[divider type=”space_thin”]
Is there anything more validating than bonding with a friend over something obscure? Some of the best friendships began with phrases like “You watch that?!” or “You do that, too?!” Half the reason you love your favorite cousin or sibling so much is that grandma threw the same slipper at both of you; or you remember that time you both snuck into the baptism pool after Week of Prayer; or you both know that same Sisqo track by heart, because Dru Hill was the illest and Unleash the Dragon was so much more than the Thong Song. These are the things that make them your friends. They get you… in here.

Now everyone’s seen Animaniacs and Sailor Moon. Pepper Ann was known to most, and chances are you were saturated with Pokemon whether you liked it or not. Even your not-so-nerdy friends watched Tiny Toons or Tailspin, it just came with the territory of being a socially aware 5th-grader. But what about those lesser-known cartoons? That’s where the real bonding comes in.

If your mom came to wake you up for school only to find you already in front of the TV at 6am, this is for you. If you were yelled at for neglecting nutrition and homework between the hours of 3-5, this is for you. If you unrolled tin foil to attach to your antennae on a Sunday morning, this is a dedication. Come bond with me on this journey.

Macron 1 (1981)
AKA – Not Voltron

Actually older than Voltron, Macron 1 was one of the earlier mech-warrior animes to gain traction in the US. The US version of the show was highly edited from the original Japanese one to have a rather generic, easy-to-understand premise: a band of heroes were fighting an evil organization. But that didn’t matter because the visuals were stunning and we were just kids.

Go-Bots (1984)
AKA – Not Transformers

I HAD NO IDEA THIS WASN’T TRANSFORMERS. I was a child, how could I be expected to discern the two?! Just listen to the show’s description:

“A race of intelligent robots is hiding on Earth, disguising themselves as ordinary cars and motorcycles. There are two factions: the good Go-Bots and the evil Renegades. Each episode features new attempts by the Renegades to seize power from the Go-Bots.” –TV.com

There are bigger differences between McDonald’s and Burger King’s French fries than the premises of Go-Bots and Transformers. It’s all the better I thought they were one and the same – now I tell myself Go-Bots are the movies by Michael Bay.

The Snorks (1984-1989)
AKA – Not Smurfs

The longest-running show on this list, Snorks had only marginal success by being so overshadowed by the Smurfs. While the show seems rather shallow on the surface – smurfs that live underwater – the premise was actually rather complicated:

“In 1643, the captain of a ship under pirate attack discovered a tiny race of beings that lived underwater. After reaching the surface, the rescued captain shared his story of Snorks with a disbelieving world, while underneath the waves an excited Snork by the name of Uncle Galeo was spreading the word about the surface dwellers. Cut to modern day, where the Snorks have evolved much like humans, living in similar houses and eating similar foods.” –TV.com

Snorks rode out in the shadows of television cartoons for 5 long years.

Heathcliff (1984-1986, 1988)
AKA – Not Garfield

A clever street cat that loved getting into fights, Heathcliff would do anything for two things: food, and to impress the love of his life, Sonja. Heathcliff was to Garfield what the Snorks were to the Smurfs – simply too similar to coexist equally, one would have to fall back. That didn’t stop Heathcliff from being a fun show though, with one of the catchiest theme songs you’d ever hear.

Adventures of the Little Koala (1987)
AKA – All of the Feels (Part 1 of 2)

Adventures of Little Koala is a Japanese anime that was dubbed in several different languages and aired across North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The show takes place in a zoo in Australia and follows Roobear, Laura, and all their friends and they learn to play new games and enjoy their utopian village. Few shows cultivated a sense of adventure and the happiness of being a kid like Adventures of Little Koala.

This just took me back to another place, y’all.

The World of David the Gnome (1987)
AKA – All of the Feels (Part 2 of 2)

The World of David the Gnome is a Spanish cartoon that originated in 1985, but came to the US in 1987. The show inspired adventure and a sense of wonder as David revealed a hidden world of tiny gnomes that spoke with birds, rode on foxes, and feared trolls. I remember watching this show with my brother on weekends at our Dad’s house, and the memory is about to leave tears on my keyboard.

Denver, the Last Dinosaur (1988)
AKA – Not The Land Before Time

What kid wouldn’t want an awesome dinosaur? Denver, the Last Dinosaur capitalized on the dinosaur craze propelled by The Land Before Time, and introduced a loveable character who made friends with a group of young California teens. When Denver hatched, he just happened to speak English, love skateboarding, and enjoys jamming out on an ax.

Widget the World Watcher (1990-1991)
AKA – Mr. Bogus Meets Captain Planet

Widget was a shape-shifting alien that came from another planet to protect ours. Also created by Peter Keefe, Widget was like a purple Mr. Bogus who fought against environmental degradation instead of stealing your ice cream. The show ran for 2 seasons, undoubtedly kept on air due to support from the National Education Association and contentious adults everywhere due to its positive themes for children. This is the show your parents would turn on when your parents walked in the room.

Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars (1991)
AKA – Darkwing Duck in Space

Captain Bucky O’Hare was from another dimension where each planet was home to a different species of anthropomorphic animals. The planet Aldebaren had Cats, Rigel 5 had Koalas, Betelgeusia had Berserker Baboons, and someone was high on meth when they thought of all this. The bad guys were the Toads who took over the Rabbit planet of Warren, causing Bucky to lead a group of space rebels in their crusade to take back their home.

Somehow, someway, Captain Bucky O’Hare was actually pretty awesome – it was essentially Biker Mice from Mars before that show even existed. The comic had a cult following and the toy line was pretty successful, making this one of the most popular cartoons that just never caught traction. It’s the Tech N9ne of 90s cartoons. The intro is downright amazing too, down to the catchphrase “Let’s croak some toad”.

