That’s right, that batshit crazy animated show C.O.P.S. from the late 1980s is out on DVD as of today, 2/28. We’ll have a review up for you in a few days, but in the meantime, thanks to Shout! we have two (TWO!) copies of the C.O.P.S. Season One DVD to give away!
Here’s how it’s going to work: post a comment in this listing (Win A Copy Of The C.O.P.S. DVD!) telling us what you think is the best cartoon of the late 1980s and why. After a week, we’ll see what we’ve got and decide on which two lucky devils should get these DVDs.
Be creative, be knowledgeable, be assertive, be sentimental — we don’t care. Just don’t be an ass, please. T.I.A. for playing!
Edit – don’t forget to fill in your email info. It won’t show up on the site, but we need it to contact the winners
Cops are great! I loved that show since I was a kid! It’s great to see you guys showing us old bloks what our childhood was all about!
I loved COPS, but the Best Cartoon to come out of the 80’s was definately Thundercats.
The design was great, the charcters had actual depth, the stories were interesting.
Don’t get me wrong I loved alot of cartoons like GI Joe and Transformers but what I didn’t like about them is that they always had new characters pop up even Duke and Optimus eventaully got replaced. On Thundercats they eventaully brought in new characters, but we still got stories with the older characters we grew to love.
So thats why my vote goes to Thundercats. That and the Theme song was one of the best, and I even have it on my ipod.
The top cartoon of the late 80’s is Inspector Gadget. Granted, it only ran until 1986, but I like to think of that as the late 80’s. Mystery, action, comedy, special effects, it was all there.
The title character is one of the greatest, although not the most unique, characters ever created. Don Adams was great as the voice, and, having grown up with reruns of Get Smart, I had a great appreciation for his comedic genius and the shows derivative plot. To this day I am a fan of White Castle, thank you Mr. Adams.
The gadgets were brilliant (the umbrella being one of my favorites). The car was awesome (Transformers ain’t got nothin’ on this one). Plus, for a 5-year-old, Penny was an attractive older woman (gotta love pigtails).
Throw a killer theme song in to the mix and you have the greatest cartoon of the 80’s. So great that a pair of lame live action versions can not tarnish it’s memory. Go Gadget, go!
Many of us define the 80s (and every other decade for that matter) through our TV-watching habits. There were cartoons aplenty during this Reagan-loving, Gorbachev-hugging decade. But what cartoon, do you say, defines the 80s? He-Man? Transformers? Thundercats? G.I. Joe, or the Smurfs? What about Duck Tales, Dungeons and Dragons, or Danger Mouse? I say none of these define the 80s. None of these is the best cartoon that came out of the 80s.
The best cartoon to come out of the 1980s is none other than Bananaman.
Yes, Bananaman [http://www.80scartoons.net/toons/bananaman.htmlhttp://www.80scartoons.net/toons/bananaman.html] . You might not have seen the short-lived Nickelodeon cartoon about a boy who eats bananas to become a man in tights. But the concept is nothing short of true brilliance. Think about it: a young boy, curious yet awkward about the world around him, only experiences true confidence when the pleasure of a sweet banana hits his palate. He grows muscles and he seems to fly around the world. As a boy, Eric Wimp (the main character’s brilliant, thought-provoking name created by writers who were ahead of their time) can’t gain the respect he desperately craves�but once that yellow falcate tube slaps and swishes around his mouth, Eric’s world transforms. He no longer feels awkward and unloved. He feels loved, gains confidence, and straps on a pair of blue tights. He feels he can do anything.
And the opening soundtrack? Pure 80s-cartoon-enthusiasts might sing “A Real American Hero� or shout “I Have the Power� but neither can capture the essence of the 80s like Bananaman’s opening. Can you envision leg-warmers with the G.I. Joe theme song? What about Spandex and Velcro with the Transformers opening? I think not. Millions of children all around the world must have been dancing to the theme song and fantasizing about being Bananaman by throwing kicks and jumps that would make Richard Simmons’ “Sweating with the Oldies� jealous.
Most cartoons come and go, but fans of this fruity animation series will never forget the true power of a well-placed banana. Like a banana leaning against the side of the refrigerator, “Bananaman� stands erect above all the rest.
This DVD actually came out a week ago Tues. I saw it at Best Buy last Sat.
The Simpsons is the best cartoon to come out of the late 80’s.
It has its up and downs, but that happens when you’ve had to produce new material for almost a decade and a half.
It has survived staff overhaul after staff overhaul, each with its own distinctive voice and distinctive take on the residents of Springfield.
It has spanned from the silly to the surreal, from social and political comedy to slapstick.
Even though it has been on a down cycle, we still tune in to watch, hoping that the magic is recaptured from whatever we think of as the glory years.
It still endures, it’s still a best seller on DVD, and still a high ratings draw in syndication.
Jeff, Simpsons barely count for the 80s. They didn’t get their own cartoon until ‘90.
Jem and the New adventures of Mighty Mouse were the best cartoons of the 80s.
Where’s the love for Real Ghostbusters and Duck Tales?!? WHERE. Seriously, if we’re going for obscure — which is fun — my vote’s for Galaxy High. Although my all-80s (Dan, feel free to chime in here) vote might have to go to Saturday Supercade.
Bananaman…ah, 80s Nickelodeon had a certain charm, didn’t it.
My 2 cents says the best cartoon of the 80s was Transformers. True, it doesn’t stand the test of time as good as Real Ghostbusters does, but it was only rivaled in impact by He-Man. And the fact that the Transformers brand is still huge today is kind of amazing. Plus, the movie! Good God, Megatron shoots an Autobot in the face!
How can anyone choose just ONE 80’s cartoon as their absolute favorite?!?! But if I must narrow down the field I guess I’ll automatically eliminate all the “Sell-Out” cartoons just ecause it’s the Alternative/Hipster/elitest thing to do. So nothing that has a strong fan following already like GI Joe, Transformers, He-Man, Thundercats… and though I’m secure enough in my own sexuality to admit being an avide fan of “Jem”, I’ll rule her out as well. And yet I don’t want to go too far in to the sarcasm-laden suggestions of shows like “Mr. T” or “The Gary Coleman Show”. And suggesting a series just ecause it had cool toys such as “M.A.S.K.” or “Jaycee & The Wheeled Warriors” would be just wrong.
For me it comes down to the two of the more obscure cartoons of the 80’s; “Turbo Teen” or “The Bionic Six”.
On the one hand you have Turbo Teen; how many times have we heard this stale old chestnut of a plot? Boy meets Girl and Semi-Ethnic Friend, Boy has car, boy gets chemicals splashed on him and his car that make it so whenever Boy gets hot he turns in to his car, Boy Fights crime as a car, Girl and Semi-Ethnic Friend are constantly imperriled by an evil “Monster Truck” that Boy/Car has to save them from on a semi-weekly basis. Ahh, the classic themes!
Then there’s The Bionic Six. A perfect near-futuristic family reminiscent of good old-fashioned family values with the Arian Mom and Dad, the athletic son, the musically-gifted daughter and the two adopted ethnic stereotypes; an Asian and an African-American child. Oh, and the Dad has done horrific bio-engineering experiments on the entire family (including himself) to make them all more robotic and perfect according to DER FUHRER’S MASTER PLAN ZEIG HEIL!!!! Um, I mean so they can fight international crime!