#73 - 5 MORE of the Forgotten, Obscure and Short-Lived Cartoons of the 1980s!

Thank you for tuning in!  In today's episode, we are continuing to look back at some of the forgotten cartoons of yesteryear, specifically from the 1980s.  We will examine some shows you may have forgotten including  Shirt Tales, Snorks, Pound Puppies the Wuzzles, and Kissyfur! 

Thank you to Protocol Labs for sponsoring the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast!  You can learn more here:  https://www.popcultureretrospective.com/sponsors/

I mentioned a few older episodes of the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast on this episode.  You can check those out here:

Troop Beverly Hills:  https://www.popcultureretrospective.com/pop-culture-retrospective-episode-12-troop-beverly-hills-an-80s-movie-cult-classic-flashback/

Gummi Bears (as well as other popular cartoon and toy bears):  https://www.popcultureretrospective.com/pop-culture-retrospective-podcast-53-popular-toy-cartoon-bears-of-the-1980s/

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Transcript

Thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast. This show is dedicated to the memory of my big sister Rebecca, a fan of all things pop-culture, particularly of the people, places, and things that defined the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.  Welcome aboard this pop culture time machine, I'm Amy Lewis. This is episode #73- 5 MORE Forgotten, obscure, and short-lived cartoon series, but this time they are all from the 1980s.  During today's show, we are continuing our look back at animated shows which may have faded from your memory over the years but will soon make a comeback to your nostalgia-loving brain.  After my previous episode, I realized just how much people love old cartoons from their childhood, so I wanted to share more shows because the 80s and 90s were graced with so many memorable cartoons.  Before we get into today’s episode though, I wanted to make sure to share the results of my poll from a few weeks back.  I asked on both Twitter and Instagram, which orange cat is your favorite Healthcliff or Garfield.  On both sites, Garfield won by a landslide.  It seems as though there is just no love for Heathcliff.  That, or people just don’t remember him as well as Garfield.  Anyways, on this episode though, we are going to be taking a look back at the Pound Puppies, Wuzzles, Shirt Tales, Snorks and Kissyfur.

So grab your TV tray, your Mr. T. Cereal and climb into your lazy boy for some Saturday morning cartoons, here we go! 

For today’s group of shows we are going in chronological order, beginning with the show that aired on TV first.

In 1982, a group of characters that originated on Hallmark cards made their TV debut - the Shirt Tales.  Theme Song | Shirt Tales | Warner Archive The group of animal friends, 5 of them to be exact, became incredibly popular on Hallmark cards. As a matter of fact, they were some of their best-selling cards of all time up until that point.  So, of course, it had to be adapted into an animated series, which was created by Hanna Barbera airing on NBC from 1982-1985 on Saturday mornings.  The animals were famous for each wearing a t-shirt with some sort of message written on it or showing what they were thinking at any given moment.  We had a plate that had all of the shirt-tales characters on it, Raccoon was wearing a shirt that said Havin Fun, Tiger was wearing a red shirt that said Goin’ Strong and Panda was wearing a pink shirt that said Rollin Along.  They are all smashed onto a tandem bike, riding down the road.  I’m pretty sure me and my sister ate many a grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly sandwich off of that plate.   

All five of the animal characters live in a town called Oak Tree Park.  There was Tyg Tyger, he always wore an orange shirt in the show.  He was the physically strongest member of the group and often shouts “I’m Tyg and I’m tough.”  He was voiced by Steven Schatzberg, who also lent his voice to shows like the Gary Coleman Show, Real Ghostbusters, and many Winnie the Pooh episodes and specials.  Bogey Orangutan wore a green shirt.  

He loves bananas and his voice and movements are based on Humphrey Bogart.  Pammy the Panda always wore Pink shirts.  She is the smartest member of the group apparently, she could invent things that would help the group get out of trouble. She was voiced by Patricia Parris who lent her voice to other shows like the Adventures of Raggedy Anne and Andy, Fraggle Rock and the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.  There was also Digger Mole who wears a light blue shirt.  He is the more anxious member of the group.  He would rather stay behind then risk getting in trouble or facing danger.  He was voiced by Bob Ogle, a writer and actor.  He is known for his contributions to tv shows like Richie Rich, the Flintstones Comedy Hour and Archie’s Funhouse.  Finally, there is Ricky Raccoon.  He wears a red shirt.  He is the leader of the shirt tales.  His catchphrase is “it’s zoom time” which I imagine was probably someone’s colleagues catchline during the pandemic which I am quite certain got old.  

