Are you a child of the 80s, or just one who grew up loving all of the 80s cartoons? They just don’t make cartoons like that anymore, and I’d argue they probably won’t ever again — heck, they’ve tried! While networks (and movie studios) have tried in recent years to revive some of the old 80s cartoons, nothing new really compares.
While there’s no “best 80s cartoons” list that everyone will agree on, I’m going to break down my five top picks for 80s girls’ cartoons and 80s boys’ cartoons, and then follow it up with a list of other cartoons from the 80s. See if they spark any memories, and then share your favorite 80s cartoons with us in the comments!
The Best 80s Cartoons for Girls
I grew up as a girl in 80s, so I’m a bit biased towards the female-oriented cartoons. To be completely honest with you, I still watch some of these when I need brain candy (and others I’d love to be able to get my hands on (namely the old Charmkins special and Rose Petal Place cartoons). Looking back at what my friends and I most often watched (and which shows sucked us into making our parents buy the most toys — the real purpose of many 80s cartoons), here are my top five picks for the best 80s cartoons for girls:
5. Lady Lovely Locks
Lady Lovely Locks Screenshot from Prince's Broken Heart Episode
Duchess Raven Waves Screenshot from Lady Lovely Locks Fire in the Sky Episode
I don’t remember a lot about the Lady Lovely Locks cartoon, but I remember that I just had to have the toys and for some reason the dolls’ hair always seemed insanely long (then again, the hair was kind of a focal point). But they were cute. They had pretty dresses. And they had those cute little Pixietails. For a little girl in the 80s, what wasn’t to love?
4. My Little Pony
Screenshot from My Little Pony: The Movie
Credit: Aimee Ray (via Flickr)*
While I can’t say My Little Pony was necessarily one of my favorite 80s cartoon to watch, you have to admit they sure knew how to get little girls (and their parents) to buy toys. They could have created an infinite line of pony toys — change a color here, alter a size there — and we would have kept buying. Heck, we did! The cartoons themselves were cute, although I always found Megan to be a bit on the obnoxious side.
The My Little Pony movies were always better than the cartoons, but the quality was generally pretty similar. To this day I still love the characters of Catrina (one of the villans) and the bushwillies. I mean, come on, they were even cuter than the ponies!
My Little Pony is one of those 80 cartoons for girls that got a resurgence recently. While I haven’t seen new cartoons, I have seen the toys. This is one case where they didn’t mess with an 80s classic too much either — the new pony toys reminded me quite a bit of the originals.
3. Rainbow Brite
Credit: Slgrandson (via Wikipedia)*
Credit: Erin Williamson (via Flickr)*
I loved this show. To this day though, I’m really not sure why. Maybe it was the contrast of the bright colors of the heroes combined with the more dismal settings in some of the stories. Maybe it was that I liked strong female lead characters (not that she was the strongest). Or maybe I just really, really wanted a horse like Starlite who could gallup through the sky on a rainbow. You tell me.
As much as I loved Rainbow Brite, I’m thrilled that it never got a full-scale update. I don’t recall a new cartoon version, but a few years ago they did try to bring back the show’s toys. They even kept them somewhat true to the originals. But Rainbow Brite is one 80s cartoon better left in the 80s.
2. Strawberry Shortcake
Screenshot from the original intro to The World of Strawberry Shortcake
Credit: gizzypooh (via Flickr)
I wanted to make Strawberry Shortcake my number one pick for the top 80s cartoons for girls. I really did. But they killed it for me when they brought it back a few years ago. The updated animation was atrocious compared to the original (of course I’m biased). The only updated show they made a bigger disgrace of recently was The Care Bears (have you seen the awful 3D animation on some of those things?).
I remember having the old records with the music, and just loving all of the characters of this one. I had the sheet set, a nightgown (I want to say a night cap too), and of course the dolls. I even made my mom make me a Strawberry Shortcake pillow for the bed. I was obsessed (but I’ll take being obsessed with an 80s cartoon over a modern one any day).
1. She-Ra: Princess of Power
Credit: Drpryr (via Wikipedia)*
Credit: Ray C (via Flickr)*
Okay. If He-Man was the “master of the universe,” then his sister She-Ra was the master (or mistress) of marketing. I don’t even know how we managed to store all of the She-Ra toys they released, but we bought them, played with them until they were falling apart, and bought some more!
