Seriously, what animated shows from the 1980's hold up well today that was not attached to a merchandise, movie, or toyline? I recently had the chance to check out the old Tom and Jerry cartoons from the 1940's and 50's, and damn do they hold up to this day! By contrast, everything I enjoyed back in the 1980's was crap, if I'm being brutally honest. Going at it from an animation snob's point of view, what's probably the benchmark of 1980's television animation? The only thing I can look to in the 1980's would be The Little Mermaid, Secret of Nihm, American Tale, ect., but those are feature films, whereas one could make the argument that Batman the Animated Series and the Simpsons were as much pop culture cornerstones on the 90's as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.
So were there truly any pure animated television gems of the 1980's? I really can't think of any strong examples, and yes, we all have our favorite guilty pleasures, but do they hold up today on their own merits, like Roadrunner vs. Coyote, or are they too tethered to marketing that they come off as cash ins, like G.I.Joe, Ducktales, and Masters of the Universe?
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