James Bond, Jr. (1991)
AKA – Not James Bond

Despite the name, the series followed the adventures of James Bond’s nephew, James Bond, Jr. The show was created in 1991, taking place between movies License to Kill (1989) and Goldeneye (1995). Bond, Jr. fought against an international criminal organization, aptly named S.C.U.M. so we children would know they’re evil. And it was all done in style, “while he rescues a girl!” Ah yes, early 90s, you had such a long ways to go.

Mr. Bogus (1991-1993)
AKA –Bald Treasure-Troll Steals Your Food

Made by Voltron creator Peter Keefe, Mr. Bogus is a yellow gremlin from another dimension. He lives in your house, can walk through mirrors, and his confusion with our world causes him to get into all sorts of trouble. Mr. Bogus had the makings of a horror movie and I feel we should have all been terrified.

King Arthur and the Knights of Justice (1992-1993)
AKA – The Green Bay Packers Meet Chivalry

Picture this: The Pack are down 6, but Aaron Rodgers runs it in for a touchdown. After the discount double-check, he and the team fall through a portal set by Merlin, and they become the Knights of the Roundtable.

That’s basically the premise behind the most amazing obscure cartoon of the previous century. It lasted 2 seasons – someone must’ve believed in its awesomeness – and after years of waiting, both seasons are now available on DVD, Netflix, and YouTube.

Conan the Adventurer (1992-1993)
AKA – Not He-Man

A fairly straightforward cartoon, Conan sets out on adventures to rescue his family that had been turned to stone. He had a phoenix, Needle, as a sidekick, and a faithful steed named Thunder. The show was better than you might’ve expected, being surprisingly and consistently entertaining. Instead of the rough brutish Conan, the animated character had a sense of morality and honor. Conan the Adventurer had no business being as good as it was.

Mighty Max (1993-1994)
AKA – George R. R. Martin for Kids

I hope it’s a mistake adding this to the list, because Mighty Max should in no way be considered obscure. Yet, when I asked around, people looked at me like I hallucinated the whole thing.

“You know – Mighty Max. He had a baseball cap that opened portals, and Norman was his bodyguard, and they would call Virgil a chicken but he insisted on being called a fowl? You know… Mighty Max!”

Granted it came on at 6 in the morning, but this cartoon was worth setting the alarm early. The 2-season series was most often light-hearted, but it was one of the earliest shows I remember to have some rather sinister violence where characters actually died. Not realizing it at the time, the cartoon actually received its share of criticism from adults over some of the descriptions of violence. Not to mention it had a fairly haunting ending. Invoking the statute of limitations on spoilers: practically everyone dies at the end.

Mighty Max was a funny cartoon that also managed to be surprisingly dark at times. Come to think of it, it might be time for an adult re-watch.

Exosquad (1993-1994)
AKA – Not Robotech

Exosquad was created in response to the popularity of mech-warrior type cartoons and video games inspired by Japanese anime.

Set over 100 years into the future, humans created an artificial non-human race called Neosapiens to serve as slaves as they expanded to colonize Mars and Venus. They engineered them to be bigger and stronger than humans to endure working in hostile environments, but then, due to their maltreatment, the Neosapiens stage a revolt and began a war. The show follows Able Squad as they turn the tides of the war on behalf of the humans and oh my god how was I not offended.

Street Sharks (1994-1997)
AKA – Not Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

This was so awful, who could look away? In a transparent attempt to capitalize on the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, DIC Entertainment created sharks-turned-heroes, the Street Sharks. You can almost imagine their boardroom meeting when someone suggests that if turtles can be so popular, imagine how much people will love crime-fighting sharks. The only problem – okay, correction, let’s say the main problem – was that none of the sharks had a distinctive personality, so there was no way to tell their personas apart. They were all frat boys who talked the same, dressed the same, and would make the same decisions. Street Sharks were the earliest iteration of dudebros, right there, under our noses.

Mummies, Alive! (1997)
AKA – Black Nerd Problems circa 1997

Of all the short-lived one-year cartoons, this is one of the most underrated. The show begins with an explorer from the west traveling to Egypt and standing at a sacred tomb:

Egyptian Local: I beg you, sir… perhaps it is best we do not—
Western Explorer: —open it!

The tomb has an inscription though, so the explorer reads it aloud: “Woe to him who breaks the seal, for he shall – aw eff it…” and he breaks the seal. Evil is unleashed and so the adventure begins.

[divider=””]

Sabrina: The Animated Series (1999-2000)
AKA – Not the Live Action Series

Instead of playing Sabrina herself, Melissa Joan Hart’s younger sister Emily actually voiced the role of Sabrina while Melissa voiced both Aunt Hilda and Zelda. The series ran for 2 seasons as it coasted on the popularity of the 90s sitcom, although the cartoon was worth watching in itself for 12-year old Sabrina and her best friend Chloe, voiced by Cree Summer.

Are you following Black Nerd Problems on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr or Google+?

Tags:

  • Jordan Calhoun is a writer in New York City. His forthcoming debut book "Piccolo Is Black" is a celebration of the common adaptations we made while non-diverse pop culture helped us form identities. He holds a B.A. in Sociology and Criminal Justice, B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Japanese, and an M.P.A. in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy. He might solve a mystery, or rewrite history. Find him on Instagram and Twitter @JordanMCalhoun

  • Show Comments

  • alex

    I was actually very unsure Mighty Max was a thing I experienced in real life until just this moment. Also, you did not need to put the Denver the Last Dinosaur intro in this article, as it is the tune my heart beats to thus I know it deeply.

    I feel like you’re opening a can of worms, though, Mr. Calhoun. Next I have to expect an article of obscure movies that need internet validation, including but not limited to:
    – Rock A Doodle aka Elvis as a Rooster
    – Little Nemo aka Alice in Wonderland for boys (as if boys have no one to relate to in cartoons)
    – The Wizard aka “HE TOUCHED MY BREASTS!” and
    – The Peanut Butter Solution

    I know the last two are live-action, but cut a guy a break here…

  • James Sunderland

    Blue, The Earth Child. It existed, but it’s like all record of it was wiped out or something. It was on Nickelodeon in the UK during the 90s and that’s all the information I have. It’s more obscure than everything on this list combined.