Sure, She-Ra was a bit on the corny side — okay, very. But we loved it. We had our fill of cute, soft, and fluffy and She-Ra gave us a more empowered female superhero-style character to idolize. And for that, she gets my top pick of the 80s cartoons for girls.
I know my top picks may not be yours, so here are some other great 80s cartoons for girls. Let us know why (or if) you loved them!
- Jem! and the Holograms (I have friends who would hate me for not including Jem in the top five, but it just didn’t do much for me as much as I know others loved it.)
- Rose Petal Place (This is one of my favorites, but I didn’t feel it was appreciated widely enough to make the list – it involved a film or two to promote the toys instead of a regular series.)
- Star Fairies (I remember loving the dolls for this one.)
- Poochie Cartoon Special (This is one of the more interesting ones. Watch it if you haven’t — cute pink pooch goes to Egypt.)
- Charmkins (A cartoon movie special to promote Charmkins toys which, looking back, were really quite the choking hazard — but it’s still a great cartoon!)
The Best 80s Cartoons for Boys
While I may not have grown up as a boy in the 80s, I did grow up with two brothers and two male cousins around the same age, so I’ve seen more 80s cartoons for boys (and their toys!) than I care to remember. Just like with the 80s cartoons for girls, I know readers are going to have their own favorites so if you don’t see them here feel free to share them in the comments!
5. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Screenshot from the Intro Sequence of GI Joe: A Real American Hero
Credit: CG76 (via Flickr)
I won’t pretend to remember this cartoon well, but I remember the boys being obsessed with it, and constantly playing with their little G.I. Joe dolls (I mean “action figures”). It’s the new found interest and the upcoming G.I. Joe film that edged this boys’ 80s cartoon onto our top five list.
4. Thundercats
Screenshot of Thundercats Cartoon Intro / Logo
Credit B. Baltimore Brown (via Flickr)
I do remember watching this show with the boys growing up. For the most part I found the characters a bit disturbing (maybe it was just a girl thing), but I did love annoying little Snarf. This was one of those cartoons that really came to represent the animated style of the 80s to me (not to mention that I love most cartoons put together by Rankin-Bass). With that in mind, I’ll probably avoid the pending resurgence — said to be a CGI movie due out in 2010.
3.Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Credit: CoverBrowser.com
Credit: Matt Chan (via Flickr)
I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but okay, I really did like this show! This was one my brothers and I could agree on, although I can’t tell you why. Being a late 80s cartoon, the animation style was a bit different than some of the older ones. Maybe that’s what captivated me. Or maybe the idea of martial arts-loving reptiles was just cute to me… at the time. While I haven’t seen the most recent TMNT film, this is yet another 80s cartoon for boys that made it to the limelight a second time (or do we want to consider that a third, given the older films?). What can I say? This is one of those 80s cartoons I have a warm spot for.
As for the intro video above, I apologize for the fact that it’s shaky and literally someone filming their television screen. But it was the only true original version I could find for you (others were all European edits making them the “Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles” because they censored out “Ninja”).
2. He-Man: Masters of the Universe
Hulu.com Screenshot of He-Man Intro
Credit: Steve Berry (via Flickr)
He-Man may not rank as highly on this list as his sister did as my top 80s cartoon for girls, but number two isn’t too shabby! This was another boys’ cartoon that I didn’t mind watching. Okay, so the whole “by the power of Grayskull” bit is kind of cheesy, but then again in the 80s, what wasn’t? I have to admit though — I was always secretly rooting for Skeletor.
1. Tranformers
Screenshot of Transformers Intro / Logo
Updated Optimus Prime - Credit: Steve Kay (via Flickr)
Let’s say I’m ranking Transformers number one for the sake of the peanut gallery. I can’t really grasp the fascination with robots turning into cars and such myself, but the show seemed to captivate the imagination of little boys everywhere (and sell a lot of toys to boot!). I remember sitting in a movie theater watching previews pretty long before the first recent Transformers film came out. It was a superhero movie, so as you can imagine the theater was filled with young testosterone. Then a preview came on. A vague one — it must have been the first. I had no idea what the preview was supposed to be for. The men in the theater did. You could feel the excitement. It was funny and disturbing at the same time. But needless to say, they wanted their Transformers fix then, and I’m happy to give it to them here too.
