Masters of the Universe
If you’ve been holding out for a hero up until this point you are in luck, As a product of the greatest decade in the 20th Century you call me biased but I ❤️ the 80’s. I mean let’s face it whether it’s the movies, the music, the tv shows, the cartoons, or the unfashionable sense of fashion; the 1980s created some of the most memorable moments that still live-on today. Much like the impact of the 1960s and 1970s when we look back we see a shift in society that still lives on today. The 1960s’ brought us a new level of consciousness that brought the “outcasts” of society together and let the world see what equality looked like through the civil rights movement and the free love agenda of the hippie movements surge. The 1970s Gave the world its first look into a world where technological advancements can take us. Then in the 1980’s we started doing the work and created the foundation that the current world lives on today; It came from some of the most unlikely places but the pop culture contributions from the ’80s have inspired generations after and reignited those who were along for the ride.
All Work and No Play Make Michael a Dull Boy so strap on in because Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads!
Let’s talk Toys!
Without a shadow of a doubt, some of the greatest toys and toy franchises of all time came from the 1980s, and if you don’t believe me do a quick search on eBay of the toys you played with when you were a child to see just how coveted they are by collectors of the retro age of toys. Kinda makes me resent my brothers even more for opening up my collection of Star Wars action figures still in their case 20 years later. The thing the 1980s did better than any generation prior was creating a story and licensing that story through franchises. Successful toys had a show and successful shows had a toy line.
My Favorite Toys from the 80’s:
- Thundercats
- He-man and The Masters of the Universe
- G.I. Joe
- WWF Action Figures
- Smurfs
- Ghostbusters
- Transformers
- My Buddy (You get it or you don’t)
- Nintendo NES
- Nintendo Gameboy
Atari’s success from the late 70’s kept their momentum through the mid-1980s as far as in-home video consoles go. I can still remember going to the Arcade to play the new game they got in and nothing ever feeling outdated and then everything changed when a short Plummer echoed the sentiment It’s a meeee Mario. Nintendo burst onto the scene delivering better graphics and an all around better user experience then atari and we were hooked! Franchise gaming took off and you got to be a part of your favorite stories and create your own. I remember being in elementary school going toe to toe with and punching out Mike Tyson, Pressing Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, B, A before a heated two-player Contra campaign, getting laughed at and shooting at a dog who mocked me after a piss poor round of duck hunting, and owning a Game Genie.
1980’s Television Shows
The 1980s were filled with memorable tv shows some of which still air as reruns on Nick at Night and TV Land
(For a Full List of top TV Shows from the 80s click here)
Here are some of my favorite in no particular order:
- M*A*S*H
- The Dukes of Hazzard
- The Jeffersons
- Three’s company
- The A-Team
- The Cosby Show
- Family Ties
- Murder, She Wrote
- Cheers
- The Golden Girls
- Who’s the Boss?
- Growing Pains
- Roseanne
- A Different World
- Married with Children
- The Wonder Years
- Full House
- Knight Rider
- ALF
- Fraggle Rock
And now the moment you have all been waiting for; From Saturday morning cartoons to after school show specials and everything in between Cartoons defined the generation of stories that entertained children of all ages young and old!
Take a trip down memory lane with these memorable cartoon intros
Here are some of my favorites cartoons just to name a few in No Particular Order:
- Care Bears Admit it we’ve all attempted a Care Bear Stare at least once in our life
- Open the door, get on the floor, Everybody walk the dinosaur with Denver, the Last Dinosaur
- Duck Tales Awoohoo
- Who ya gonna call? The Real Ghostbusters
- Yo Joe! G.I. Joe
- I HAVE THE POWER!!! From He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
- Thunder…! Thunder…!! Thunder…!!! ThunderCats!!!!! HO!!!!!
- Everyone has their favorite mine is Michelangelo who is your favorite of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
- It’s like they are the same show in different environments, oh don’t be such a Gargamel We are talking about The Smurfs and oftentimes considered the underwater version of the Smurfs I give to you The Snorks
- Go go Tiebreaks, I couldn’t do it so instead I picked two shows that edify what it means to be a robot in disguise. The Transformers and Inspector Gadget