Saturday Morning Cartoons – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com The best place on earth for nerds. Sun, 10 Mar 2019 17:18:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-nerds_head_thumb2-100x100.png Saturday Morning Cartoons – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com 32 32 All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, under one umbrella. We create short run podcasts for nerds, covering D&D, Marvel, Starfinder, and more! You vote for your favorite shows and they just might get a second season. Saturday Morning Cartoons – Nerds on Earth false episodic Saturday Morning Cartoons – Nerds on Earth jason.sansbury@nerdsonearth.com podcast All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, the best place on Earth for nerds. Saturday Morning Cartoons – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/noe-podcast-logo.png https://nerdsonearth.com/blog/ M.A.S.K.: Remembering Saturday Morning Cartoons https://nerdsonearth.com/2019/03/saturday-morning-cartoons-mask/ Sat, 23 Mar 2019 12:00:35 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=23322

With cool transforming cars and mysterious masked heroes, M.A.S.K. was a wonderful Saturday morning cartoon. Nerds on Earth looks back.

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Like a blast from the past, Mobile Armored Strike Kommand aka M.A.S.K. drives its way into our hearts and memories.

What was M.A.S.K.?

M.A.S.K. was a special task force led by Matt Trakker built to combat the evil criminal organization V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem). The mission of V.E.N.O.M. was to obtain riches by any means necessary and with the use of transforming super-vehicles, the two sides would face the age of battle of good versus evil.

This Canadian TV show mashed up the best of two great TV shows: G.I. Joe‘s wide range of specialized operatives and Transformers morphing vehicles. This found them a faithful fan base that supported 75 incredibly unique and fun Saturday morning episodes.

Why do we love M.A.S.K.?

M.A.S.K. had incredibly fun character designs derived from the helmets (or masks) that each character wore. Couple that with the vehicle concepts and you were racing along with every member from the driver side of your couch.

The series intro music was simultaneously intense and hopeful, giving each episode of M.A.S.K. a playful and positive backing. Plus, the toys were amazing.

Sadly, I didn’t have the privilege of growing up while watching Transformers or G.I. Joe, but I did manage to catch a VHS of M.A.S.K. and was hooked from episode one. It would have been a great gateway cartoon had I known of the other two.

M.A.S.K. Characters and Vehicles

  • The Thunderhawk was a Chevy Camaro driven by Matt Trakker himself. The doors folded up like wings so the Camaro could fly, as is typical.
  • The Rhino was perhaps the 2nd most popular vehicle. The Rhino was a tractor rig that transformed into a mobile defense unit.
  • The Condor was a motorcycle that turned into a helicopter, while VENOM had a motorcycle called the Piranha that had a removable sidecar that doubled as a submarine. They go low; you go high.
  • The Gator was a jeep. But the entire body would pivot up, allowing a speed boat to shoot out the front. Dusty Hayes was the driver, but I pretended he was Dusty Rhodes, the American Dream.
  • The base of operations was a filling station called Boulder Hill. This HQ had everything a kid could dream of: an anti-aircraft current, a helipad, and gas pump lasers.

Where is M.A.S.K. now?

Alas, M.A.S.K. did not have the incredible fortitude and consistency of the two cartoons it had taken inspiration from. Only 10 episodes into its second season, M.A.S.K. changed the concept from fighting V.E.N.O.M. to racing. Production was shut down not long after.

However this was not the end for our masked heroes. In 2016 the M.A.S.K. comic book was started up by IDW. Written by Brandon Easton and drawn by artists Tony Vargas and Tommy Lee Edwards, they designed the comic to bring M.A.S.K. into a modern setting.

Sadly, I have grown up and gotten my own car but I often wonder (usually when I’m stuck in traffic) what it would be like to hit a button to transform my sedan into a jet that could burst off into the clouds.

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ThunderCats: Remembering Saturday Morning Cartoons https://nerdsonearth.com/2019/03/thundercats-saturday-morning-cartoons/ Sat, 16 Mar 2019 12:00:34 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=23323

Nerds on Earth looks back at ThunderCats, a classic Saturday morning cartoon.

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Thunder, THUNDER, THUNDERCATS Hoooooooo!

Created by Tobin Wolf, the original ThunderCats cartoon ran from 1985 to 1989, gifting us with 65 episodes and even a movie, ThunderCats – Ho!

What’s the story of ThunderCats?

The Story begins with the ThunderCats fleeing their dying planet, Thundera, while being besieged by a mutant alien race called the Plun-dar.  But their ship is badly damaged and they cannot make it to the original destination. They have to settle for something closer: a planet called Third Earth.

Still, the journey will not be a quick one and requires the main characters to go into a sort of stasis while the trusted friend Jaga gives his life to make sure the ship arrives at its destination.

On arrival, Lion-O, the prince of the ThunderCats, awakens to find that his stasis pod has slowed but not stopped his aging. Leading to the issue of his being a child trapped in a teenager’s body while having missed on all the life experiences.

Alas, our heroes did not make the trip by themselves. They were followed by a ship of the Plun-dar fleet which also lands on Third Earth. Their arrival awakened the planet’s own evil being named Mumm-ra and he enlists their help to recover the Eye of Thundara, the magical sword that resides in the possession of Lion-O.

Unlike some shows each season of the ThunderCats had a progressive plot which unfolded with every episode and thoroughly developed the story of the ThunderCats.