Not satisfed with the top 80s cartoons for boys listed here? See if any of these strike your fancy.
- Dangermouse
- Battle of the Planets
- Voltron
- The Super Mario Bros. Super Show
- Bananaman
Not all of the 80s cartoons we got to know and love really fit under the boys’ or girls’ labels. There were plenty of shows loved (and not so loved) by both sexes alike. So I’m going to leave you with a list of additional 80s cartoons to look back on. Reminisce away!
- Care Bears
- The Smurfs
- Ducktales
- The Mysterious Cities of Gold
- The Get Along Gang
- Pac Man
- Alvin and the Chipmunks
- The Jetsons (revived in the 80s)
- The Family Circus holiday specials
- The Wuzzles
- The Glo Friends
- Disney’s Adventures of the Gummie Bears
- Popples
- Healthcliff
- Dennis the Menace
- Inspector Gadget
- The Legend of Zelda
Tell us about your favorite 80s cartoons (or even let us know your own top ten picks) by leaving a comment below!
Disclaimer: All images, photos, screenshots, and show intro video clips are believed to be covered by fair use rights under U.S. copyright law, being used for the purpose of editorial illustration / identification in the context of reviews or critiques.
The best ever cartoon has been the American Presidents who are played by the Neocon Zionists.
Posted by Joe | August 10, 2009, 3:53 pmI was going to say “Dangermouse” but I think I have to agree with Joe.
Posted by yobaba | August 10, 2009, 4:13 pmVoltron with the lions only.
Posted by Bebinn | August 10, 2009, 5:50 pmA lot missing here :’o egad!
Super Friends
Voltron
Eek! The Cat
Visionaries
Inhumanoids
Silverhawks
Captain Planet (not really my favorite, but it’s for a good cause)
…
Posted by Lorgen Shadouness | August 11, 2009, 5:08 amI wasn’t born till 85 so i was young for some of these and others never saw. my faves were
8.teddy ruxpin
7.my little ponies
6.jestsons
5.care bears
4.as much as am emabarsed to admit being a girl mario brothers i dont recall it any more but know that was 1 show my cousin and i could agree on
3.popples
2.smurfs
1.strawberry short cake
Posted by amanda-beth | August 14, 2009, 7:17 pmI forgot all about Teddy Ruxpin having a show. I remember someone in my family having one of those bears though (I seem to remember them being a bit obnoxious, but I can’t remember why – maybe it talked?).
If anyone’s interested http://www.Hulu.com has a few available to be watched online (legally) for free. I believe you have to be in the U.S. to access the site though. They have He-man, She-ra, and The Mysterious Cities of Gold right now.
If you subscribe to Netflix and have the “watch instantly” feature, the Care Bears 2 movie (from ’86) is up there. I put it on today just because I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. Man, I miss the 80s animation!
They may have more. That’s all I noticed so far though.
Posted by Jennifer Mattern | August 15, 2009, 9:52 amim trying to remember a cartoon in the 80′s it had to do with a flying circus anybody got any idea what its called? email please importgirl503@yahoo.com thanks alot.
Posted by debbie | August 16, 2009, 7:26 pmSaber Rider !
Galaxy Rangers !
Odysseus 31 !
Posted by Neo | August 25, 2009, 2:34 pmIt’s a shame you haven’t mentioned “The Real Ghostbusters”, “The Raccoons”, “Trap Door” or “Visionaries – Knights of the Magical Light” anywhere.. otherwise GOOD CALLS!!!
Posted by BigGuySee | September 5, 2009, 6:10 pmSamurai Pizza Cats, though it’s technically 90s since it was first aired 1990 in Japan – and 1991 for the US. Others I remember from the 80′s are:
-Captain N the Game Master
-Chip & Dale Rescue Rangers
-Duck Tales
-Dungeons and Dragons
-AlfTales
-The Ewoks
-The Flying House (I never watched it, but I always flipped across it every Sunday)
-Inspector Gadget
-Robotech
-Snorks (and Smurfs)
-Super Mario Brothers (The standalone cartoon, not the one shown on the Super Show)
-The World of David the Gnome
Posted by Setuben | September 5, 2009, 7:07 pmStar Blazers was my fav, Voltron was a close second. Transformers were good while Go-Bots sucked bad.
