Muppet Babies started a trend

[T-Bird Chick]

I never thought of it that way before, but you're right. I remember the Flinstone kids cartoon. It really wasn't that good! There is also a Baby Bugs Bunny cartoon on Cartoon Network in the mornings right now. I guess Muppet Babies did start a trend!

I LOVE THAT SHOW! I'm sick now so i am home from school i am watching it right now!

 

[lowercasegods]

That's unfortunate. While I love DIC animation (for providing shows like Inspector Gadget, Dennis the Menace, and The New Archies, if I'm not mistaken), I also love a lot of Filmation shows. And yeah, they did quit around the late 80s. They had some good shows like Blackstar and a bigger hit with its descendent, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. She-Ra, Princess of Power soon followed. They probably did some other good ones too, but one of my favorites by Filmation was their last one, which was Bravestarr, which ended by 1987. 1988 saw the Bravestarr: The Legend movie (I think this was in theaters) and then that was the end of Filmation.

Do you remember a cartoon from around 1986 called "The Galaxy Rangers?" It wasn't done by any of the major animation houses of the day, but it was so cool! I loved it! It used to come on at 6:30 in the morning before I left for school. Just a great show with great animation, characters and storylines. It kind of predated Joss Whedon's "Firefly" in it's merging of sci fi and westerns, which was also pretty sweet.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers!!!!!!!
Sweet! I totally remember that! (to use the phrase from Noggin!)

Yes, I used to watch that one all the time as well. Zach, Doc, Niko and Goose! Good times! (There's another show right there! )

But yeah, I love that cartoon. I've got a few episodes. In fact, if you check on Amazon.com there have been a few episodes released on DVD!

The show also had a rocking theme song!
"No guts, no glory!"

 

[lowercasegods]

Staying on the animation topic, have you ever noticed how many cartoons from the 80s and 90s switched animation studios? Heathcliff started off in the early 80s with the long defunct Ruby Spears studio, then resurfaced a few years later at DIC animation with some new designs and additions to its cast, though retaining Mel Blanc as Heathcliff's voice. Alvin and the Chipmunks also started out at Ruby Spears, but by the late 80s, DIC had picked them up as well (which is when their cartoons started to suck). And DIC had originally produced Captain Planet, but eventually Hanna Barbera took that show over. That sort of thing had never happened before the 80s, and has only happened again recently, when Warners Brothers bought the rights to the entire Hanna Barbera pantheon of characters. Just kind of interesting to me.

And I'll be on the lookout for those Galaxy Rangers dvds!

 

[McFraggle]

""Captain Planet" he's our hero..."

 

[Erine81981]

I'm sure there's probably even more than this that I've forgotten. Like the episode of "The Scooby Doo Movie Mysteries" where he met Jeannie, from "I Dream of Jeannie". I don't know that any cartoon version was done of that show, beyond that one appearance. Okay, well someone else add to the list. I've rambled on long enough now.

Yes there was a cartoon series of "I dream of Jeannie." It was produce by Hanna Barbera. I didn't ever see the show but I do remember it some how.

 

[Drtooth]

Staying on the animation topic, have you ever noticed how many cartoons from the 80s and 90s switched animation studios? Heathcliff started off in the early 80s with the long defunct Ruby Spears studio, then resurfaced a few years later at DIC animation with some new designs and additions to its cast, though retaining Mel Blanc as Heathcliff's voice. Alvin and the Chipmunks also started out at Ruby Spears, but by the late 80s, DIC had picked them up as well (which is when their cartoons started to suck).

Actually, the last cartoon Ruby Spears (to my knowledge) produced was "Mega Man" back in 95.


Anyway, I think the Dic Heathcliff was much more widely remembered than the R/S version (I never even heard of it until 2001). Possibly because of the Cattilac cats, which was the most beloved by the show's fans . Heathcliff never had his own show. He had to share top billing with something called Dingbat and the Creeps and Marmaduke in the older shows before the DIC series. Of course, I guess the Dic series lasted longer, probably via syndication.

I did like the Chipmunks go to the movies, however. Especially the Back to the Future parody.

While we're at it...

Disney babies WAS at one point, to become a series. The pilot probably flopped, and that's why no one has heard of it.

Another series called "Felix babies" (that's right.... Felix the cat) never really materialized, though it was publicized on their web site and comic books for a while.

Jeffery Scott, the grandson of Moe, wrote a pilot for "wee Stooges" that never went anywhere, plus the original concept for "Gagdet Boy" (the worst of the bunch, if you ask me) called "Goo Goo gadget."

I'm pretty sure there are a few more as well, but I can't recall them at this time.

 

[lowercasegods]

Y'know, a couple years ago, voice actor Maurice LaMarche (the original voice of Chief Quimby from Inspector Gadget) announced he'd be voicing the Inspector himself in a new series called, "Inspector Gadget and The Gadgeteenies" or something to that effect. I don't recall seeing it anywhere after that, though. Too bad. LaMarche did a wicked Don Adams impression.

 

[McFraggle]

While I was a big "IG" fan, I don't think I would have wanted to see that show.

 

[GonzoLeaper]

There actually were some Inspector Gadget cartoon spin-offs. Besides the 2 live action movies (and both were actually really good), there was also this 1996 series.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0262963/
(Inspector Gadget's Field Trips - in which Inspector Gadget explored various regions of the worlds with kids)

And there's the aforementioned Gadget Boy and Heather show
http://imdb.com/title/tt0155430/

And there's the Gadget Boy's Adventures in History series.
http://imdb.com/title/tt0156209/


And the latest series.
Gadget and the Gadgetinis
http://imdb.com/title/tt0387741/

And there's separate adventures only on video like "Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas", "Inspector Gadget's Greatest Gadgets" (well, that one's just a collection of episodes but I think there's some original segments on it too), and "Inspector Gadget's Last Case".


And Maurice LaMarche has had an amazing career of voicing cartoon characters. I think the only live action appearances I saw listed for him were in guest spots on The Facts of Life, Boy Meets World and Teen Angel. (And on Boy Meets World and Teen Angel, he was a narrator or radio announcer!)

Weird that "Chief Quimby" has taken on voicing Inspector Gadget. I wonder why Don Adams didn't return to do the voice.
Maybe he's just retired. Although he did do the Gadget Boy and Inspector Gadget voice for the 3 Inspector Gadget spin-off series. And he even had a role in the first Inspector Gadget live action movie. Apparently, he was the voice of Brain! I didn't even realize this. That's pretty cool that he was still involved in some capacity.