Meet The ThunderCats

  • Lion-O – The prince of the ThunderCats. Although cunning and skillful, he must learn throughout the series what it takes to become a true leader and gain true maturity.
  • Panthro – A warrior in all forms of martial arts fighting, Panthro also has a brilliant mind that he used as the chief engineer and pilot for the ThunderCats.
  • Cheetara – Often a voice of reason, she had a precognitive sense that detected when something was unsafe or if evil was near.
  • Tygra – Based on the tiger, Tygra was the chief architect and scientist.
  • Snarf – Snarf served as a nursemaid and protector for Lion-O when he was a boy.
  • Pumyra – The compassionate healer and medic.
  • Lynx-O – Though blind, he was still a formidable fighter as his other senses were heightened.

The iconic villain Mumm-ra, with his ability to transform from a frail old creature to a super powered entity, was voiced by Earl Hammond. He had powers of sorcery and an apparently unlimited lifespan.

Why do we love the ThunderCats?

One of the main reasons to have nostalgia for this 1980s cartoon is the originality in the core concept. Cat-human hybrids have been around for a long period of time, yet this cartoon presents space travel, mythology, and magic into a single setting.

The character development is rich and interesting, especially with Lion-O’s difficulty of being a child in an adult body. This feeds into a brilliantly written set of story arcs which resonate. The concept of having a flowing story also stood out from the one and done episodes of the standard Saturday morning cartoon.

The animation style originally done by Topcraft in season one and then taken over by Pacific animation corporation for season 2-4, had a wealth of detail and beauty. Combine this with the intense and gripping music written by Bernard Hoffer and ThunderCats roars onto the TV screen. This got every watcher as excited for the opening as they were for the rest of the episode.

https://youtu.be/uA8yIXcY8HI

If you wanted to kick off your Saturday mornings with a burst of energy, incredible storylines, and the insane inspiration to run around your house swinging a stick while screaming “ThunderCats Ho!” this animation not only had you enthralled but inspired.

Where are the ThunderCats now?

Apart from the wealth of comic books and collectibles that went along with the original ThunderCats series, Cartoon Network tried to restart this 80s classic with a bumped-up animation style and an hour long opening episode. Alas, it didn’t have the same connection that the first series did and production was halted on the initially planned 52 episodes after just the first season.

This however has not dissuaded networks from trying to reignite the greatness of the ThunderCats. In 2019 we should be seeing the newly styled animation of ThunderCats Roar. This takes a completely new direction with the animation style in an effort to attract a younger audience. Whether it will have the same reception as the ThunderCats reinvention in 2013 or will succeed like the first series it is yet to be seen.

But if I had the Sword of Thundara I might ask for it to give me sight Beyond sight to see what lies ahead for the ThunderCats.

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Bucky O’Hare: Remembering Saturday Morning Cartoons https://nerdsonearth.com/2019/03/bucky-ohare-remembering-saturday-morning-cartoons/ Sat, 02 Mar 2019 13:00:25 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=22520

Looking back at Bucky O'Hare, one of Saturday morning's forgotten cartoons.

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From another dimension, another time and space, a Saturday morning cartoon released in 1991 with some insane characters guaranteed to blow your photon accelerators.

Created from the original comic book written in 1978 by Larry Hama and Michael Golden, the amazing Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars cartoon sadly only ran for one season of thirteen episodes.

What is Bucky O’Hare?

The original series was created along with product line of action figures for each character that went along with the show. I can still remember being jealous of the neighbor kids’ Bucky O’Hare action figure.

  • Bucky O’Hare – A bright green hare and Captain of the Righteous Indignation.
  • Jenny – The telepathic pilot cat who also had a thing for Willy DuWitt.
  • Bruce – A Betelgeusian Berserker Baboon who was the previous mechanic of the Righteous Indignation.
  • Willy DuWitt – The super intelligent teenager from San Francisco who gets pulled through realities to become the mechanic of the Righteous Indignation.
  • Deadeye Duck – The one-eyed four-armed duck gunner with a Scottish accent.
  • AFC Blinky – The comic relief android that identifies all the foreboding issues for the crew with the line “Calamity and woe!”
Click to embiggen.

Why was Bucky O’Hare so popular?

The main story is built around the character Willy DuWitt who, after creating a photon accelerator, is sucked into a parallel universe: “The Aniverse.” Landing on the spaceship Righteous Indignation in the middle of a battle, Willy takes over as the ship’s mechanic, while the crew fight off Komplex – an A.I. set on universal domination and the toad empire.

The first thing about this cartoon that grabs your attention is the theme song. It’s energetic, intense and sticks you right into the action delivering everything you need to know to pick up an episode (it’s all so ridiculously catchy).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAviHTWpMVM

What really drew me to this cartoon when I was younger was the originality behind the whole concept. Even by today’s standards, it stands out pretty well. It’s got a crew of very different and original concepts, parallel dimensional travelers, and an artificial intelligence that was originally designed as a marketing tool taking control of a whole species for universal domination.

All these ideas would have been marvelous on their own, but to have them all combined into one television series really makes Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Wars a memorable experience.

Where is Bucky now?

Sadly the story of Bucky O’Hare was not one that would last. Apart from two supporting video games that were released, there is only a re-release of the comic books as a Omnibus Edition in 2007 and the Bucky O’Hare DVD collection that was released in 2013.  

Although that seems to be the end of the tale, Bucky O’Hare still lives on in the memories of those who can still remember the line, “Let’s croak us some toads!”

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