Posted by Bryan | September 5, 2009, 9:00 pmCan’t believe no one said M.A.S.K. or the Centurions. Don’t forget Denver the Last Dinosaur, Dungeons & Dragons, Go Bots, Shirt Tales, The Snork, man I could on…
Posted by Pat | September 5, 2009, 10:13 pmULTRAMAN…
Posted by boomer61 | September 5, 2009, 10:14 pmNot sure if this was 70′s or 80′s…but what about “Jamie and the Magic Torch”…a bit psychadelic like the Beatles “Yellow Submarine” film.
Posted by Ebbon | September 5, 2009, 11:04 pmWell some left out that were good. Some might not had been 80′s cartoons but early 90′s.
Bionic Six
M.A.S.K
WildC.A.T.s
Avengers
Justice league
Silver Hawks
Zelda
Dinosausors
Cops
Thundarr The Barbarian
Inspector Gadget
Ghostbusters (there were 2 one before the movie and one after the movie)
Brave Star
Mighty Orbots
Capitan Caveman
The Littles
Capitan N The Game Master (this was based on Nintendo video games that were popular at the time)
The GoBots (a rip off of Transformers)
http://www.80scartoons.net/toons/index.html
Above link is of cartoons of the 80′s not sure how complete it is but looks it to me.
Posted by Thom | September 6, 2009, 2:20 amAnyone remember ‘Hong Kong Phooey’?…
Posted by Pottsy | September 6, 2009, 3:22 amThis is good list, reminds me of years or decades gone by. I would have to say I agree with the list, the boys list at least. But you have missed out one of my favourites M.A.S.K. I think it’s only a matter of time before a M.A.S.K. movie is made. WOO HOO.
Posted by Alisdair | September 6, 2009, 7:10 amIt was actually Ulysses 31. You should probably have that little robot voice burned into your mind “It’s me Nono, small robot you know, friend of U-ly-sses”
Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies was another that got watched in my house growing up. I only had sisters so it tended to be shows that were either middle of the road or aimed at girls.
All the more reason I stayed in my room with lego most of the time, there is only so many times you can watch a little pony think the world is ending because she got mud on her.
I do recall having some toys from Brave Star, which was an oddly mixed future western cartoon.
Posted by Alpha | September 6, 2009, 7:30 amyou whom said early’s 90′s show this is for the 80′s stuff not early 90′s. and yes to you whom asked there was a teddy ruxpin toy and it talked.
Posted by amanda-beth | September 6, 2009, 9:07 amWhat about the ones where all the different cartoon “stars” had the car races?
Posted by dan | September 6, 2009, 3:23 pmI was a girl in the 80′s, but HATED most of the “girlie” cartoons. I was a tomboy and loved it! I loved the shows like “Battle of the Planets” and “Superfriends” (mostly because it had Batman in it!), and “Batman” and “Spiderman”, though I think the last two were reruns from the 70′s.
Other cartoons I’m surprised no one has mentioned yet are “Jem” and “Josie and the Pussycats”. I know “Jem” was in the 80′s, though “Josie” was quite possibly from the 70′s.
Posted by joxerbuddy | September 6, 2009, 11:12 pmThanks all – some good suggestions here.
Keep on adding them (but make sure they’re actually 80s cartoons and not 70s or early 90s, which don’t really apply here).
One I’m surprised no one mentioned is actually The Simpsons (which I believe started in ’89, and might be the only 80s cartoon still in production — if you know of others that are, share them here).
Posted by Jenn Mattern | September 7, 2009, 10:14 ammy favourite is definately rainbow brite i was born in ’94
but i had a video of it and can still hear her voice clearly
in my head
good memories =]
Posted by Molly | September 23, 2009, 10:56 amHaha – You’ve got a much better memory than me Molly. I was just watching Rainbow Brite not long ago, and I still can’t remember her voice.
And I’m surprised you’re familiar with the show. I have a younger sister who was born in ’90, and even she came too late to get into it and appreciate it. I’m glad to see others didn’t miss out on it. It was definitely one of my favorites as a kid. 