    • Phil Nixon

      Yessss!!! He was like the silver surfer but blue… i like thought i just imagined this… nobody has ever heard of it!!!

      • Jazz

        How come no on remembers Mutant League? It came on like 530 am right be for Mighty Max….

        • Jake

          Dude thank you so much. I’ve been trying to find the name of those cartoons!!!

    • Jeff

      Captain Planet!!!!

  • Quicksilver

    The Dream Stone. For a show with a villain who wanted everyone to have nightmares forever, the lengths he would go made the show quite dark. It opens with a commander of his forces being thrown into the “pit of no return.”

    • Kate

      I used
      To love the dream stone! Had it on vhs

  • virbz

    Excellent list here, and insightful comments as well. I’d add “Project G.e.e.K.e.R”. to the collection as well.

    • Matt

      OMG YES

  • Joe

    What about Pirates of Dark Water?

    • Andi

      Omg I loved that show.

  • Mario Salvatore

    Hello, i been looking for a cartoon about a dude, whit orange or red hair i think, that went around looking for certain people whit special abilities. This people could transfer their abilities whit some sort of magic. The setting was at an post apocalyptic world . The last datail i remember was one of the villains minions, he served as a human key for a strong case of sorts of the main villain.

    • Cartoon watcher

      It’s highlander the animated series.

  • Derek Halliday

    Do yourself and favor and look up CAPTAIN SIMIAN AND THE SPACE MONKIES. It was this almost entirely ignored little sci-fi show on USA Network on Sunday’s, and it was incredibly sharp. The writing was both incredibly funny and incredibly intelligent science fiction. It was story of a parody of Star Trek mixed with Marvel cosmic stuff (the main villain, voiced by Micheal Dorn, was a living Galaxy that desired to become a Black Hole so that it could devour the universe!). At only 1 24 episode season, it’s one of the best shows to have come out in the 90’s.

    Also almost forgotten and equally as sharp, but better animated…Hanna-Barbara’s S.W.A.T. KATS: THE RADICAL SQUADREN, which was basically Batman in fighter jets…it was great!

  • Draper

    Pirates of Dark Water should definitely be included. Other honorable mentions are: Captain N: The Game Master, Double Dragons, and the Karate Kid

    • Draper

      Oh, and Silver Hawks

      • Mark Attico

        I read this whole list hoping the next one would be Silver Hawks. Loved that show to death!

  • E-dawg

    No spiral zone

  • David

    You forgot one that made me think I was going crazy and was the only one who saw it but its called turbo teen where the kid turns into a car! I spent yrs asking around about that cartoon and everyone looked at me like I was nuts till I found it online one day validating I wasn’t so crazy haha

    • Germar Derron

      I remember it

  • Monique H-H (@SimplyRobotix)

    I loved The Snorks and Heathclif!! And I cant believe the Sabrina animated series only had two seasons! I used to watch that and Braceface all the time

  • Johnathan S.

    I was looking for a cartoon where the main character was either a ched or an article of food. If I remember correctly he was both. And a wrestler i think as well. They’d whip up a dish and it turned into some finishing move?

  • Kai

    Sabre Rider and the Star Sheriffs
    Bionic Six
    The Mighty Orbots
    Inhumanoids
    Visionaries
    M.A.S.K.
    Tiger Sharks
    Danger Mouse
    Reboot
    All Star Blazers

  • Kai

    Forgot to mention Defenders of the Earth…

  • J

    These were all boy shows. How about Jem? Rainbow Brite? Add in some ones for the girls too.

  • Jasen G. Wilson

    Mad catz???

  • Jasen G. Wilson

    Woops its called Swat Kats sorry

  • Jasen G. Wilson

    I’ve been searching and can’t find this one I can’t remember the name of seems like somthing that would have been listed as AKA not the x-men. It was a team of super hero type people 90s cartoon with a more serious animation style short lived but I remember toys :/

  • Jasen G. Wilson

    Wild c.a.t.s covert action teams, that’s what made me think of Swat Kats. Both really cool obscure 90s cartoons

  • Dmitriy

    Who knows anithing about the cartoon called The Fox and the Hare?? I saw it in 80-s on VHS. I belive it was spanish or maybe french…. I am not sure/ Who can tell me please just anithing about it???

  • Max

    Anyone remember an animated series in the 90’s that had an archvillain who’s base of operations seemed to be in a giant room with a pendulum swinging? It was a really dark show – post-apocalyptic. For some reason in my memory, the villains or arch villain may have also had something to do with chess pieces? Could be that the room with the pendulum was on a giant chess board. Never been able to find out anything about it. Closest thing to it seemed to be from an artistic sense would have been maybe Highlander:The Animated Serious or Phantom 2040 but neither of these seemed to have such a villain or make mention of the pendulum.

  • abc4pepper

    I was scrolling and eagerly awaiting the title Ronin Warriors. .

  • E

    There was a cartoon a vaguely remember that I am hoping someone here might recall as well. There were two kids (a boy and a girl, I think siblings) a man who had a mouth-harp, and a woman who had a white cape that attached to her wrists and who sang. It took place underground and I think the two kids were trying to find a way home.

    Thanks

    • Andrew Cole

      Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea

  • Chaz

    Ok. I’ve got one. Cartoon set on the Ocean about some kind of environmental rescue people. There was one guy on it who, when he jumped into the water, his skin changed to a black and white colour and became a bit like an orca.

  • Zootsutra Sutra

    the man with the mouth harp is from a French cartoon called “Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea.” it was on Nickelodeon in the 80s.

    • E

      Thank you! It looks like I can only get a few episodes from youtube (unless I learn french and get a European DVD player) but it is nice to know I didn’t imagine the show. 🙂

  • Tiffany Hockings

    I’ve been searching for a cartoon I used to watch in the early 90s. It was about a girl and her pet (I think it was a meerkat) and they would try and catch poachers. I think it took place either in Africa or Australia. I was so young I don’t remember a lot but I do remember I loved it. If anyone has suggestions I would appreciate it.

