Very, very often you'll hear folk of a certain age (in and around 30 years old) complaining that they just don't make 'em like they used to.
While you can dismiss away their claims as rose-tinted sentimentality, when it comes to the cartoons of the mid-80s, those complaining folk are actually bang on the money.
1985 specifically was a powerhouse year to be a young 'un, with girl power and manly explosions to be found left, right and center. Here's a look some of the best cartoons that debuted that year.
G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO
Having kicked off as a mini-series (can you believe kids got their own mini-series back in the day?) G.I. Joe and his weekly public safety messages were promoted to a regular series in 1985, running for 95 episodes.
Was there a Gritty Hollywood Reboot? Yep! It got two movies recently starring Channing Tatum and The Rock, neither of which were particularly very good.
JEM
This involved a singer who used who specially powered ear-rings to project holograms... that she used to make sure people didn't get their hands on her projection-firing ear-rings. Which feels a little counterproductive, in hindsight. Not that it mattered, the music was incredible.
Was there a Gritty Hollywood Reboot? Why yes, there was! Directed by the same guy who ruined the G.I. Joe movie (Hollywood fails to learn lesson shocker!), the movie was a critical and commercial flop, taking all of the fun out of the plot and making it a drama. Did these people even watch the show? It was about ear-ring holograms!
M.A.S.K.
The good guys - Mobile Armoured Strike Command - battled the bad guys - Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem, or V.E.N.O.M for short - in this G.I. Joe meets Transformers hybrid / rip-off. We were never entirely sure what those nasty bad guys were up to, but whatever it was, it involved us getting some of the greatest toys of our childhoods.
Was there a Gritty Hollywood Reboot? Heart-breakingly, no. Considering the current popularity of the Fast & Furious franchise, this seemed like it would be a sure-fire success. Although people probably thought the same thing about the G.I. Joe movies before they came out...
THE CARE BEARS
These bears who cared lived in the Kingdom of Caring, which was made up of Care-a-Lot and the Forest Of Feelings, and they consisted of Bedtime Bear, Birthday Bear, Cheer Bear, Friend Bear, Funshine Bear, Good Luck Bear, Grumpy Bear, Love-a-lot Bear, Tenderheart Bear, and Wish Bear.
Was there a Gritty Hollywood Reboot? No, but we sure would love to see it! Murder Bear, Explosives Expert Bear, Dark History Bear...
SHE-RA: PRINCESS OF POWER
Here we had He-Man's sister (his show arrived two years earlier) and she had a magic sword that magically swapped her revealing outfit for a slightly less revealing outfit. She was kidnapped at birth by Hordak (you know he's evil with a name like that), but when He-Man rescues her, she leads a rebellion against the bad guy's tyrannical rule. It was all very Shakespearean, really.
Was there a Gritty Hollywood Reboot? Nope, but that could be because most people are still traumatised after seeing the historically bad 1989 He-Man movie.
THUNDERCATS
These cat-like humanoid aliens settled on Third Earth (bypassing Second Earth for some reason), after their home planet Thundera kind of exploded, and their ThunderFleet created the Cat's Lair with the help of the natives. You get the feeling that the writers just weren't trying particularly hard when they were naming these things.
Was there a Gritty Hollywood Reboot? Almost. Warner Brothers were going to create a CGI animated movie based on the cartoon, but it was put on indefinite hold when Speed Racer (another special effects heavy cartoon adaptation) failed to win over any fans.
