Top 25 80's Cartoon Intros

For a lot of us retrojunkies, the 80's was a really big decade. Just about everything awesome happened in that decade. When it comes to 80's cartoons, children of the 80's lived on them. Whenever someone said the name of a show, another would respond: "Oh, yeah! That show was awesome!" But the one thing that people seemed to love the most about 80's cartoons were the theme songs. Those awesome theme songs are really the thing that bring an 80's kid back to their childhood. So, what I've done was made a list counting down the Top 25 80's Cartoon Intros. Why 25? Well, there are too many awesome ones out there, I had to include that many! So, anyway, here they are: The Top 25 80's Cartoon Intros:

#25 - G.I. Joe (1983-1986)

The main reason I have this one on my list is for the sake of all the "G.I. Joe" fans on here. It's America's favorite war team, and I gotta give them credit for putting all the effort into that theme song and all the PSA's they used to do in the 80's. I'm so looking forward to the new movie coming out in 2010!

#24 - Bravestarr (1987-1989)

Not a theme song I'd put in a Top 10 list, but now that I think of it, it sounds like a cool show. It's a show about a cowboy who lives on a planet called New Texas. I know space was sort of an overused topic for 80's shows (take a look at "Galaxy High" for example), but Bravestarr is a little different. With the Eyes of the Hawk, Ears of the Wolf, Strength of the Bear, Speed of the Puma, what more can you ask for? How about a noble steed named 30/30 with his own personal attitude? If you loved this show, then Bravestarr's theme song is sure to live with you.

#23 - Denver the Last Dinosaur (1988-1989)

Well, I admit, this has never been one of my favorite cartoons. A group of teenagers who find this dinosaur egg, and they become friends with what hatches out of it: a dinosaur named after the capitol of Colorado. Just didn't click with me. The show's not all that great, but the theme song rocks. 80's rock music is just what we need to balance out the shallowness of this series.

#22 - The Raccoons (1985-1992)

Not much of a theme song, but it's the music that matters. I used to watch this show a lot, but I never really understood it. It's about these misshapen Raccoons trying to save their forest home from destruction of Cyril Snear. What the heck is a Snear? These so-called Snears look like Dr. Suess characters; even their names sould like names Dr. Suess would make up. How is his son, Sedrick, friends with the Raccoons? Well, whatever, it's still a good intro, and I gotta give credit to the outro, "Run With Us", as well.

#21 - Silverhawks (1986-1986)

If you like Thundercats, then I'm sure you'll like Silverhawks. With a radical theme song, and a team of heroes out in another galaxy wearing silver costumes, you can't really get any more rad than that, but the little quizzes at the end of every episode might bring some people down. The only thing that sucked about this show was it's short run.

#20 - Pole Position (1984-1984)

This show's based off of a video game from Namco, although it's plot is a bit weak. Regardless of it's storyline and all, the theme song is all that really matters; it's one of those songs that really gets the blood pumping. I guess it was the show's lack of popularity that lead it to a quick cancelation.

#19 - Spiral Zone (1987-1987)

Yet another short-lived cartoon, but this is the type of show that I think G.I. Joe fans will really enjoy. The show's theme song is one of the most rocking themes I've ever heard! One thing that kinda bothered me is the fact that this show is supposed to take place in the year 2007. Well, we're now in 2008, but have we heard anything about the Spiral Zone at all last year? Whatever, the show and song still ruled.

#18 - Fraggle Rock (1987-1988)

An animated series from Jim Henson. Does the song sound familiar? Does it sound like...the original "Fraggle Rock" theme song? Yes, in fact, it IS the original theme song! Sure, the muppet version topped this one, but at least they kept the same theme song. I just now realized that Fraggle Rock was the name of the Fraggle's home. All this time before then, I thought the show was called "Faggle Rock" because the Fraggles liked to rock...as in rock and roll!

#17 - Defenders of the Earth (1986-1986)

Yeah, the 80's were really a great decade for action cartoons, but it sucked that most of them lasted less than a year. I'd talk about the theme song, but then I might be repeating myself again! Some of these Defenders would get their own spin-off movies like The Phantom and Flash Gordon, but none of which match up to the awesomeness of the cartoon series!