The shirttales have a large television in their house which they refer to as a “trouble sensor.”  It tells them when there are emergencies as the shirt tales often try to help with emergencies and fight crime.  I mentioned earlier that the shirttales shirts would flash what they were thinking at times so in one episode I was watching they got an alert about someone breaking out of prison and the word “baddy” flashes on raccoon’s shirt.  The show originally aired on NBC, but eventually moved to CBS.  Most episodes revolved around their escapades trying to fight crime and antagonize the groundskeeper where they live, Mr. Dinkle. 

Here are some episode examples:

Season 1, Episode 6 - Digger Runs Away - Digger leaves Oak Tree Park but thankfully his friends find him!  Season 1, Episode 10 - Save the Park, the park is slated to be torn down and it’s up to the shirt tales to save it!

Season 2, Episode 7 - Saturday Night Shirt Tales/Kips Toy Caper- Mr. Dinkle gets invited to a new discotheque in town, but a DJ that escaped prison is planning on crashing the event. 

 The Shirrtales certainly had a pretty decent line of merchandise.  From puffy stickers to card games to glass candy jars to plates to cups to lunchboxes, if you wanted something with the 5 adorable animals on it, odds are you would be able to find it.  I know we had that shirttlales plate for years as perhaps I will bid on the one I saw on ebay….on to the next show!

From 1984 to 1986, you could catch the Snorks, a cartoon series created by Hanna Barbera.  Snorks | The Complete First Season Intro | Warner Bros. Entertainment.  This quirky cartoon revolves around a clan of teenage, underwater creatures who all have snorkels.  They live in a land called Snorkland.  They use their snorkels to make noises and to help them move around.  They come to the rescue whenever their town is in danger. Usually there is some sort of villian worked into the show, like “Big Weed” who started appearing in season 3.  

The Snorkes were originally supposed to be sort of an off-shoot of the Smurfs and be sort of a “new smurf” however there were a lot of copyright laws that prevented this from happening.  So the Snorks ended up competing with the Smurfs, but I think we know who won that war.  However, 65 ½ hour episodes were produced and the show ran in syndication from 1987 to 1989. 

Michael Bell provided the voice of Allstar Seaworthy who is the brave leader of the group.  Allstar is yellow in color and often demonstrates leadership capabilities with the crew.  Bell’s voice can also be heard in various TV shows like Rugrats, the Smurfs and Transformers the Movie. Casey Kelp is a strong and brave female character who has side pigtails.  Casey Kelp likes to go shopping with her best friend Daffney and she is often bullied by Junior Wetworth. Casey is played by BJ Ward who famously toured with the Groundlings an improv comedy troupe.  She also voiced Velma in the Scooby Doo cartoons in the 1990s and played Betty Rubble in the Flinstone Cartoons from the 1980s to the early 2000s.  Daphne Gilphen is a coral colored and fashionable snork.  She won several beauty pageants growing up.  Nancy Cartwright provided her voice - Cartwright is most famous for her on-going and long-running role as the voice of Bart Simpson in the Simpsons.    Edie McClug voiced Mrs. Seaworthy, she was the secretary in Ferris Bueller’s Day off.  Occy is Allstart’s pet, he’s an octopus that only speaks in toots.  Occy was played by Frank Welker, one of the most well-known and highest earning voice actors of our time.  He played Fred Jones in Scooby Doo, Garfield in the Garfield show and voiced Baby Kermit on the Muppet Babies.  Can I get a “Yes, Nanny?!” Muppet Babies Cartoon Intro 1985  

Here are some episode examples of the Snorks.  In Season 1, Episode 1 - Hooked on a Feeling/New Neighbors, Occy falls in love. Season 1, Episode 13 - The King of Kelp/Whales Tales, the Snorks help a baby whale that gets stuck in a net.  In Season 2, Episode 3, Chickens of the Sea/Never Cry Wolf Fish, Snorkland is low on salt so Allstar sets out to try to find some.  

Merchandise for the Snorks doesn’t seem to have been as extensive as some of the other shows on this list, but at one time you could collect Snork figurines or re-design your room with the help of Snork-themed wallpaper.  If given the choice, I definitely would have picked Snork wallpaper over the antique heart wallpaper that my mom chose for my room in the late 1980s.  Yes, I am still bitter.    

