We wonder what Freud would say about the Sword of Omens. Even now, the Thundercats logo remains one of the coolest looking in existence. Any girl who can look good with spots in her hair is OK with us.

Thundercats Ho! The series that made humanoid cats and transforming mummies household items across America.

March 3, 2000

By the time the US hit the mid-80s, the great cartoon revolution was in motion. Transformers and Robotech had made the scene, and their wild success was opening doors left and right for more daring and, dare we say it...subversive cartoons to enter the minds of impressionable young kids everywhere. When Thundercats hit the air in 1985, kids were already used to cool action cartoons, but this show--this show blew them away. Check it out:

The Time: 1985-1986, Syndicated

The Company: Telepictures, Rankin-Bass

The Skinny: Rankin-Bass was an old company that had an early start in animation. Some of its best works are now kitsch classics. Among them were the stop-motion animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman specials. However, by the time the 80s rolled around, Rankin-Bass and the American public were looking for something new. Perhaps sensing the fundamental shift to occur in cartoons, Rankin-Bass and Pacific Animation Corporation got together and produced what would probably be the crowing jewel of both companies: The Thundercats. On an interesting side note, Thundercats was ready to go as early as 1983, which could've made the series the first of the new wave of 80s cartoons, but for some reason, the series was delayed a full two years until 1985, which many people consider the peak of the 80s cartoon era.

The Story: A familiar tale: the royal family of Thundera escapes the dying world in a massive space fleet, searching for a new home. Unfortunately, their mortal enemies, the Mutants, see to it that most of the ships do not survive and the Thundercats make a desperate attempt to reach Third Earth, one of the few planets that the Thundercats can survive on. They put themselves into cold sleep and make the arduous journey. In the end, only seven make it to their destination: Lion-o, the heir apparent; Panthro, mechanic and martial arts expert; Tigra, scientist and tracker; Cheetara, scout and mistress of speed; Wilykit and Wilykat, trickster children; and Snarf, household servant.

Upon reaching Third Earth, the Thundercats quickly make friends with strange creatures like the Roberbils, and deadly enemies of the newly-arrived Mutants and an ancient evil called Mumm-Ra. Over the course of time, they build a new home, make new allies, and groom Lion-o to assume his role as leader of the Thundercats and as the sole repository of an ancient civilization's culture.

Effects on Popular American Culture: Its incredibly psychedelic cast of characters (Mumm-Ra, the Berserkers, Luna-taks, roberberbils, Safari Joe) and a rich world of story hooks caught the imaginations of kids and adults alike. Likewise, the quirky speech pattersn of the voice actors would provide immense kitsch value to this show and its successor, Silverhawks. It's a well-loved show, and it's still possible to elicit a fond memory or three from any 20-something by raising your fist in the air and crying, "Ho!"

Where are they now?: Thundercats has remained popular enough to have been on the air almost constantly since 1985. So popular that it still shows regularly on the Toonami block on the Cartoon Network. There are also an ample number of high-powered people that would like to see the Thundercats return, in one form or another...

Video:

• Intro:
  
  • small -- 6 MB
  • large -- 11 MB
• And that's why you couldn't make a cartoon like this today:
  
  • small -- 1.5 MB
  • large -- 3.7 MB

Bonus: