Who Remembers Saturday mornings in front of the TV watching He-man and M.A.S.K? But do you remember He-man’s real name or what M.A.S.K stands for?
There isn’t a 70’s or 80’s baby alive today who doesn’t have serious nostalgia when it comes to the Saturday morning cartoons they watched as kids. For some reason these cartoons are lodged deeply in the memory banks of many 80’s kids. Perhaps it was the impressionable age or simply the hours spent in front of the box.
So, how good is your retro knowledge of Saturday morning cartoons?
Or have the years taken their toll? Having taken a nostalgic retro stroll down memory lane myself late last night as I munched hard on Twizzlers I realized just how much i’d forgotten over the years about my beloved cartoons and the characters in them. Heres hoping you will find this info and the retro-facts as comforting as I did as I took this trip down memory lane..
1: Dungeons & Dragons – 1983 – 27 Episodes
Remember Hank, Eric and Diana? The friends who took the roller coaster ride into the ‘Realm of the dungeons and dragons’. Each with their own unique skills and powers, one an acrobat one a magician and many others. I remember D&D fondly as I was an avid fan of the TSR role play game the show was based on. The show was thought to be violent for the times but was watched and loved by many
Retro-facts: The episode named “The dragon’s graveyard” was almost shelved because they decided to kill Venger and the authorities felt the level of violence was too high.
You can watch the Dungeon and Dragons opening theme song on you tube
2: He-Man and the masters of the universe – 1983 – 130 Episodes
‘By the power of Greyskull!’ those now time-honored words exclaimed holding the sword as Prince Adam transforms into He-Man. For me this was the highlight of the show and, of course as my name’s Addam and i’m blondish I had 9 year old delusions of grandeur that I was in fact He-man.
Retro-facts: Prince Adam was from a place named Ethernia, his father was King Randor and his grandfather was King Miro. Remember He-man’s little flying wizard friend? His name was ‘Orko’
You can watch the He-Man opening theme song on you tube
3: M.A.S.K – 1985 – 75 Episodes
Developed for television along with a wide range of kid friendly toys and merchandise M.A.S.K was a task force led by Matt Trakker fighting the criminal organisation V.E.N.O.M led by Miles Mayhem. I loved the action figures and merchandise that accompanied the series and remember fondly playing with them while I watched.
Retro-Facts: Did you know that M.A.S.K stands for ‘Mobile armored strike command’ and V.E.N.O.M stands for (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem).
You can watch the M.A.S.K opening theme song on you tube
4: Spiderman and his amazing friends – 1981 – 24 Episodes
I was a big spiderman lover already and when he was joined by his superhero friends in this show I almost burst with excitement. Marvel at it’s best, it was originally aired on NBC Saturday morning TV in 1981 and then again in 1984 for two years. Peter Parker (spiderman), Bobby Drake (ice-man) and Angelica Jones (firestar) were college friends and battled the forces of evil with their amazing powers.
Retro-facts: The superheroes lived with spiderman’s Aunt May in her house. Remember her dog ‘Ms Lion’? She was actually adopted from firestar who owned her originally.
You can watch the Spiderman and his amazing friends opening theme song on you tube
5: Thundercats – 1985 – 137 Episodes
‘Thunder, thunder, thunder, thundercats, Hoooooo!’ got me rushing to turn up the TV and evict my younger siblings from their places on the sofa. The Thundercats were feline humanoids and also aliens from a place called ‘Third world’. Several Thundercats comics were produced later on by Marvel and they enjoyed massive success in the 80’s.
Retro-facts: I loved the theme song so much I’m putting it here in the Retro-facts section. Click the you tube link and you can sing along!
“Thundercats are on the move, Thundercats are loose! Feel the magic, hear the roar, Thundercats are loose! Thunder, thunder, thunder, thundercats! Thunder, thunder, thunder, thundercats! Thunder, thunder, thunder, thundercats! Thunder, thunder, thunder, thundercats! Mumm-ra: ‘RRRrraaaaaaaaa!’ Thundercats!”
You can watch the Thundercats opening theme song on you tube