    • Andrea

      OMG I thought I imaged that show. I also thought it was a chinchilla. I was sure it was Australia.

    • E

      I think that was Noozles. There was a girl and a couple koala bears. Ayers Rock was an important part of the show.

  • Fart

    A cartoon, that may have been set in pyramids or something, where the main hero had this golden arm band that could shoot arrows??

  • Matt

    Skeleton Warriors too.

  • liz

    I am trying to track down the title of a cartoon i use to watch it had to martians that laughed at each others misfortune.

  • auzzydee
  • Sara

    What about early 80’s nickelodeon to on about 3 kids looking for the mysterious city of gold (may be the name) while flying around in a golden mechanical condor.

    • E

      That was “The Mysterious Cities of Gold”. I remember it being pretty good. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Cities_of_Gold

    • Sarah

      Searching for the name of that cartoon (the only detail I could really remember was Central American pyramids) is what brought me to this article! Thank goodness for the internet!

  • Marco Medurga

    Hi I am looking for a cartoon that aired in the mid 90’s, it was about a guy who was possibly an astronaut that had been given some power that can transform him into a powerful creature The final episode, he becomes more powerful and destroys the alien invader. I think his brother was captured by the alien force

  • kuraikarasu

    Please help, Im desperate to find a cartoon from this era, it was a very childish cartoon, probably japanese about acat that ran away from home. It was released in VHS and it probably contained that and 2 more tales of the cat & friends. He got a bid head, the main cat is white with black and brownish spots.
    Its not doraemon, aristocats, chi’s sweet(s?) home nor felix the cat.

    ANY ANSWERS ARE WELCOME!

    Ps: I confirmed with my mom that I aint allucinating, she remenbers it as well!

    • wikiwikiboyz

      Did you ever figure out what this is? I’ve literally spent hours on multiple occasions trying to figure out what this show is called and I just can’t seem to find it. It is driving me a little crazy.

    • Anon

      Samurai Pizza Cats?

  • David craig

    I’m also desperate to find a cartoon, we used to watch it on an old VHS. Manga in style about a girl trying to defeat a dragon, the only way she could defeat the dragon was to kill herself (cutting her throat with sword) she then came back as a spirit and defeated the dragon. In the end she had a deer as a friend i think too. Dont think my parents realised the content of the cartoon but I would love to try and find it. CHEERS!

  • Lauryn Tillman

    3 words: The Bots Master. Greatest 90’s cartoon theme song with the blackest robots. Seriously, the robots rapped.

    • Najah

      Yes Lauryn! I read the entire article in utter disbelief Bots Master wasn’t mentioned! Then I started sweating reading the comments because I was starting to think I imagined the series. I was definitely up at 6am to watch this one….the theme song was hot fire! Lazer time boyzzz!!!

      • Blaquestarr

        *puts on 3-D shades* I’m ready!
        P.S.: Kisscartoon.com has most of these shows for streaming purposes. Started rewatching Bots Masters the other day.

  • Zalika

    The world of David the Gnome, my heart just yearn for those days again. I cant get them back so i enjoy passing shows and cartoons like this on to my teenage boys who value the simple things in life my generation grew up on.

    • Rob

      Episodes on YouTube

    • Frank Terveen

      David the Gnome is a Dutch book written by Rien Poortvliet. He has made a boat load of drawings and childrens books.

  • BruhFRiamSaltybutIforgiveu

    Where ? the? hell ? is ? Samurai ? Pizza ? Cats!!!?

  • anonymous

    I’m looking for a cartoon with animal characters filled in for Gwen,Arthur, Merlin. Basically every character is an animal. Arthur may be a fox.

    For most of the cartoon, Arthur is a guy with no known background, who is known for elusiveness and courage.

    Morgana and another dark lord of magic try to take him down. The guy is a pig, I hink in a suit of armor.

    Much appreciated if you can find it.

    • Heather

      Bluffers

  • Rob

    Wonder if count duckula tales from the cryptkeeper dinosaucers creepy crawlers and Ronin warriors fit here

    • Germar Derron

      Dinosaucers for sure – good one.

    • Sarah

      I, too, was wondering about Count Duckula. For some reason the very Brit”Thames” opening made an impression on me.

  • alex

    If anyone could help me find this show I would be so so happy because I’ve been searching for it for ages. There’s a kid that lives with his mom on an island and a guy that has some sort of train. They leave the island and go on the train on some adventure. There’s a sort of Asian style of Emperor and some royal bad guy (the advisor maybe?) is chasing after the train. The only episode I rememver clearly is themed around Lotus Eaters where the kid and the train driver come across a castle where they can have whatever they want and get sidetracked from their mission/adventure.

    • anonymous

      Jim Button?

      • Alex

        Yes! Thank you so much!!

    • Anon

      The Brave of Gold Goldran

  • Eighties Dude (@HootyHaHa)

    Great List! I love this stuff. I grew up from the 70s smack dab in the 80s and into the 90s. But because of a coma I was in in 1992 my memories are fubar. I love flashing back with this stuff. It truly is therapeutic for me, helps me recall other nostalgic things that centered around the years of these shows. I mainly just recall the super mainstream shows, I really enjoy these obscure reminders. Sometimes I can recall them, other times it’s a strain to recall them 🙂 Anyway thanks again.

  • R-7

    Here’s an obscure one I never knew the name of and only say once or twice in the early 80’s. All I remember is an army of big robots that at one point had some shirtless kid on an operating table and they were putting stethoscopes on his chest. Then he tried to escape and the robots merged to form a wall to keep him from escaping. Anyone have any idea what that may have been? I was terrified of going to the doctor as a kid and this cartoon certainly didn’t help

  • PopCultured4

    Ok, there’s one (animated) show I’ve been looking for since the late 80s/early 90s – It’s this one where a bunch of kids go through portals like in the TV show Sliders – they keep bouncing between worlds because their home planet’s Sun is about to explode, and they are looking for a new planet to relocate their population to. It always felt dire, and I clearly remember how the sun kept looking more and more dire each episode, and that they were always running into trouble on the new world… Does anyone know or remember this show? And what is it called?

    • Zack

      Spartakus and the Sun Beneath The Sea?

  • Dan Browning

    Trying to remember name of cartoon series where vehicles and weapons were plant based

  • Phillip

    Jason and the wheeled Warriors is the cartoon with the car vehicles and the plant based enemy vehicles

  • Tom

    Does anybody else remember a cartoon about a group of superheroes who where all based on the elements? I only saw one episode years ago, the hero was a guy called Sun who had long blonde hair and one of his teammates was Earth who looked like a half man half mountain creature. The villain was called Darkness, I think, and he looked sort of like a dementor from Harry Potter. I cannot remember the name of the show or any of the characters names, so its difficult to look for with limited info.

    • Jeff

      Captain Planet

  • Dane

    Anyone remember this one? There was a cartoon (a one-time special, I think) where a horseshoe-shaped guy (like this: Ω ) was running around trying to escape from a spider that was chasing it. I think the spider had red & white striped legs (which sounds like the “spider man” in The Cure’s “Lullaby”, but this would have been before that…)

  • Dane
  • Cristy Yasui

    Do any of you remember this cartoon where time stops and this boy goes to different places to save a girl? Like he would go to the land of spoons… etc.

  • Zane

    This list is awesome. I’m in the same boat as a lot of you. I remember watching a particular cartoon that no one else seems to remember and I start to think I’m crazy. There’s one that a few older posts in this thread have described that seems like the show I can’t remember either. A group of super heroes, almost X-Men style mixed with G.I Joe it seemed. There was a guy they made into a hulk i believe? There’s only one particular episode I remember where the team is fighting in outer space and the hulk-like guy’s mouth disappears so he doesn’t have to worry about breathing while he fights his anti-hulk-like creature counter part. If anyone can help based on my poorly written description it would be greatly appreciated!

    • WaterSoter

      I think it’s Galaxy Rangers. I remember that scene you described about the guy losing his mouth, Gus can change his body and I think I saw this in an episode. Western Sheriff sort of style but in space with this evil alien Queen that had these creatures that looked like Dementors from Harry Potter and they would put a crystal on people to take their souls. One crystal on the chest of the victims and the other to use to create this creatures, you needed both to wake a person up.

    • techrat

      old ashell post but that is ultra force

  • Jess

    I’ve been trying to remember or find out what cartoon show this came from, pretty sure it’s 90s era. The premise was these kids went into an old lady’s house (who was dead I think)? And they find a note or something about feeding the cat. They go into a room because they hear the cat, and the cat has a creepy shadow. But then one of the kids takes the cat with them when they leave. The last scene if I remember right is them walking through a gate and it freezing on the cat’s creepily grinning face. If anyone can help that’d be so amazing. It’s been driving me crazy, and no one seems to remember this cartoon.

  • Amy Doughty

    I am trying to find the name of a cartoon and I remember it was a boy and girl and they traveled back in time and brought back an egg and it hatched a purple thing with a big yellow beak and he could blow it up and float and he was always getting into trouble? I have been asking so many people for so many years. Please help.

  • Trent

    I’ve been looking for a cartoon like voltron but the beasts were once vehicles the becames monsters and would be beaten by getting cut in half and then explode.
    Any ideas

  • Adrian Bratcher

    There’s a cartoon where the mc wears a magic glove I forget the power, but he is the only one who can wear it. I believe someone else tried to put it on but had their hand crushed.

    • El

      Invasion America, or Wish Kid

  • Otium

    I remember a cartoon for them 80-90s it was environment focused it featured a odd bird person that whit each episode tackle a environment issue like how sound pollution and such work

    The reason this cartoon stuck with me is that every episode would have a very dark point in it where they would go to the extreme and show how the world would go on if the issues where never addressed like post apocalyptic depressing stuff

    Been looking for the show forever i know it was either on nickelodeonor cartoon network and was at the very lest translated to danish

  • Ben Farley

    Does anyone remember a cartoon where there was a guy with blue armor that turned into a jet, a guy with yellow armor that turned into a motorcycle, and a guy with green armor that turned into a submarine? I think it was like a G.I. Joe style animation. I haven’t seen it since I was like 4, and I’m starting to think I made it all up in my head haha.

    • Mike

      I’m sure that one is power extreme matey

    • Mike

      Centurions..Sorry

  • Mike

    OK I’ve been trying to find these two for ages since I was a mare young boy in the early eighties… 1, is about a group of teenager something’s that used to fly around every where in a blue spaceship and where bird uniforms then join together to become a whirlwind to beat the bad guy..

    The other ( not so descriptive) was of a bunch of teenagers that used to fight crime and they used to turn in to animals to do it ..

    • Cory

      The first one sounds like it might be Battle of the Planets or G-Force

    • Aaron

      Silverhawks

  • Heather

    I’m trying to figure out a old cartoon that was kinda like dream stone but it had like star girls trying to save the good dreams? I watched it on DVD.

  • Davys224

    I’m looking for a cartoon all I remember are these things:
    – Space
    – Racing on an artificial planet
    – Prize was a piece of a super all-powerful element
    – The race that had created planet also had created an arbirter (female looking with I think 4 arms)
    – One of the racers was a bug and he was finally defeated by using the element which also killed all the bugs spawned in his generation…I remember seeing the queen yelling when her bugs were killed, but that new eggs hatched with more bugs…

    At this point I’m thinking I hallucinated, but someone up there mentioned Bots Master and WOW, decided to pick the collective mind here!!!

    Thanks!!!

  • Helen

    There is one I’ve never found – I watched it as a kid in the UK in the early 80s but I think it must have been pre 80s. It was possibly foreign (or just very old) and involved a bird type hero that heard a radar and then came out of the ocean and saved the world? I don’t remember there being speaking characters – just this weird radar and bird hero. Any clues?