In 1985, yet another cartoon premiered, but this time it was produced by Disney and has arguably the best theme song of all of the shows we will be discussing today:  The Wuzzles Cartoon Intro 1985 (Best Audio).  Sadly, the show lasted just one year because one of the actors who voiced one of the main characters passed away, but more on that in a moment.  

Disney actually created this show but during the process, they found out that Hasbro (the toy company) was also creating a line of toy animals that were 2 in 1 so instead of going to court to battle it out, they decided to collaborate.  Disney produced the show and Hasbro produced the toys. 

Stan Freberg played the narrator.  He is a well known voice actor who lent his voice to other shows like Garfield and Friends, Ren & Stimpy and Tiny Toon Adventures.  Brian Cummings played the role of Bumblelion who is half bumble bee and half lion of course.  He is orange in color with a bumble bee like belly and antenna.  He lives in a beehive and loves playing sports.  He has a crush on butterbear.  Cummings also lent his voice to shows like Snorks, GI Joe and Berenstein Bears.  Butter Bear is a kind and patient half bear/half butterfly creature.  She loves to garden.  She is yellow with a white belly.  Kathleen Helppie Shipley played Butter Bear.  Her voice can also be heard in TV shows like Bugs Bunny’s Mad World of Television, the Biskitts and the very first episode of Pound Puppies.  Eleroo is half elephant and half kangaroo.  She is accident prone and very clumsy.  Henry Gibson provided the voice of Eleroo.  He also lent his voice to various characters in Pound Puppies, CBS Storybreak and appeared in an episode of the Love Boat.  Moosel is another character in the Wuzzles.  He is half moose/half aquatic creature, maybe a seal? He is blue and light purple in color.  Moosel lives in a lighthouse and has a vivid imagination.  He is best friends with Rhinokey.  Bill Scott provided the voice for Moosel.  He was a well-known voice actor playing roles like Bullwinkle J. Moose in Rocky and Bullwinkle, voiced Gruffi Gummi in the Gummi Bears and his voice can be heard in Alvin and the Chipmunks. He died of a heart attack at the age of 65 in 1985 and like I mentioned earlier, this is allegedly why the production of the Wuzzles stopped.  Alan Oppenheimer played Rhinokey.  Rhinokey is half rhinoceros and half monkey.  He is pink and yellow in color.  He is quite hyper and happy-go-lucky.  Oppenheimer lent his voice to shows like JEM, She-RA and Gummi Bears.  Hoppotomas was half rabbit half hippopotamus.  She is a bit of a pushy character, and has a diva complex.  She has a crush on bummblelion.  She was voiced by Jo Anne Worley, a well-known actress.  She starred in the Laugh-In, as well as playing the wardrobe in the animated film Beauty and the Beast.   There is also a villain in the tv show, a character named Crock who is half dinosaur/half croc and full-on bully!

While doing my research I learned that Disney produced both the Wuzzles and Gummi Bears at the same time, but they were sold to 2 different networks, with the Wuzzles airing on CBS and the Gummi Bears airing on ABC.  The Gummi Bears proved to be more popular.  Apparently, Michael Eisner came up with the concept for both shows.  

Here are a few episode examples:

Season 1, Episode 2:  Hooray for Hollywuz- Hoppopatamus dreams of becoming a star in Hollywuz and stops at nothing to make that dream a reality.  

Season 1 Episode 3, in In the Money, Bumblelion wants to have more money and his wish comes true when some money magically falls on him, but it turns out it came from someone who stole it. Episode 6 Klutz on the Clutch, Rhinokey wants to race in the Wuzville Ralley but he’s a bit too impulsive of a driver so his friends try to reign him in.   

Despite it’s short run on TV, there was a plethora of Wuzzles merchandise available to eager children who watched the show like me and my sister.  There were board games, nightlights story books, wooden puzzles, figurines and my personal favorite, which I owned, a wuzzles sleeping bag. I believe my sister had a Care Bears sleeping bag and I had a Wuzzles one.  It’s unclear whether or not there were ever any episodes released on VHS or DVD.  It seems as though  VHS tapes may have been released in other countries, those lucky bastards.  Reruns did air for quite some time on the Disney Channel and Toon Disney.

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Pound Puppies ran from 1986-1987 TV Intro Pound Puppies 1987, airing Saturday mornings on ABC.  The puppies were created by a man named Michael Bowling.  He worked at a Ford manufacturing facility.  He noticed how much his daughter carried around her favorite doll.  He wanted to create a beloved character like that, but not a doll.  He figured dogs were man’s best friend so that is what he went with.   

