dolls. I just wish they hadn't gone the way of all things cool and disappeared somewhere.

Kidd Video

"Aye-yaye-yaye-we look like--cartoons!"

You gotta love it!!!

This cartoon is one that haunted me for years, until recently. I knew the plot(a "real" rock band gets sucked into an alternate universe where they become cartoons) and I knew the bad guy's name "Master Blaster". It wasn't until recently that I was able to get more information on this really cool 80s cartoon. I'd completely forgotten about the little pixie, "Glitter" whose magic in her sneeze and the Master Blaster's thugs, the Copy Cats. A great source for all things "Kidd Video" is www.kvflipside.org. There are episode guides, as well as youtube links to watch the episodes.

My Little Pony

"My Little Pony" was all the rage in the 80s. A friend of mine had every toy there was...the stables, playsets...it was awesome. It centered around a little girl named Megan who helped the ponies of Dream Valley in their fight against evil in Ponyland. Other types of ponies were introduced, including the Princess Ponies (who had wings) and the Seaponies. It was a huge phenomenon that has recently enjoyed a resurrgance in the toy business, but they'll never be quite the same as the original toys.

Jem and the Holograms

Ok, so now that that's stuck in your head, recall if you will "Jem and the Holograms." This was one of my FAVORITE cartoons growing up. Jerrica and her sister Kimber inherited half of her father's record company, which was constantly trying to be taken over by the smarmy Eric (who inherited the other half, and managed the trouble making Misfits). Jerrica also inherited Synergy, a computer that could create holograms of antyhing Jerrica could dream up, including her alter ego, Jem, a songstress with really cool pink eye make-up and a not-so-bad voice. Of course, they competed with the Misfits for fame and glory, all while trying to keep the Starlight Foundation (a home for orphaned and runaway girls) afloat and keep her younger, jealous sister in check. What was a girl to do?

Jerrica struggled with all of her masks, but mostly with the decision not to tell her boyfriend Rio, who not only loved Jerrica, but also had the hots for Jem. Ahhh....if only she'd be honest, but then it wouldn't have been as much fun.

The series lasted for three seasons, and ended with one orphan finding her long-lost father and the Misfits offering truce with Jem. After much back and forth, it seemed like Rio had finally chosen Jerrica for good, though I don't think he ever learned she was Jem.

This show is out on DVD and can be ordered at amazon.com.
Jem and the Holograms

Dungeons and Dragons

I was soooo psyched to see this airing on the Disney Channel the other night! "Dungeons and Dragons" was about 4 teens and one's younger brother who were thrust into a fantasical world while riding the Dungeon and Dragons roller-coaster at a theme park. Their only guide/help was Dungeon Master (who shall be known, henceforth as DM), a short little wizard with extreme magical powers. He gave each of them a gift. To Hank, their leader, he gave a magical bow that never ran out of arrows (they were in fact made of a magical light and could do neat things like wrap around orcs). To Eric, the cowardly cavalier, he gave a shield that would deflect anything. Red-haired Diana became the thief, and was given a magical invisibility cloak. Sheila, who also happened to be a gymnast, was given a staff that could resize at will. Young Bobby, Diana's younger brother, became the "barbarian" and was given a wooden club that could shake the earth. Last, but not least, was Presto, who was given a wizards hat, but often had trouble conjuering exactly what he wanted though usually got something he needed. The DM instructed the kids that the only way to get home was to defeat the evil Venger, a demonish creature that rode a flying black steed though he himself had wings.

The gang was also accompanied on their journeys by Uni, every little girl's dream pet--a baby unicorn. Uni could teleport once a day, though most often just found herself in trouble.

The show only lasted two seasons, and while a final episode was written, entitle "Requiem", it was never filmed. Follow the link to read what would have happened.

Is it airing: For some reason, I can't find this listed on Zap2it's tv listings scheduled, but I'm fairly certain it was airing on Disney around 5:30-6 either Saturday or Sunday night (though there is a possibility it was ABC Family.

DVD Availability: It appears to be available overseas, so if your DVD player can play Region 2, you can get it at amazon.com.

Captain Planet

"Captain Planet" was an interesting, ecologically minded cartoon in which Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, created 5 magical rings that were given to said number of teens across the planet. When the power of the rings combined (Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit) a green-haired, blue skinned hero would emerge to save the day, Captain Planet. While the cartoon was a little hokey, the message was clear. We all need to work together to save our planet.

Even though there are no new episodes being made, there are several websites devoted to the show, and it even boasts its own charity, The Capitan Planet Foundation. It supports k-12 projects and activities that help children learn to treat our planet responsibly.

It can be seen weekdays at 6 am on the Boomerang Network.

She-ra: Princess of Power

Born out of a need to capitalize on the female market, She-ra, the "twin" sister of He-man/Prince Adam was born. Not only did She-ra possess super-human strength, her sword was a little better (it possessed a gemstone), her animal partner was not only a unicorn but could fly as well (and had beautiful rainbow colored wings), her transformation was better...and yet it was really awesome (at the time anyway!) She-ra (AKA Princess Adora) became leader of the rebellion on Etheria (those pesky "evil forces of Hordak"), with help from Bow, an archer, Frosta (with the power to freeze), Queen Angella and her daughter Glimmer, Double-Trouble, Peek-a-Blue and a few others. I will not admit to owning most of the dolls or the Crystal Water Fall playset, or that I owned She-ra goldenbooks--all of which might be in storage somewhere...*ahem*

Anyway...it seems She-ra figurines are quite collectable these days...so drag 'em out of storage and say hello to Ebay! (or you could always set them up-you know-for their, uh, collectability and coolness.)