  • Logan

    Thanks to this list kicking my brain into action, I was finally able to remember a cartoon I have been trying to remember forever! About a race of sentient stones battling it out. Typical good n evil scenario, but awesome! Rock Lords! I remember having one of the transforming action figures; Stoneheart! So much childhood.

  • Blaine

    So, there used to be a series in the early 2000s. I can’t remember if it was a spin off of the Transformers. This young man goes to a museum, most of the animation is CGI, finds some dinosaur skeletons, the earth is being attacked the skeletons transform into robots. Hell even 3 of the Triceratops species fuse into one giant Triceracon type robot. I can’t find this anywhere online! please help me

    • Christopher Logan

      DinoZaurs?

  • Annie Stephens

    Does any one remember the show where the two siblings had powers and their dad(?) was turned to stone? In the first episode they stop a car they are trapped in as it rolls down a hill… ummm I think the kids were Asian. That’s all I remember.

  • Noe

    Does anyone remember a cartoon about a group of superheroes. It was funny and I don’t think they actually had powers. They were drawn like mermaid man from sponge bob. I don’t know if it was a villain or ally but one of them would eat beans and fly away with his farts. There was also a game boy game about the cartoon

  • Lasse Jorgensen

    I’m really desperately trying to find an old cartoon from when i was a kid. I used to watch it all the time, but can’t find the name of it. The cartoon as i remember were about 3 men who had each their own small spaceships/shuttles and had the names Harka, Kokko, Darko (or something like that. Or at least it was their names in the danish version back in the days.) One of them (the chubby guy called Darko i think) were always “short-tempered” and had to prove that he was the better than the others.

    I would really like to find out what the name of this cartoon was. Hope

  • colinpass88

    Cartoon I watched in early 90’s with 5 different bears who wore gray suits with hats and shades, they had subtle different colors and abilities. There was kind of a jazz vibe and future looking city. I have looked a lot on the net for it but can’t find anything, I wonder if maybe I dreamed it.

  • Rachel Bouchard

    Heyy ! I’m trying to find a short cartoon, I think was shorts airing between shows. It was 2 aliens, one tall and yellow, and one short, cubic, with long arms that stretch behind him. If i remember cleary, the tall one was always slapping the green dude when he got snot or doing something disgusting. I can draw the green alien, even sing the song of the main title theme song. I know I’ve didn’t dreamed about it ahah. Pleaseee help!

    • Rolando

      Did you ever find the name? I think I remember that one, but I could be remembering something different.

      • Rachel Bouchard

        Nope 🙁 not yet! What was the name of the one you remember?

  • Ehsan Gul

    hey guys.. I am looking for a cartoon of 1990’s, in which a prince gets back his kingdom which was taken by his father’s enemies when he was a child.
    Couldn’t remember the name of that cartoon. So any help is appreciate. Thanks

    • Per Karlsson

      Prince Valiant?

  • Rolando

    *HELP* *HELP* *HELP* *HELP*

    Ok, here’s one that NO one remembers but me

    There are two astronaut in a tiny black spaceship (they did not were any special space suits), one is short and round, his hair was red spikes. The second one was tall with green spikes for hair. In this particular episode they stop by a planet and have a “peeing contest” (who can pee the farthest). After they get done and about to leave, the tall one gets captured by am alien race. I don’t remember how the short one find the tall one but in order to free him, the aliens issue a challenge, whatever the short one wants. And sure enough he challenges the aliens to see who can pee the farthest, and he ends up winning.

  • Floris

    Does anyone know about a cartoon (probably 80s) that took place in space. I only remember that they had little spacescooters that looked like a sphere with handlebars on them. Boys had a bright green sphere and girls had a bright pink sphere. Please help!

    • Floris

      Go it! Star Street!

  • Tim

    Don’t forget “Monster in my pocket”, and there was this cartoon that started out as a live acting story where someone was telling a story at a dinosaur museum and then the cartoon started, these dinosaurs were being controlled and mechanized with lasers and blasters….

  • Nushan Hewage

    Guys help here! It was a cartoon I watched way back as a kid. I’m assuming its 1980-1990 era, somewhere around there. I think it originated in America or the UK.
    It is basically about this insect or some very tiny creature and his family who live in a flower pot in a florists shop.They talk and interact, and the father is the one who mostly has these adventures. The special thing is: inside their home (in the root of a plant I think) there is this cabinet full of jars, which contained all sorts of liquids which they would drink and they would get superpowers I think. The father wears a tie and the mom always watering their home. I remember the shop door opening with a ring jingle and that those magic jars all looked like a round amphoras with a handle; and they were lined up on a shelf with like 2-3 rows.
    Also I distinctively remember a dog in the petshop (it had a bloodhound look) and it kind of sniffs these guys and has random collaborations with them.
    Any help identifying this? Its driving me nuts

    • Alanna

      Herlufs!

  • Liam

    Please help me! I’ve been searching for an obscure American/English cartoon for years and I’m not sure it even exists or if I just dreamt it! All I remember is (and these are shaky memories so may not all be correct):

    +Some sort of small orange monster as well as two children, one male/one female

    +A plot where the main villain steals all the planet Earth’s air and sells it back to people for a huge profit

    +A plot where the protagonists are shrunken down and swallowed, making them choose a way down the throat to follow

    I’m so so desperate to find this show and so any remote suggestions or tips would be super duper appreciated!!!!

    • Tea

      Oh my God

      I have been looking for this for 2 years now(randomly remembered)!
      My brother and I watched it and we’ve been trying to remember what it’s called! I think it was on Fox Kids or Cartoon Network?

      I remember that the orange monster-thing, I think was some kind of round dog with a weird face? And he talked and ate a lot? I’m pretty sure he ate garbage or something like that?
      The guy(kid?) wore shades of green? Maybe a cape? Brown hair? I think he once had diving goggles?
      And a girl with orange-red hair???

