10 1980s Cartoons Classics Available for Streaming

The cartoons of the 1980s were a wild mixture of commercialism and fantasy. While it’s easy to see the marketing masquerading now, there’s just something about cartoons with transforming robots, ninja turtles, and ponies that’s hard to ignore. You really had to be there.

Maybe you were there and want to go back. Or maybe you weren’t and want to figure out where all these long-running franchises started. If you wish to return to that era, these are the classic 1980s cartoons on streaming you need to check out.

10

My Little Pony

While Ponyland might seem like a paradise of ponies, it was a rather chaotic setting for My Little Pony. The cartoon, based on the toy franchise, found the colorful equine battling all sorts of magical enemies. They’d protect their home from the conspiring forces of evil witches and enslaving beasts.

Despite sharing its timeslot with other cartoons like Potato Head Kids, My Little Pony had an allure as powerful as the toys with brushable hair. The animation by Japanese studio Toei Animation was a mixture of cartoony and fantastical, boasting a bit more teeth than the softer Care Bears. The original show is worth watching to see the small start of a franchise that would later explode with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

Tubi

My Little Pony is a whimsical and fantastical dose of retro cartoon magic centered around the popular pony toys.

9

Transformers

Transformers is a prime example of popular 1980s cartoons built around toys. The show followed the ongoing battle between the robots of the Autobots and the Decepticons. They take their battle to Earth, where they disguise themselves as trucks, jets, and even boomboxes.

The cartoon boasts plenty of robot-on-robot action as the forces fight for the resource Energon. The voices are also highly iconic for featuring Peter Cullen as the heroic Optimus Prime, a role he continued to play in the live-action Transformers movies. Though showing some rust with its dated animation, there’s plenty of old-fashioned sci-fi adventure to see how this cartoon launched a massive franchise.

Pluto TV

Transformers is a classic adventure saga of transforming robots, duking it out for energy and planets.

8

Jem and the Holograms

You won’t find a more musical cartoon of the ‘80s than the iconic Jem and the Holograms. Built around the glam of the era, the show centered around Jerrica Benton. She might look like a mere music manager, but the aid of holograms transforms her into the big-haired rock star, Jem, leading her band The Holograms.

Jem is a cartoon that just screams 1980s pop with its big hair, neon style, and glam rock. The episodes were also surprisingly mature in handling aspects of identity and romance. It’s also just a real treat that the cartoon has a music video in nearly every episode that feels like something you’d see on MTV.

Tubi

Jem and the Holograms has plenty of pop music to place viewers in the glam vibe of the 1980s.

7

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Based on a much grittier comic book, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mutated into a cartoon phenomenon. Set in New York City, the mutant turtles reside in the sewers, but regularly rise to eat pizza and kick butt. Their rivals include the forces of the warrior Shredder, pint-sized monster Krang, and all sorts of mutant villains.

The Ninja Turtles phenomenon is hard to describe without using the Turtles-California vernacular of “bodacious” and “radical.” It was fun to see these mutants go from using martial arts in the streets to eating odd pizzas in the sewers. That weird dose of the cool and the gross defined Turtle Power, potent enough to continue onward for decades.

Paramount Plus

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles boasts fun ninja action and a radical sensation of Turtle Power.

6

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero

While the G.I. Joe toys had been around for decades prior, they became a bigger marketing force with their cartoon, A Real American Hero. As the opening clearly explains, G.I. Joe is a paramilitary organization of specially skilled soldiers. They fight back against the terrorist forces of COBRA, complete with cohorts ranging from the devious Baroness to the metal-headed Destro.

For a show about a paramilitary force fighting terrorists, G.I. Joe is surprisingly funny in a manner both intentional and unintentional. The guns all shot lasers, the themed soldiers constantly spout one-liners, and it’s hard not to smirk at Chris Latta’s raspy screeching as Cobra Commander. The public service announcements that close each episode are also a treat for teaching valuable lessons, since “knowing is half the battle.”

Tubi

G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero has plenty of action and absurdity in its ongoing battle of the military versus terrorists.

