1987 was a big year for me. Not only was it the year I started to really get into G.I. Joe figures, but also a year which had some of my favorite cartoons of my childhood and adult years.
Title: The Adventures Of Teddy Ruxpin
Air Date: December 1986 - October 1988
Seasons: Two
Episodes: Sixty-Five
DVD Release: Yes
I remember the talking bear that ran off of tapes. I never had one, but I remember it. However, I did not know that there was a two season animated series which aired between 1987 and 1988. Not that I would have watched it at the age of twelve. Nah, for me, this would have been "babies stuff". In hindsight, I dig that this exists, and I kind of want to see it.
Fortunately for me, it's been released. Unfortunately, it's out of print, making it rare and pretty pricey.
Title: Alf
Air Date: September 1987 - January 1989
Seasons: Two
Episodes: Twenty-Six
DVD Release: No
Growing up, my family rarely missed an episode of the live action Alf series. We all enjoyed the life of the Tanner's with their live in alien, Gordon Shumway. Which is interesting, because I never watched the cartoon. Truthfully, I don't think I even knew it existed as a kid.
I'd be interested in watching the entire series. However, this isn't possible, as only a handful of episodes have been released on DVD between one volume featuring nine episodes, and a few more sprinkled in as special features on the live action seasons.
Title: Beverly Hills Teens
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Sixty-Five
DVD Release: Yes
Before the highly popular live action series, Beverly Hills 90210, there was the unrelated Beverly Hills Teens. The series focused on a group of overly wealthy teenagers, following them through the typical trials and tribulations of your average teen. However, their excessive wealth, which most people would have no access to, set an unrealistic solution to life's problems.
The entire series has been released across two DVD's. However, while volume one is readily available for as little as $10.00, volume two is rather scarce, and can easily go for ten times that price.
Title: Bionic Six
Air Date: April - November 1987
Seasons: Two
Episodes: Sixty-Five
DVD Release: No
Bionic Six has an interesting history behind it. The show was originally intended to be a sequel of sorts to the highly popular The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. However, this was changed very early on in production. Though the show is still based on the world created in the bionic universe, it instead follows the exploits of the Bennett family, all of who are infused with bionics after an accident caused by aliens.
It's never been released on DVD, and to date, there's been no word of it coming.
Title: BraveStarr
Air Date: September 1987 - February 1988
Seasons: One
Episodes: Sixty-Five
DVD Release: Yes
One of my favorites as a kid, and one I grew to love all the more as an adult. Bravestarr is a solid show that stands the test of time. Everything about this show was (is) just so amazing. From the characters, to the setting, to the themes. My personal all time favorite features Bravestarr working with Sherlock Holmes.
This entire series is not only available on DVD, but so too is the film, which unlike other cartoon series, this is not a few episodes cobbled together. Rather, it's a stand alone feature. I definitely recommend you grab both of these.
Title: The Comic Strip
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Sixty-Five
DVD Release: No
The Mini-Monsters, Street Frogs, Karate Kat and TigerSharks were all housed under this segmented series known as The Comic Strip. This one had it all jam packed within its ninety-minute runtime.
Sadly, what it doesn't have is a DVD release. Not as a whole, and not even for the individual titles. This one is a real pity. While I'm not necessarily looking for the entire show, I'd love to at least get TigerSharks. Maybe one day.
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Sixty-Five
DVD Release: No
It's like Transformers, but with reptiles. Dinosaucers featured prehistoric lizards from another planet, who battle it out in an Earth setting, aided by a handful of humans. Each one has a name to correspond with its species, and from there, the puns go rampant. It was action packed, and unique.
However, what it isn't, is on DVD. No, sadly, you're not going to find this one on home video release. Not even in PAL format.
Title: DuckTales
Air Date: September 1987 - November 1990
Seasons: Four
Episodes: One Hundred
DVD Release: Yes
Something's wrong with you if you don't like DuckTales. It's one of my all time favorites, among many others. However, unlike most cartoons, I can watch this one over and over. It's got so much heart in each and every episode. Even as a high school student, I would race to the television after getting off the bus to catch this on the Disney Afternoon.
While it's been released on DVD in its entirety, it can be challenging to get. Disney released three volumes between 2005 and 2007 (essentially one each year), but didn't release the final volume which would have included the last remaining episodes. This left fans with an incomplete series for years to come. However, in 2018, Disney did the unexpected. They released the fourth and final volume through their Disney Movie Club. While it was an exclusive, fans were ecstatic to finally have the opportunity to own the entire series. Of course being an exclusive meant that if you didn't have a membership that you were left with ebay sellers. This meant high demand, high prices, and limited supply. It's certainly not the ideal way to get your hands on this series, but at least it's an option that exists.
