The cartoon world still consists today of children on a Sat. morning, being fixed to the TV - mesmerized by all of the colour, action and cool heroes. It was the same with the 80s cartoons.
If you used to be a kid watching toons in those days, you became a Smurf, you rooted for The incredible Hulk as he fought off malevolent and sided with the Transformers. Your world consisted of automobiles flying, folk increasing through the air, wonderful escapes and unimaginable strength. Your characters became your buddies and your blade slew the villains. You wore their costumes and you were given their toys. It helped spur on your inventiveness and gave you the power to triumph over life's tiny knocks.
of course the 80s decade was a time of excess and extravagance. Many industries exploded with increased production globally and much the same occurred in the cartoon industry. It became more exportable and we were exposed to alternative styles, face shapes and better-animated features. The story lines improved as time marched thru the eighties. One only wants to have a look at The Bionic six to see this, and of course to an all-time fave for many spectators : Robotech.
The 80s was also a time when disputes broke out whether shows were to be aired in the morning compared with shows directed at a marginally older audience, which would work better early afternoons. We can guess who won : they both did, because today you will find dedicated cartoon channels, which will entertain your child or teen all day.
This brings us to our next point. Were the 80's toons too violent? This is obviously up for debate and will take volumes to reach some sort of agreement. The fact of the affair is, our 80s cartoons were entertaining and brilliant to say the least. Many individuals will say they had substance and were so preferred that flicks, series, toys, books, clothes and many other spin-offs were generated from that decade. A few individuals are also sure that when it comes to violence moms and pops can regulate what their kids see ; of course , they aren't adults yet and cannot make that decision for themselves.
On a more amusing note though, there were funny toons that made children roll around with laughter. This in itself was an amazing tool to uplift a unhappy kid or make someone feel better while they were in hospital. The 80s cartoons were special in that their story lines had quality content and a feeling of realism which you have problems finding in today's cartoons.
Take for example Duck tales. Here you had Donald Duck and his 3 nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. Chuck in their multimillionaire Uncle Scrooge and see the way the writers came up with amazing journeys to give even adults a laugh or two. Youngsters loved them and were completely entertained, particularly when new and engaging characters were added ever so frequently.
For the girls, apart from many others, Thundercat was very preferred. This hybrid feline race who were living on the 3rd Earth because of some magical annihilation of their home planet - Thundera, gave us plenty of action and helped many a shy girl come out of her shell when she would watch this series.
There are so many 80s cartoons which were hits with youngsters in those days, it's hard to name an all time favorite. The gadget-action-transforming ones are on many people's list, so you need to watch a few of the old classic 80s toons to make your own decision. Enjoy.