#16 - Count Duckula (1988-1992)

The good old creators of "Danger Mouse" make another awesome show known as "Count Duckula". This theme song is really cool. It sounds like Michael Jackson wrote it! Sure, it may seem a little boring at first, but after a while, it gets better. At times, Duckula may seem like another Daffy Duck, but how awesome do you think it is to have a name like Duckula?

#15 - Muppet Babies (1984-1991)

Who doesn't remember the Muppet Babies? All these years I've watched the show, I've never heard the full theme song, but thanks to websites like Retrojunk and YouTube, I now get to hear the full song where each Muppet Baby talks about themselves (in a singing manner). Now that I think back to this show, I'm really surprised that the creators of this show managed to get permission to show clips from all those different movies and TV shows, especially "Star Wars"!

#14 - Inspector Gadget (1983-1986)

Ah, Inspector Gadget. It may have been a corny show, but it's still memorable. I'm not sure which is cooler: singing the theme song, or saying "Go go gadget...*insert something here*!" The only thing that makes this show cool, in my opinion, is the fact that Inspector Gadget is voiced by the famous Don Addams; if he was still alive today, he'd probably bring this show back into production. Having Matthew Broderick star in the live-action movie just wasn't the same.

#13 - Thundercats (1985-1989)

THUNDERCATS, HO!!!!! While I thought the show was extremely stupid, many others would disagree with me because they think it was awesome. Like any other action cartoon from the decade, the theme song is a rocker, no question. This one also has a new movie coming out in 2010. I probably will go see it, and maybe it'll change the way I feel about Thundercats.

#12 - Care Bears (1985-1988)

If you've read previous articles of mine, you probably would have guessed this one would make my list. The Care Bears were an important part of my childhood (and no, I'm not saying that because I want to quote the Angry Video Game Nerd, they really were a big impact on my childhood). The intro to the Dic series, "I Wanna Be a Care Bear", is just a tad childish, but the Nelvana intro is really the one where it's at. 80's aerobic pop and Care Bears make the perfect marriage. (Don't even think about it!)

#11 - M.A.S.K. (1985-1987)

Masked crusaders working overtime fighting crime! Man, this theme song is so freakishly awesome! I'm sure that it was Stan Bush who did this song (but correct me if I'm wrong), because it sounds very much like the songs from the "Transformers" movie. The show was awesome as hell too! I mean, how can you get more awesome than masked armoured guys driving super hot tricked out vehicles?

#10 - The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1988-1991)

It may not be the best cartoon, and Winnie the Pooh may be an overrated character, but this show's theme song is great, and as I said before, this was actually a good show for it's time. The later theme songs aren't as memorable. But hey, it's Pooh, so what else can I say?

#9 - The Wuzzles (1985-1985)

The theme song to this show really gets the body moving. Too bad this cartoon series died too early. Disney made two animated series' in 1985, and while this one died off shortly after it's premiere, the other one lived on. Speaking of...

#8 - Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears (1985-1991)

Alright, the intros are going to get a lot more awesome now. I'm sure all children of the 80's who were Disney fans have kept this series in their hearts for a long time. "Gummi Bears...bouncing here and there and everywhere..." I'm sure you all know the rest.

#7 - Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983-1990)

Yep, this chipmunk trio was indeed one of the highlights of the 80's. As for the theme song, some of the words may be misheard, but it's definately a song that can be found somewhere down Memory Lane. I don't understand, however, why later on in the series, they updated the theme song but got rid of the intro's sound effects.

#6 - Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers (1989-1993)

Sometimes, some crimes go slipping through the cracks, but these two gumshoes are picking up the slack. There's no case too big, no case too small; when you need help, just call these crimebusters! Yeah, this theme song is totally memorable, and definately one of the best from the 80's (even though the decade was coming to a close when it debuted). The song may not take you back to the 80's, but at least it should take you back to the early 90's. Ch-ch-ch-chip and Dale, man!