5

The Real Ghostbusters

Taking place after the first Ghostbusters movie, the adventures of the schlubby ghost-hunters in New York continued in cartoon form. The TV show featured more ghost-hunting investigations of all sorts of paranormal threats. They weren’t all as quirky as the cute Slimer, with some still looking terrifying today.

The Real Ghostbusters did more than just satiate fans between Ghostbusters movies. The episodes felt like more genuine ghost investigations by the familiar misfits, especially with voice actor Lorenzo Music doing his best Bill Murray impersonation. Coupled with the iconic Ray Parker Jr. theme song, the show truly felt like The Real Ghostbusters, where busting made you feel good.

Roku Channel (Web Version)

The Real Ghostbusters perfectly preserves the charms of the Ghostbusters movies with more paranormal adventures.

4

DuckTales

Disney took a gamble on DuckTales, the adventures of the rich Scrooge McDuck and his plucky nephews (Huey, Dewey, and Louie). The animation for the show was leagues above the competition with more fluid character designs and exciting sequences. It was a risk worth taking as DuckTales became a cartoon hit, paving the way for Disney Afternoon of the 1990s.

The globetrotting adventures of anthropomorphic ducks was a dazzling diversion from typical cartoons of the era. The animation was more lush and creative, embracing Disney’s devotion to quality animation. It’s worth watching as the show that inspired Darkwing Duck and for that infectious theme song about solving mysteries and rewriting history.

Disney+

DuckTales embodies the thrill of globetrotting adventure with robust animation from Disney.

3

Robotech

Robotech can be thought of as the mature cousin of Voltron. While it was a Japanese anime series about fighting aliens while piloting robots, it was far more grounded. Unlike Voltron, Robotech wasn’t afraid to stress the horrors of war with characters dying. It was an action cartoon with consequences, which was rare for the decade.

This cartoon was thrilling for its potent mixture of grand-scale action and simmering space opera. There were amazing transforming robots and a story that wasn’t afraid to tackle war, gender divide, love triangles, military service, and grief. With thrilling combat sequences and an epic orchestral soundtrack, Robotech still has some maneuvers that hold up after decades, holding its own against more modern anime popping up on places like Netflix.

Crunchyroll

Robotech features giant robot action and stellar character drama in this engrossing space opera.

2

Dungeons & Dragons

For a decade that saw a rise in the popularity and controversy of Dungeons & Dragons, it’s astounding that a cartoon adaptation managed to make it onto Saturday morning. The show follows a youth ensemble that is magically transported into the world of the popular tabletop game. While aided by the helpful Dungeon Master, they’ll also have to do battle with an evil wizard in this fantastical landscape they must escape from.

Despite the Satanic panic of the 1980s over games like D&D, the cartoon didn’t feel like a safer or cheaper adaptation. Plenty of familiar classes and monsters did an ample job of replicating the experience of board-based quests. The cartoon also had some guts, as with the episode addressing World War 2 when a Nazi pilot is transported to this fantasy realm.

Roku Channel (Web Version)

Dungeons & Dragons takes the tabletop game and turns it into a faithful fantasy cartoon.

1

ThunderCats

ThunderCats is a cartoon genre stew. The adventure centering around the immigrating ThunderCats has the anthropomorphic cat heroes venturing to a strange planet. As Lion-O tries to master his mystical sword, his cat team must deal with evil mummy wizards, vile mutants, and intergalactic bounty hunters.

Developed by Rankin Bass (the same studio that produced Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer), ThunderCats has a little bit of everything. There’s fantastic adventure as Lion-O battles the forces of Mumm-Ra, but also comic relief in the form of the cowardly Snarf. The imagination is so wild that it’s hard not to shout along with the ThunderCats’ battle cry.

Hulu

ThunderCats weaves sci-fi and fantasy into a genre mash of exciting adventures for the cat-like heroes.

These 1980s cartoons should paint a more complete picture of what it was like growing up in a time of toy commercials and wild fantasies. They should also act as a history of how many of these cartoon franchises still linger today. It’s hard to fully define this era without having lived it, but perhaps watching these classics with a big bowl of cereal on Saturday morning will help replicate the experience.