      I remember that the villain DID steal all the world’s air(or maybe the town’s?) and sold it in square packages that looked like cardboard boxes or some kind of backpacks. And he had a blimp? Or hot air balloon?

      My brother mentioned an episode with a whale, but I don’t remember that one.

      I think there was a part of the opening time where this deep voice just said a few times “Bad dog”, but I already tried googling variations of it “Bad dog, rad dog, mad dog”, nothing.

      Seriously, if someone knows, PLEASE answer.

    • Tea

      I found it.
      I F***ING FOUND IT!
      FAT DOG MENDOZA

      OH MY GOD

  • Sher thao

    Does any remember an cartoon show possible an anime, i remember the main character was a detective racer who was chancing down the villain in a high speed chance and the villain shot of the driver door and let the door flip back and cut the main character car in half and the main character was put into a coma and he woke up in the future

  • Jenni

    How about a show where its a small group of teenagers who live in a bunker their Dad built that can be raised or lowered above and below ground hidden in a forrest. They have to keep it hidden so the location won’t be discovered.

  • Perica
  • Perica

    I find it
    it is WildC.A.T.s 1994

  • Dittify

    Hi all, I’ve been looking for years for the name of an 80s/90s cartoon but have never found it. There was a large supercomputer going into meltdown (think that was the name of the episode) and a rescue team was sent to fix it. Very sci-fi and used an anime drawing style. I think there may have been another episode called three of a kind where there was a forest fire.

  • veon

    hey guys…looking for cartoon series from back in the day…90s I think it was called Earth: final conflict. Aliens that inhabited people. the kid had a spacey hover bike if i remember correctly… anyone remember it?

    • Keiko

      Did the kid have a hand that he can turn blue to use it like a weapon and the bike’s wheel rotate to float in the air ?

    • Keiko

      I may have found it : Invasion America

  • Santana

    I’m looking for an early ’80s cartoon about a boy who would go on adventures with a girl and his weapons he could pull from his pockets that would enlarge…any help?

    • Santana

      He also used a trampoline

  • Will H

    70/80’s cartoon help
    Don’t know if I imagined it or real
    I thought it was called space man
    He was like superman but not
    I think he wore yellow light green or orange. He had push button weapons on his gloves. I just remember him yelling
    Space man. Good memories or an over imagination

  • Will H

    Found it thanks.. Space Ghost 1966 Hanna Barbara

  • Emily

    There’s one that, in 35 years, I’ve only ever met one other person who had any clue what I was talking about (and she loved it, too!). The show is Kidd Video (spelled just like that). It’s about some friends who have a band, and one day they get pulled into an alternate, animated universe where they have to defeat the evil Master Blaster through the power of music (which he hates) and they have a little fairy sidekick named Glitter. The show is distilled 80s syrup.

    • Anna

      I remember this one!!!! He always said “see you on the flip side”, right?

  • danni

    I’ve been trying so hard to find this one cartoon I watched when I was younger, it had a little girl and she had a ton of siblings. I remember the beginning of the show having her sit down at the table with all her siblings and she was on the end. I also remember her having an accent, think it was British but it could’ve been something else.

    • Anna

      Madeline?

      • Annette

        I think that is what Danni is talking about yea

    • Annette

      Did the little girl wear yellow?

  • Anna

    OK, this has been driving me bonkers for YEARS. I swear there was a cartoon that was like a bad version of Voltron. Not bad as in storyline (I can’t remember a thing about it) but the drawing wasn’t as good as Voltron. They were a different animal, not lions. NOT Power Rangers — I know the difference between live action and cartoon =P. This would have been around-ish the same time as GoBots/Transformers (before the stupid movie my mom wouldn’t take me to cuz I’m a girl, BAH! Friggin ruined Beetle turning him into Goldbug). In fact, this is to GoBots as Voltron is to Transformers. I want to say they rode on their animal’s back (think He-Man on Battle Cat) and each animal wasn’t exactly the same like they are in Voltron. Any ideas? Doesn’t seem to be Mazinger, Getter Robo, Macron-1, Force Five (grew up in Houston so it was a possibility), or G-Force, even though they all look familiar. Probably a Saturday morning cartoon, definitely 80s. THANK YOU!!!!

  • WaterSoter

    Hi guys!! I’m desperate to find this cartoon. It’s set in space on a spaceship. The captain is a human with orange hair and a weird white on red/dark pink uniform/armor and he uses an alien jewel, that he puts on his belt to power their ship/weapon to blow up their enemies. Every time he uses it, it knocks him out. He is apparently the only one who can use it without it killing him. Any ideas?

    • John

      Did you ever find out the name of this cartoon? Been trying to remember for years.

  • Annette

    Does anyone remember a cartoon that had diaper man, cuckoo man, strong man and rope man. I mentioned it to my co-workers the other day and they all think I imagined it. Help me out here guys and gals

  • Josh

    Love this list! My holy grail is the Mighty Orbots Think Voltron, but instead of lion robots, they were humanoid. The animation was great for the time and has that awesome newretrowave feel to it. Sadly only saw it mentioned in one of the responses. Think the whole series is on YouTube.

  • Jaybird

    I hope it wasnt a dream but have been hunting a show where in either the opening or closing credits there is a giant turtle with elephants on its back holding up a discworld. There was a boy and girl either on a mission or trying to get home? Man with a moustache i think! Ahh sorry so vauge it was almost industrial setting? Pretty sure it showed last 80’searly 90’s

    • Jaybird

      Ive mixed two series together sorry, found them – Twins of Destiny & Wyrd Sisters

  • AJ

    My sister and I have been searching for this movie for a long time. We watched it a million times as little kids in the early 90’s. It was about a Monkey of some sort, he was Mexican (I think) with an accent for sure and he traveled to Space and went on a journey to Mars or somewhere in space. I cant remember. It was outer space for sure. His name was Memo. Miko, Milo or something of that matter. maybe I am way the hell off. I was about 5 or 6 and haven’t seen it since then. Please if anyone can remember or put us in the right direction where to search that would be great, thank you.

