10. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-1985)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL3ELKLvVyc[/youtube]
When he reveals his ‘fabulous secret powers’ and holds aloft his ‘magic sword’?…. Could something sly be lying beneath this innocent looking cartoon?
Fun fact: According to recent rumblings there is a new He-Man movie on the horizon(IMDB)
9. G.I.JOE (1985-1986)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdvbRRQynu4[/youtube]
Encourage children to be patriotic, recruit for the military and it has Starscreams voice as Cobra Commander, how can you go wrong?
8. Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers(1989-1990)
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=2e5q6ubDlZE[/youtube]
Ch-ch-ch-Chip ‘n Dale. I almost developed a stutter singing this song as kid… Ah the memories
7. Inspector Gadget(1983-1986)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKeE3saeguY[/youtube]
Maxwell Smart as Gadget, Megatron as Brain and a theme tune that still causes migraines. LOVE IT~
6. M.A.S.K(1985-1988)
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=R562_313v0Q[/youtube]
Masked Crusaders who work Overtime? I hope they get paid at least 1.5 times their standard hourly rate… Ahem, premises is pretty paper thin but that doesn’t stop it from having a rocking theme.
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(1987-1996) [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qI0FbYe3lRE[/youtube]
How many times can you say “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” in 60 seconds and still rock! Love it or hate it you know it’s going to be stuck in your head after listening to it.
4. Ducktales(1987-1990)
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=34Sb0hGUNIQ[/youtube]
D-d-d-danger, watch behind you - Over pronunciation out to find you. Even for the folk who hated cartoons the theme tune would still ruin their spirit and lead them down the destructive path of a cartoon junkie.
3. Thundercats(1985-1990)
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=2Qd_IsxgAf8[/youtube]
Thunder… Thunder… Thunder! Thundercats!! HO. The second biggest rock out in cartoon theme history. Apparently they had to limit the use of the word ‘Thunder’ to a measly 25 times to stop kids from going into hysterics.
Fun fact: In June 2007 Warner Bros announced they had optioned the rights to make a CGI feature film based on Thundercats(IMDB)
2. SilverHawks(1986)
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=OMBfm3vUB6M[/youtube]
Thundercats in space, weak series but an amazingly awesome Theme.. insane guitar riffs, lyrics that rumble your adrenaline.. In one word MINDF’INGBLOWING!!
Fun fact: Many of the animators of Silverhawks would go off to join Studio Ghibli and work along side Hayao Miyazaki.
1. Disney’s Adventures of the Gummi Bears(1989-1990) [youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=loUNoy0Qub0[/youtube]
What can I say, cept “GUMMI BEARS!!!! BOUNCING HERE AND THERE AND EVERYWHERE!”
Jill:
September 12, 2007 at 5:45 am
Well I was just listening to you so I went on and checked it out I am 26 years old and I remember all of them but SilverHawks(1986). I don’t know how old you are, and yes the Gummy Bears were one of my fav cartoons when I was younger, and if it was still one, mater of fact if any of them were still on I would let my children watch them, because the cartoons that are on now are not worth anything. Take a look at some of these cartoons and then look what we now have for our children and you will understand. If you are not in my age group you will not remember them. My husband and I have talked a lot of times about Thunder Cat, GI Joe, He-Man, and Inspector Gadget. I forgot about MASK but I heard the start of it and I remember it now. This was not a let down. You must remember your ages that are listening to you and watch how you say something.
Kurt:
September 13, 2007 at 3:52 am
What about the greatest cartoon theme song ever - TaleSpin? It’s too bad it’s not an ’80’s cartoon, airing from 1990 to 1994. I agree with all on the list except SilverHawks. Not top 10 material.
Colin:
September 13, 2007 at 8:51 am
Thanks for the replies, I agree that the Silverhawks cartoon was pretty bad but IMO it still had one of the best intros.
Jill I’m 23, so I mostly caught the cartoons on repeats(late 80s, very early 90s), didn’t stop me from enjoying them though.
Cheers
KB:
September 23, 2007 at 8:52 am
Hey, what about “Jem?” How more ’80s can you possibly get? The show ran from 1985-1988, and it was “Truly Outrageous.” I still can’t get that stupid song out of my head….
Thundercats Movie:
January 2, 2008 at 5:46 am
Howdy Expert, I fell blessed that I found your post while searching for thundercats movie. I agree with you on the subject The most catchy Cartoon Themes of the 80s!. I was just thinking about this matter last Tuesday.
Thomas:
April 4, 2008 at 3:21 am
Great work sir!!!
Took me back to my childhood…sat in front of the telly apparently!
I’d forgotten about MASK, but where’s Transformers? (Robots in disguise)
Much love!
Wii forum:
May 22, 2008 at 4:49 am
Awesome!, modern cartoons can’t compare to what was beautifully designed in the eighties