So, he created his first prototype puppy dog, something he could show prospective toy companies in hopes to get an investor.  He even went so far as to create packaging that looked like a kennel.  He was rejected by over a dozen companies. Since he didn’t get any interest from toy companies, he decided to produce the dogs himself with some help from a woman named Becki Manning.  With some additional support through connections at the Ford Facility, Bowling was able to create a first line of plush dogs.  Eventually, the toy company named Irwin Toys decided to give Bowling’s creation a shot.  At first the toys were sold in Canada, but eventually expanded.  Within the first 5 years of production, over 500 million dollars worth of Pound Puppies were sold.  I bet about $50 of those dollars came from my parents and grandparents who purchased both me and my sister a Pound Puppy of our own.  With the success of the toyline came, you guessed it, a television special airing in 1985, followed by an animated series and even a full-length movie.  The PP toys are noted for being one of the first toylines to be unisex, they were marketed toward both girls and boys.  

The series was primarily set at dog pound of course, which was owned by an evil woman named Katrina Stoneheart.  She is the guardian of a young girl named Holly who befriends a lot of the dogs at the pound.  The dogs are stuck at the pound for the most part but periodically they are able to get out via a secret tunnel.    

Dan Gilvezan voiced Cooler, the leader of the Pound Puppies.  Cooler is a beagle who sports a navy blue and red jacket.  He is very personable and extroverted.  His laugh intentionally mirrored that of Eddie Murphy.   Dan Gilvezan also voiced characters in the Spiderman & his Amazing friends animated series, as well as Transformers and TMNT.  He was also the voice of Henry Mitchell in the “all new Dennis the Menace” animated series.  Ruth Buzzi voiced Nose Marie.  Buzzi also starred on YCDTOT, voiced Mama Bear in the Berenstain Bears and was also a guest star on the Donny and Marie Show as well as the Carol Burnett Show.   Howler was voiced by Robert Morse.  Morse also lent his voice talents to shows like Superman- the animated series, Tinytoon Adventures and Rugrats. Bright Eyes is a young female dog, she is sweet and has lots of energy.  She is a yellow lab.  Bright Eyes was voiced by Nancy Cartwright, who we talked about earlier. Whopper is a Jack-Russel terrier who is the youngest of the PP and is also a compulsive liar. Whopper was voiced by BJ Ward.  Beamer is a schnauzer mix, he eats fancy food like crumpets and scones.  Beamer was voiced by Gregg Berg who also provided the voices of Fozzy and Scooter in the Muppet Babies!  Can I get another Yes, Nanny?! Muppet Babies Cartoon Intro 1985    There is also Violet who is a greyhound/shar Pei mix.  She has a crush on Cooler.  She was actually kidnapped, I think in the TV special, but thankfully ends up at the pound with the other dogs. She was voiced by Gail Matthius, who starred on SNL in the early 1980s.  She also has provided her voice talents to other shows like Animaniacs and Ren & Stimpy. Finally, we have Holly who was voiced by Ami Foster.  She played the character of Margaux in Punky Brewster, starred in Wrinkles and was Clare in Troop Beverly Hills.  

By the way, did you know that I did a full episode all about Troop Beverly Hills? That’s right, I did!  Check out episode #12 of the PCRP where you can learn more about this fantastic film.

Here are a few episode examples:

Season 1, Episode 1:  Bright Eyes Come Home- a strange man named Sam Quintin visits the pound.  It turns out he is dishonest and a jewelry thief!

Season 1, Episode 12:  Happy Howlidays- the pound owner doesn’t pay the bills so there’s no place for all of the pound puppies to go.  Zazu, a puppy that only appears a few times during season 1, tries to convince Katrina to re-open.

Season 2, Episode 5:  Invisible Friend/Kid in the Doghouse - a kid gets lost at the pound.  He too wants to get adopted.

The Pound Puppies were so popular that you could find them as the prizes in kid’s meals at FF restaurants such as Burger King, Hardees, Dairy Queen and Pizza Hut.  

There was a reboot of Pound Puppies in 2010, it ran until 2013.  I think we all know that the original is almost always the best and the Pound Puppies is no exception.