  • Malekin

    Does anyone remember a cartoon, it came on around the same time as David the Gnome but it was subdued colors, blacks/whites/greys/reds and it had a wolf? I remember thinking it was really boring but not remembering the name is driving me crazy.

  • Brandon Maier

    Alright… been trying to figure this one out for YEARS. Pretty sure it was a one-off cartoon movie in the 80s or 90s. All I know that it was basically a race down a snowy mountain, with lots of different creatures and some super cool sleds. The main one was led by three idetical small dogs, each a different color.

    The bad guy, another racer, kidnaps the dogs and brainwashes them or something.. but eventually the bad guy gets caught in a hall of mirrors…

    I know, vague.. but im desperate!!

  • Jessica

    I’ve been trying to find this cartoon that has driving me CRAZY! I hadn’t it on VHS and at the start, the 1935 Mary had a little lamb cartoon would play and then a short version of the 1995 Snow White cartoon would play and then this cartoon would appear. It was about these magical creatures I think and there was a girl in it. But this dragon mother had 4 babies I think and she lost 3 of them cos they followed the bad guy thinking he was their mum and he trained them to fight their real mum. And then they reunited and the bad guy said it was their fault for following him. And then they blasted fire at him and he went away. The cartoon ended with the babies playing jump rope over a tail and then falling over and the girl laughing. That’s all I can remember. Can someone PLEASE HELP!! I’ve been going insane for years trying to find it

  • Austin

    I am trying to find the name of an old 90’s cartoon that had an episode about a anthropomorphic fly teenager in high school who was a nerd no one liked, but he went through puberty, and then everyone liked him. At the end, some other kids told everyone that he had to puke on his food to digest it or something? Does anyone know what I’m talking about?

  • Xian

    I remember a cartoon with a dinosaur city about a team of commando dinos that wasn’t Extreme Dinosaurs.. the art was more cartoony and it may have been a subshow as a part of something else.. I remember there being a diplodocus with a black tactical vest and headset.. possibly named Doc.. Anyone know what I’m talking about?

  • Nada Mccrady

    Thank you so much for writing this awesome article.I really liked your site and will definitely share this on my Instagram.Thanks a lot for a great article!

  • marv

    there was this cartoon involving animals and they would travel and had musical instruments with them.anybody know the name?

  • Per Karlsson

    Science-show where a sister and brother travel through time and learn about inventors and discoveries. A small pink being which I think was called Genie guide them. Japanese or french/anime style.

    Help me Obi dooobi woobi…

  • Per Karlsson

    Å product of The Children Channel, Sky Channel and Super Channel myself I owe my empathy and morals from

    Diplodos
    Ulysses 31
    Spiral zone
    Thundersub
    Pole Position
    Prince Valiant
    Dinoriders
    Bravestarr
    Oh…and Lensman

  • Jason

    There was an adult cartoon short on the Comedy Channel Australia approx late 1990s, that sometimes came on between shows, there was a lady who used to yell out 19 or one of the female characters was called 19, i cannot remember much about it, but it had some soft porn stuff in it…..??? any info would be good to know what it was and rewatch some of it.

  • Julie

    Trying to remember the name of an American tv show/cartoon on in when I lived in Darwin in about 1995 that featured some creature that needed to re-energise or something by travelling in a dream-like sequence to Ayers Rock(Uluru). It was on late at night might have been a MTV thing.

  • muse

    it’s a french cartoon, I loved it…Once Upon a Time, Man! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqFsA7uM7E4

  • Kiana

    I am so happy to find people that remember these shows! My siblings are all 4 or more years older then me. So they were at school or not interest.

  • Bryana

    So I know this is old… but if anyone can help me figure out something that would be great. I remember a movie …I don’t think it was a show but I could be wrong… I think it was about space or time travel… there were these characters called the bo bo billy bobs or something similar.. super helpful right? I have been trying to figure this out for like 20 years… anybody? Help please…

  • Alexandra Tolin Schultz

    Does anyone remember this really weird cartoon about a boy and his dog (I think it was foreign) on Nick back in the 80s where they were often in the snow and he kept looking for his mother but couldn’t find her?

    • N S

      Could it be Belle and Sebastian?

  • Joshua Schorzman

    I have a fleeting memory of a sci-fi cartoon (probably mid to late eighties) where the human protagonists befriend small, human-sized robots who were at war with massive, Voltron-sized robots. I’ve been trying to find info on this for years & am convinced I didn’t just imagine it. Any help is appreciated!

  • jon

    You mentioned that the brothers in “Streek Sharks” had no individual personalities, but, I distinctly remember them having their own traits and characteristics.
    They were nearly the same, but noticably different – if one looks closely.
    However, honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to remember that, at all, had I not watched the show about a month ago – and, I didn’t actually notice until I was an adult.

    Also, my fondest memory(-ies) of the show is(/are) not the actual watching(s): rather, I enjoyed the hours of imagined adventures in the front and back yard(s) that saw the team-up(s) of a rollerbladed, somewhat strangely textured vinyl skinned blue and red striped shark/man with a multitude of Transformers and MegaZords.

  • Cynthia

    I don’t know if it’s listed already but 2 cartoons that haunted me FOREVER were ‘The Mysterious Cities of Gold’ and ‘Spartakus and The Sun Beneath The Sea”, I was obsessed with both of those show’s intro songs. Years and years I couldn’t figure out if they were from a fever dream or not. So much of my childhood was shaped by obscure foreign animation, thankfully.

  • Showbizclan

    Does anyone remember a cartoon, it came on around the same time as David the Gnome but it was subdued colors, blacks/whites/greys/reds and it had a wolf? I remember thinking it was really boring but not remembering the name is driving me crazy. You can also check my blogs for latest japanese romantic comedy movie. https://showbizclan.com/japanese-comedy-movies/

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

comment *

  • name *

  • email *

  • website *