Skip to main content

Cartoons Based on Popular Things (That Sucked)


On a recent post, we discussed some live action kid's shows that may have been ill conceived, badly produced or just plain sucked and likely got someone fired (or promoted -go figure). For every live action show produced in the '70s and '80s there were dozens of animated ones that tried to compete for a time slot in the lucrative Saturday morning cartoon market. Here's a look at some that were produced based on the popularity of certain trends or other shows that basically sucked.

Gilligan's Planet

Based on one of the all time Retro TV classics, Gilligan's Island, the ill conceived animated version had our ship wrecked crew flying through the cosmos dealing with all sorts of aliens and nutty situations.

So to recap, seven castaways can't get off a desert island, only have a radio with an awesome set of batteries, need an exercise bike made out of bamboo to wash their clothes but somehow can build a rocket and careen through hyper space on space adventures. Alrightie then.




Pole Position

Though named after the popular video game, the show really had nothing to do with the cartoon. Although it looked a lot like another car based cartoon that was pretty popular, Speed Racer, this one actually had a plot with a couple of crime fighting kids who also happened to be stunt drivers that were involved with a secret government operation. Happens all the time. What a stunt team has to do with a pole position on a racing grid, I'll never know. It only lasted one season.




Frogger

In 1983, Frogger the animated series made it's debut with our amphibious hero playing the role of a journalist - yup, a journalist. I suppose that answers the question as to why he was trying to get across the river - obviously there was a helluva story that needed to be written that was worth the risk of being eaten or crushed. You may have guessed that it only lasted a single season.




Q*Bert

Completing the trilogy of video game based cartoons is Q*Bert. He'd strut around the cube shaped town in a varsity jacket with a "'Q" patch (obviously) and along with his friends, constantly deal with the school bullies and their evil ways. This of course makes you think, what was he actually studying? What kind of future does a testicle shaped blob have? Again, one season. Starting to see a trend here.





The Snorks

So what do you do when a popular kid's show is owning Saturday morning ratings? You try to duplicate the formula (or ripoff) and come up with something to rival it. So first come The Smurfs and then come The Snorks. So named for the snorkel appendage sticking out of their heads. Snorks were a race of tiny sea creatures that lived pretty much like you and me. They lived in houses, went to d drive-in movies, drive cars etc. all while under the sea. Kind of like an early Sponge Bob. Only in this case they were constantly solving problems and trying to undo some of the dastardly plots of the mayor's son who was always up to no good. This actually lasted four seasons thanks to the introduction of new bad guys to content with on a regular basis.




Rubik the Amazing Cube

Invented in 1974, the Rubik's Cube is still a popular puzzle thanks to the introduction to a new generation. Jumping on the popularity of the Rubik's Cube craze in the '80s, "Rubik The Amazing Cube" animated series made its debut in 1983. Why they chose to give the cube an alien head, I'll never know. Really hard to believe they managed to come up with a full season of plots for a show about an animated cube shaped puzzle. Shockingly, it lasted only the single season.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Candies You Grew Up With That May Gross You Out Now (Part 1)

Being a kid in the 70s and 80s allowed you to experience certain candies that may no longer be produced but some of the stuff you grew up with is still around and there are even some specialty stores and websites that cater to making available the treats of your youth. However, just because you can still get them, doesn't mean you should. Your adult palette is vastly different than your youthful taste of what was gross and what was really cool. While eating some of the stuff on this list today may remind you of your youth, it may also provide startling and sobering realizations that you may not have been firing on all cylinders when making choices while spending your hard earned allowance at the candy counter as a kid. Bazooka - Not only was this gum cheap, 2 for a penny back in the day although I may be seriously dating myself, but it also came with a small comic featuring Bazooka Joe, who wore an eye patch and a bunch of his freaky friends including Mort who wore his turtleneck...
Post a Comment
Read more

Evolution of the Coke Bottle

There is no logo in the world that is more recognizable than the Coca Cola company's flagship product. Coke and its classic bottle design are a symbol known all over the world. It's gotten to the point you don't even need to have the word Coke in an advertisement as long as the distinctive bottle shape is there somewhere in the image. The classic shape has evolved over the last hundred years and has gone from a rather boring square shaped bottle to the curvy silhouette it now maintains. Below is a timeline picture showing the changes over the years . The shape is also responsible for designers of other products to be inspired by the sexy elements of the bottle, most notably  car designers. there are many examples but one of the best is the 1968 Corvette. The evolution of the bottle continues with many commemorative issues produced for various promotions but one of the latest trends was the availability of metal bottles as well.  There is no doubt the bottle will...
Post a Comment
Read more

Vintage Ads From A Simpler Time - That Are Sexist As Hell

In a previous post we covered retro ads from a simpler time that were among the creepiest I've ever seen. (Click here to see that post) Let's now take a look at some ads that were done in a time when it was considered a man's world and women were here only to serve men, be a perfect wife, do all the house work, try not to do stupid things and always be fresh and pretty regardless of what they were doing. We all know that not only does such a Utopia not exist (I'm kidding ladies) but in retrospect, the people behind the creative direction of these ads really missed the mark not only conceptually but the ad wording (or copy in technical terms) is just plain awful. Clearly, these ads were designed by men, written by men, sold by men and bought by men. "Husbands admire wives who keep their stockings perfect." I love how this ad implies that being married is no reason for a woman to let herself go and should always look her best. Especially since the guy took th...
Post a Comment
Read more