Posted by Jenn Mattern | September 23, 2009, 5:14 pmPole Position
Posted by S.B. | September 30, 2009, 5:31 amOk, this might sound a little weird, but i remember this cartoon movie when i was a kid (not sure exactly the decade- but probably 80s). I can NOT think of the title for the life of me, and i’ve tried to google, with no success). The plot is a little fuzzy – but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with cartoon robots on a mission or something – they traveled in like heart shaped rainbow wormholes or something – and also, there was something with chalkboard eraser clapping. I know this sounds rather out there, but if this sounds familiar to anyone, please reply!
Thanks a bunch!
Posted by Jgy3183 | October 5, 2009, 11:31 amIt doesn’t sound familiar to me, and I just did a search which turned up nothing (except someone looking for the same thing, but no accurate responses yet).
I have a friend I could ask when I talk to him next, so if he knows I’ll come back and post it. Hopefully it won’t be one of those “lost” relics of the time that no one can come up with.
Posted by Jenn Mattern | October 7, 2009, 8:46 amI rember this cartoon movie that was only on around christmas time i think in 88 and 89 but I’m not 100% sure and I’m not sure on my attempt at spelling please let me know if you recall it or not and if you know correct spelling and such. It was called moosletoe(not sure 100% on spelling) but was him haven adventures around christmas time and I belive he had a girl friend moose called misletoe(again not sure on spelling)at 1 time I dont remember it all but that’s what I remember. I know I had a stuff animal of each of them in the 80′s. Hope some one can asure me I’m not crazy.
Posted by amanda-beth | October 8, 2009, 8:37 ami cant believe no one said FRAGGLE ROCK!!!!!!!!!! if someone did i didnt see it so i had to add it!!
Posted by jen | December 1, 2009, 4:02 amhi guys if any one can help me out with this, it would be awesome
there’s a cartoon late 80′s, involving cute little animal characters possibly in space, wearing headbands with a jewel in the centre?
Cant for the life of me think what it was, and its driving my friend and i crazy!!! HELP!
Styled similarly to my little pony and care bears…but with darker tones?
We NEED to figure this out….or it turns out im insane :/
Siu x
Posted by siu | December 18, 2009, 7:20 pmhi siu . i think i knom the cartoon you are looking for SPACE KIDETTES ??? hope i helped thay are on youtube on youtube look on ”fondmemories” and the other one is mybe PAW PAW BEARS but there not in space.
Posted by siu | January 27, 2010, 6:50 amI can’t remember the name of this cartoon or if I’m even remembering it correctly, but there was this show set in outerspace with an animal crew. The captain was a fox I think and his first mate was a female cat that had telekinetic powers or something. She always wore this helmet with a jewel in the center or something. It’s been over twenty years since I’ve seen this so it’s vague but if anyone knows what I’m talking about, the name would be most appreciated.
Posted by pixiebug | February 15, 2010, 5:20 amDoes anyone remember what shows they watched in the morning right before they went to grade school? I was just reflecting on them and wanted to know what ones you guys watched. I remember watching C.O.P.S and woody woodpecker show I also remember Dennis the Menise was on in the morning but I think it came one when I had to be at school on time.
PS. I still remember rushing home from school just to make it in time to watch TMNT. I think it came on at 3:30pm
Posted by Eric | March 4, 2010, 11:29 amPixieberg I thing the show you’re on about is Bucky O’Hare.
My favourites was Dogtanian & the 3 muskahounds. Quality not to be missed tv when growing up. Other quality cartoons I loved were :-
Catch the Pigeon
The perils of Penelope Pitstop
Wacky Races
Space Sentinals (Might be late 70′s)
Moschops.
Terrahawks
Starfleet.
Batfink.
Wonderful memories
Posted by TinTin2798 | March 5, 2010, 10:46 amOk, so far all good but does anyone remember the MUNCHI-CHI’s or how about PUNKY BREWSTER (cartoon and axn…and caps just for the benefit of those who quick skim), or CAMP CANDY, BEETLEJUICE, COUNT DUCKULA, PIRATES of DARK WATERS (that one i was lilttle too old for but remember it, it was either late 80′s or early 90′s). Lets see…STARBRITE (I had a sister)….C’mon ya’ll, any other obscure 809′s toons? I’d like to see if anyone can jog a toon i watched but forgot about
Posted by Mike | March 5, 2010, 9:22 pmWow. There are a lot here I’ve never even heard of. A few ring bells though. I do remember Beetlejuice and I very vaguely remember Camp Candy. Starbrite sounds strangely familiar, but for the life of me I can’t picture was it was!