#5 - Heathcliff (1984-1987)

A lot of people think "Garfield and Friends" is the best cat cartoon ever. I have nothing against the fat cat himself, but I personally think "Heathcliff" was a little better. A show about a cat who plays tricks on people and dogs in his neighborhood. Sounds a little cliche, I know, but I still loved the series. All that matters, I guess, is that the theme song kicked ass.

#4 - The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991)

If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who ya gonna call? Who else? Being such a big franchise in the 80's, I just couldn't resist having "Ghostbusters" this high on the list! Don't waste your time on that Filmation rip-off. These guys are the REAL Ghostbusters!

#3 - The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! (1989-1991)

Mario is one of the most recognized characters on the planet. He's been the mascot of Nintendo since 1985, and his first cartoon series is definately a show remembered by all us Nintendo kids. A late 80's rap song that is sure to get people up on their feet. Naturally, I believe that more people remember how to "Do the Mario" than they remember the words to the opening theme.

#2 - Duck Tales (1987-1990)

Yeah, you saw this one coming. If you love theme songs from 80's cartoons, then there is surely no doubt that the "DuckTales" theme will be in your top 5! It's one of the most recognized themes from the 80's, and probably also one of the most recognized theme songs of all time. I remember it took me years to figure out the only misheard lyric in the song was "d-d-d-danger lurks behind you". I was like, "What is it? Look behind you? Wolves behind you? Watch behind you?" Well, what else can I say? Duck Tales! WOO-HOO!

And now, here is the #1 most awesome 80's cartoon intro of all time...

#1 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987-1996)

This was hands down the biggest franchise of the late 80's and early 90's! Even though it was so popular, every kid I knew just couldn't get enough of the Ninja Turtles! The Angry Video Game Nerd was not lying when he bragged about how popular these heroes in a half-shell were, because even though I was fairly young, I was there! Looking back, I still can't seem to get enough of these guys! They're colorful, they got cool voices, they're funny, they're great fighters, they eat pizza all day, and...they're turtles! This is one of the greatest actions cartoons ever made, and it's also one of the longest-running action shows ever made. With so much nostalgia still intact, this makes "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" worthy of having the #1 best 80's cartoon theme song!

Honorable Mentions:
Just as a little bonus, here are a few intros that didn't quite make my list and reasons as to why they were left off.

Transformers (1984-1987)

While an awesome cartoon, not a very well-made theme song. While the "Transformers" theme song is a memorable theme song, it could use a little bit of a development. Now, compare this to the music in the original "Transformers" movie. The way the song is played in the movie is way more awesome, because it's got that 80's hair metal feel to it. If the cartoon's theme song was more like that, I would have had "Transformers" on my list.

Dragon Ball Z (1989-2003)

This show debuted in Japan in the late 1980's, and it's original theme song, "Cha La Head Cha La", is totally radicool! Naturally, we Americans didn't get this show until about 1997, and unfortunately still, the theme song we ended up getting was crappy. "Dragon, dragon...pump the dragon. Dragonball Z!" What the hell is that? Those American distributors ruined a lot of stuff from the Japanese cartoons. They changed the theme songs, and they censored a lot of stuff. Well, I guess the theme we ended up getting isn't that bad; the theme song Canada got was much worse. If you can somehow get your hands on one of the "DBZ" movies, each one opens with the original Japanese intro, so you can hear the song I'm talking about.

G-Force (1986-1987)

This one made my honorable mentions because it's not worthy of being on the official list. This, in my opinion, is the worst cartoon of the 80's! I mean, the way it has a team of action heroes may be interesting, but then we've got characters like PeeWee, and that's how it gets uncomfortable. I probably would have had this on my list, but wait a second..."The G-Force: A team of space supersluths trained to fly like birds." Trained to fly like birds? What the freak??? That doesn't sound appealing at all! If you've ever watched this show, I pity you, but I commend you for hating it, if you did so.




Th-th-th-th-th-th-that's all, folks!