Title: Fraggle Rock
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: Yes
I was never into Jim Henson. Be it The Muppets, Sesame Street or Fraggle Rock. I certainly wasn't into The Dark Crystal. That movie scared the crap out of me as a kid. As a result, the Fraggle Rock cartoon really wasn't something that interested me growing up.
Of course, with that said, as an adult I want to own the series. So it's great that it's on DVD, and that it's incredibly cheap too! You can grab this one for under ten dollars or less! I got mine for five!
Title: Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: Almost
I've never seen Hello Kitty. I don't know what it is or what it's about. Nothing. The only thing I know about it is that it's majorly popular in Japan. People there go nuts for anything Hello Kitty related.
If by chance I wanted to get versed with the show, I could do so for all but one episode. MGM released seven volumes between 2003 and 2004 which contained all but one episode. Kind of dumb of them to do that, but whatever.
Title: Lady Lovely Locks And The Pixietails
Air Date: 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Twenty
DVD Release: No
Add Lady Lovely Locks to the list of other American Greetings properties. While she may not be as popular as their Strawberry Shortcake or Care Bears characters, there is charm to her princess related animated series.
Though it's not available in a complete set, several, if not most, of the episodes have been released on DVD. The majority can be found in the set, "Biggest DVD Ever".
Title: Little Clowns Of Happytown
Air Date: September 1987 - July 1988
Seasons: One
Episodes: Eighteen
DVD Release: No
Little Who-sits of What? You know, for as good as the cartoons of 1987 that I loved were, there were a whole bunch that I seemingly missed completely. This is another of those. The show's title pretty much sums up the premise. A little clown who lives in Happytown, who's goal is to spread happiness. Not a bad thing I suppose.
If you're looking for some of those sunshine rays of happiness, you sadly won't find them on DVD. The series appears to have fallen into obscurity.
Title: Little Wizards
Air Date: September 1987 - 1988
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: No
Wizards, magic, and all kinds of adventure. I mean, maybe. I don't know. I'd never heard of this series until looking into cartoons from '87. It's not available on DVD, and there's limited information available about the show on the internet, so it's a bit difficult to educate myself on it.
With that said, I'm intrigued enough that I want to keep looking. I'm definitely going to see if I can track this one down.
Title: Maxie's World
Air Date: September - October 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirty-Two
DVD Release: Yes
Straight "A" high school student, cheerleader, surfer, and investigative reporter, Maxie does it all as a teenager in the town of Surfside. I've personally never heard of this one, but it sounds somewhat like Scooby-Doo, sans a dog. I'll probably end up checking this one out.
It's been released on DVD, and it's dirt cheap. I've seen brand new copies of all thirty-two episodes sell for as little as $6.00. It's an obscure title for sure, but that's an affordable price which makes it easy to add to your collection.
Title: Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures
Air Date: September 1987 - October 1988
Seasons: Two
Episodes: Nineteen
DVD Release: Yes
Mighty Mouse is an iconic character who first made his debut among the 1940's movie theater crowd. Though his short films weren't too popular, he would see major success in the 50's, starring in his first of three animated series. My own original exposure came from the 1979 to 1980 series, The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle.
Though he disappeared for several years, Ralph Bakshi, brought the character back in 1987 for Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures. It was somewhat a cross between what Looney Tunes used to be, and what Ren and Stimpy would become.
The series has been released on DVD, and I highly recommend that you check this one out if you missed it when it first aired.
Title: The New Archies
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: No
Archie is back in the 80's along with all his pals to bring you adventures in Riverdale. This time as pre-teens, and with an all new pal, Eugene. As a fan of Archie Digest, this show is one for me.
Sadly, it's not for me on DVD because it doesn't exist. I really wish I knew the rhyme or reason as to what shows get picked to be graced on DVD. Maybe someday in the future this one will make it to the format.
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: Sort Of
Olive and Popeye finally tie the knot, and from their love comes their son Junior. Bluto is also married, and has a son named Tank. Hearkening back to days of old, the stage is set for the continued rivalry of the two dads, as well as across generations between their children.
Though the entire series was released on PAL format, USA viewers haven't had the chance yet to grab this one for ourselves. Hopefully that will change sooner than later.
Title: Saber Rider And The Star Sheriffs
Air Date: September 1987 - September 1988
Seasons: One
Episodes: Fifty-Two
DVD Release: Yes
It wasn't the most popular Japanese venture with American studios, but Saber Rider And The Star Sheriffs proved that Western culture children still had a desire for the more mature storytelling and art styles which would lead to an adulthood love of anime. Me personally, it was never my thing, and remains so to this day. I'm hoping to change that when I make my way through Voltron and Robotech, but we'll see.
Like those aforementioned titles, the series has been released on DVD. However, unlike them, it's currently out of print, and crazy expensive.
Title: Sky Commanders
Air Date: July - September 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: Yes
Sky Commanders feels like it could easily have been an offshoot of G.I. Joe. The shtick was that it elevated the action to zip lining, and this helped to propel it as one of the most popular toys of the year. The show was after all a thirty minute commercial for the purposes of selling them.
The series has been released on DVD as part of Warner Bros. manufacture on demand series, and it's definitely worth checking out. Especially if you're a fan of action adventure type shows. It sells out often on Amazon, so it could remain "in print" for some time based on this. Well, hopefully.
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Sixty-Five
DVD Release:Sort Of
As far as 80's cartoons go, this one as definitely one of the darker series out there. The premise surrounds an evil scientist who sends Zone Generators into space, trapping humans within them, and turning them into Zoners, a creature with lifeless yellow eyes and red patches on their skin. It's somewhat terrifying if you think about it.
While it remains one of the most sought after cartoon series from the 80's, an official release has never been produced. However, those lucky enough to visit SprialZone.com in 2006 had an opportunity to purchase a limited unoffical set created using the original master tapes. This was nowhere on my radar when it was released, and it's long since been made unavailable. I've never seen one on ebay, and I can't imagine it would be cheap if I did.
Title: StarCom: The U.S. Space Force
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: Yes
I had never heard of this one until compiling this series of posts, but upon checking into it, it quickly became one I wanted. I got a very big G.I. Joe vibe from it, and this alone excited me to see it. It's got a whole lot of action, laser blasts, and while the characters aren't necessarily memorable, they are likeable.
This was one I just recently picked up on DVD, and I made it a priority to watch. Being thirteen episodes, it was easy to binge watch in a couple days while sitting in bed each evening. It's not only readily available on DVD, but dirt cheap.
Title: Sylvanian Families
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: Not Entirely
Animals. Cuteness. It was every little girl's favorite...If they even knew it existed. Sylvanian Families was one I missed completely in the 80's. Then again, by 1987, this type of show wouldn't have been anywhere on my radar.
A couple volumes have been released on DVD featuring seven segments each. However, since each episode contained two segments, this is just slightly over half of them. Seriously, what is with DVD manufacturers taking cartoon shows that are segment based, and cutting them up into their own episodes?
Title: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Air Date: December 1987 - November 1996
Seasons: Ten
Episodes: One Hundred Ninety-Three
DVD Release: Yes
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were 1987. If you weren't watching this series, reading the comics and / or playing with the toys, you weren't a child of the 80's. The series ushered in a whole new iconic IP which has stood the time for decades.
The series has been released multiple times on DVD in various volumes and complete collections, but there are setbacks to this. Not all of the re-releases are created equally. The highly coveted Party Wagon, which encompassed the entire series has a factory defect.wherein one of the discs from season four is missing several of the episodes. As such, I don't personally recommend buying this release.
Title: Visionaries: Knights Of The Magical Light
Air Date: September - December 1987
Seasons: One
Episodes: Thirteen
DVD Release: Sort Of
I didn't get a chance to see this series until a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it. Knights, magic, good versus evil, great characters. This one seemed to have it all.
Though I purchased this on DVD, I found out upon arrival that it was a bootleg, which really bummed me out. Turns out, this series was only released on DVD on PAL formats. Hopefully it will one day get a USA release.
Visionaries wraps up our look at cartoons from 1987. Over the next two weeks, we'll not only wrap up 2021, but also our look at cartoons of the 80's. I hope to see you next week for 1988.
This series of posts encompasses the following:
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
Click "HERE" to go back to the home page. For more posts related to this one, please click the labels below.
Little Clowns from Happytown sounds like it should be a horror/slasher movie.
ReplyDeleteI mean, pretty much anything with clowns constitutes as "horror" for me.
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