And finally, from 1986-1988, NBC broadcast a cartoon called Kissyfur which was produced by DIC.Kissyfur Opening Intro | Theme Song | HD  Kissyfur follows the adventures of a young circus bear named Kissyfur and his dad, Gus, who is also a circus performer.  Kissyfur’s mom passed away during a tragic circus accident and the two decide they don’t want to be in the circus anymore.  The train they are on traveling to the next show crashes and derails, and thus Gus and Kissyfur are able to escape.  They end up finding a place to call home near a swamp and a lot of the episodes revolve around what happens around their swampy home, mainly trying to keep everyone safe from the two moronic alligators named Jolene and Floyd.  Now, I realize that I am not a television writer or an expert on storytelling, but how on god’s green earth did the concept for this show come to fruition?  

Wait, hold on a sec.  I think I just found an original audio clip from the meeting where Kissyfur was conceptualized.  

Door Open and Close Sound Effects

And scene.  Thank you.  I think that was my best voice acting performance to date.  And NPR, if you are listening, I am interested and available.  Anyways…..

Kissyfur is an 8 year old bear who is adventurous and has a vivid imagination.  He often wears a yellow t-shirt with a red stripe and no pants.   He was voiced by RJ Williams, he provided his voice to other TV shows like Pro Stars, Darkwing Duck and he was the voice of Kid Cloudkicker in Tale Spin.  He also appeared in 1 episode of Kid’s Incorporated.  He was also the voice of Calvin in Gummi Bears.  If you want to learn more about the Gummi Bears, tune in to episode #53 of the PCRP where I discuss not only the Gummi Bears but also other favorite cartoon and toy bears from the 1980s.  Gus, Kissyfur’s Dad is a caring, yet sometimes absent-minded dad.  He is often clad in a yellow jacket, page boy cap and also does not wear pants.  He starts a taxi-service business when they move to the swamp, he transports various critters across the swamp. Jolene is one of the alligators found at the swamp.  She is always trying to capture the bear cubs to eat for dinner.  She wears a red wig that she often hits Floyd with.  Jolene was voiced by Terry McGovern.  McGovern also played Launchpad McQuack in various Duck Tales outlets, as well as providing the voice for several different characters in My Little Pony.  Floyd, the more dumb member of the two alligator crew, was voiced by Stu Rosen.  Rosen’s voice can be heard as the Storyteller in Fraggle Rock, as well as various characters in Darkwing Duck and Superman.  Beehunnie is a white bunny that has a crush on Kissyfur.  Side note - why does it seem like in many children’s cartoons of this era where there are not many female characters (another example is Gummi Bears) and when they are a part of the show, they often have crushes on male characters and they are usually into fashion?  But I digress. She was voiced by Russi Taylor, who was the official voice of Minnie Mouse from the 1980s up until her death in 2019.  She also lent her voice to shows like Muppet Babies, Duck Tales and Gummi Bears.  There were several other characters on Kissyfur including Duane and Lenny who are both pigs (Lenny can be a bully sometimes), Stuckey who is a porcupine, as well as Toot who is a beaver.  

Here are a few episode examples of the infamous Kissyfur:

The first episode was a TV special entitled- Bear Roots:  in this episode we learn the backstory behind Kissyfur and his dad, Gus.  We also get introduced to all of the animal friends they make by the swamp.  Season 1, Episode 9 - Barely a Bodyguard/The Duck Who Came to Dinner - Kissyfur hires a bodyguard as he’s tired of being bullied by Lenny.  Later, a duck fakes an injury and tries to mooch off of Kissyfur and his dad.  In Season 2, Episode 1 - The Great Swamp Swami/Shell Game- Kissyfur helps a friend named Shelby find a missing shell.  

As far as I can tell, Kissyfur has never been released on DVD nor is it available to stream.  It was released on VHS at one point, with several episodes being available on each tape.  Also, merchandise was not a huge part of Kissyfur’s 15 minutes of fame, but the characters did make it into Happy Meals at McDonalds and there were plush stuffies available in your local toy store.  It does not appear as though there has ever been an attempt for a reboot of this show, most likely because it was, well, not very good.  My apologies to Susie.  In 2014, Kissyfur appeared on a list of 80s cartoons that don’t deserve to be remembered at all, let alone fondly.  That appeared in a tech blog called i09.  

I hope you have enjoyed this look back and 5 more forgotten and obscure cartoons from the 1980s.  I know there are probably dozens of other cartoons we could have covered but these past two episodes have really hit on some of the shows I remember watching with my sister.  

If you want to learn more about the show, check out podcast merchandise, leave a review, learn more about protocol labs or just want to chat, check out www.popcultureretrospective.com

I hope you will join me for my next show where we will discuss another fascinating facet of the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.  UTBKBSAHOTYM.