Posted by Jennifer Mattern | March 6, 2010, 5:06 pmI’m trying to remember a show from I’d say the mid 80s. It was a cartoon set in outerspace the crew were both human and dinosaurs or maybe even animals I can’t remebee much except for one of the female leads was some type of bird. If anyone know what I’m talking about or has any ideas please email me
lindsjack@gmail.com
thanks
Posted by Lindsey | April 25, 2010, 10:17 pmi love watching GI Joe, both the cartoon series and the movie. I am hoping that they would make a sequel. ~
Posted by Billy Lloyd | April 28, 2010, 1:01 pmok well for me the best 80′s cartoons had to be
1. M.A.S.K. no too many ppl know about this show or remember it but by far a great one and the toys were a blast to play with
2. silverhawks was great too and again the toys were great
3. Transformers (nothing more needs to be said)
4. Chuck Norris cartoon was awsome another one ppl dont remember
5. Thundercats great toys too
those are my top five in any order they are just my fav from the 80′s
and as far as the toys go man the toys back then had small parts you would loose and or choke on and had little pieces that would move and all kinda great little things now these toys just look like crap and they break easy and dont have as many moving parts
Posted by jacob Salmons | May 6, 2010, 11:25 amWhat about Kissy Fur & Super Ted?
Posted by Kayla | May 14, 2010, 10:03 pmOh yeah, & Eureeka’s Castle!
Posted by Kayla | May 14, 2010, 10:05 pmNo one’s mentioned The Littles. They looked like little humans/mice.
Posted by Kayla | May 20, 2010, 2:30 amI remember a cartoon about girls who lived in space. One of them rode a white bear. I even had the toys of these. I cannot remember what it’s called. Ring any bells?
Posted by Laura | May 22, 2010, 8:25 amI have been searching for the name of a cartoon. It involved little girls who lived in space, I think. One rode a white bear and another rode a lion with wings. I know I’m not making it up because I still have the toys at my parents house. The doll version came with a plastic diamond necklace for kids to wear. Anyone remember this?
Posted by Laura | May 23, 2010, 10:31 amdoes anybody remember a western themed cartoon with bulls? what was it called?
Posted by chad | May 23, 2010, 10:30 pmhere is a few i remember voltron defender of the universe,hong kong phooey, the smurfs,inspector gadget,snoopy,betty boo,duck tales,chip & dale rescue rangers,bananaman,alvin & chipmunks, around the world with willy fog,astro boy,battle of the planets,captain planet & the planeteers,dogtanian & the 3 muskerhounds,dungens & dragons,ewoks,garfield,the get along gang,the real ghost busters,james the cat,jimbo & the jets,penny crayon,the raggy dolls,the raccoons,the shoe people,trap door,ulysses, and i think ox tails was late 80′s and there was another one but i can’t remember it was a boy with a magic torch and he lighted it up under his bed can any body remember the name of this. well thats all i can think off besides the ones that people have already said.
Posted by mikeeymikeey | June 1, 2010, 10:15 pmLaura, I think it might be MoonDreamers you’re thinking of?
I LOVED THAT
I’m a 90s kid through and through but I had older sisters and their videos, 80s cartoons ftw!
Posted by Sarah | June 8, 2010, 6:18 pmI have been searching for episodes of Angry Beavers and I Am Weasel online but cant find them. I tried youtube but there arent many. Any suggestions?
Posted by Cartoon Video Clips For Kids | June 10, 2010, 8:20 amStar Blazers was the best of the best…….Transformers second……and then GI JOE
Posted by Randy | July 31, 2010, 3:19 amSarah and Laura – thank you so much! I have been desperately trying to remember the title of that show for months and was just about to give up on Google until it sent me here. Moon Dreamers was one of my favourite shows when I was younger. That and TMNT ^_^ xx
Posted by Jo | August 19, 2010, 11:16 am