In “Tickle Pickle”, we learn the Monchhichis depend on tickle crystals to maintain their happiness. These tickle crystals power their Happy Works factory, which the Grumplin galley sets out to destroy. The Monchhichis fight off their attack, but not before the tickle crystal is destroyed. With their happiness at stake, the Monchhichis set out to see the Wizzar of Monchhia, with the hope of restoring their happy.
Galtar and the Golden Lance
“Galtar and the Princess”
Original Air Date: September 2, 1985
Galtar and the Golden Lance is another show we’d never heard of or seen as kids. The show is a Hanna-Barbera affair and tells the story of Galtar on his adventures. Galtar teams up with likeminded individuals who want to fight the evil, Tormack. Tormack has killed Galtar’s parents and killed family members of Galtar’s companions, Princess Goleeta and her brother, Zom. This kind of reminds us of He-Man. It even has a cheesy, 80s, He-Man kind of opening credits.
In “Galtar and the Princess”, we see the first time Galtar and Princess Goleeta meet. Galtar discovers Goletta hiding from Tormack in the Dindal Desert. Galtar watches as Tormack and his men destroy Goletta’s village. Once the carnage is over, he is accosted by Goletta, who thinks he is an enemy. Galtar is a bit misogynistic, even as he is explaining he is a friend and not a foe. Goletta explains that Tormack has stolen the sacred shield that helps to keep her people safe. They agree to go after the shield together and the golden lance, which Galtar can use to defeat Tormack. Their journey is marred by a selection of obstacles including the attack of Tormack, river lizards, and an angry vulture.
Dragon’s Lair
Episode: “Tale of the Enchanted Gift”
Original Air Date: September 8, 1984
This series was one of the last to air on Saturday morning. It also was based on a 1983 video game of the same name. Dragon’s Lair is a Ruby-Spears mythical fantasy series. It focuses on Dirk the Daring. Dirk is the most daring and successful knight in the kingdom of King Ethelred. He protects the kingdom, Ethelred, from an evil, fire-breathing dragon, Singe, and his minions. He also is the love of the King’s beautiful daughter, Daphne.
“Tale of the Enchanted Gift” begins with one of the knights bragging about the gift he bought Princess Daphne. Daphne overhears some of it and tells Timothy, Dirk’s squire, she is sure Dirk has a better present. Dirk decides to set out on a quest to find her the perfect present. When Singe overhears about Dirk’s quest, he sets Dirk up to get Daphne a golden falcon statue. Little does anyone realize the statue is enchanted and kidnaps the princess. It is up to Dirk and Timothy to set things right and rescue Daphne.
Thundarr the Barbarian
Episode: “Secret of the Black Pearl”
Original Air Date: October 4, 1980
We don’t exactly know why we know Thundarr the Barbarian. We have seen the show before, but don’t think it was when we were kids. Thundarr looks like the Barbarian version of He-Man. He is the hero of this fantasy series by Ruby-Spears. The series is futuristic, set 2000 years after 1994. This is when the great apocalypse happened. Thundarr is a barbarian warrior out to protect the people who are a part of this monster-run world. This is a bit more adult-friendly than many of the other cartoons in this set.
“Secret of the Black Pearl” finds Thundarr and his companions Princess Ariel and Ookla the Mok taking on a dangerous mission for an old man. The man, a human courier, has an important delivery for humans living in the ruins of Manhattan (Manhat). Their job is to transport the powerful black pearl, after the old man has been attacked by Groundlings who want the pearl. In an amusing turn of events, Thundarr believes that humans could never live in Manhat without wings. They must find the humans, but their plans are thwarted by the evil Gemini who has his mechanical knights kidnap Ariel. Only then does Thundarr discover the black pearl’s true power and why Gemini wants it.
The Kwicky Koala Show:
Episode: “Show #1″
Original Air Dates: September 12, 1981 and September 19, 1981
Like The Flintstone Kids, The Kwicky Koala Show is made up of a variety of segments for one episode. We don’t remember watching this show because we were too little to watch it. Dom was not even 1 and Ash was 3. We do know the show by name. This show is reminiscent of the Hanna-Barbera offerings from the 60s. Kwicky Koala is a super fast, Australian koala. In fact, he is the fastest bear in the world. This is old school comedy with an Abbott and Costello or Three Stooges kind of slapstick funny to it. The characters also sound like many other HB characters from the past.
“Dry Run”
This super short segment has George and Joey, the Bungle Brothers, a set of show biz dogs, deciding to do a dive trick. George asks Joey to dive into a tiny pool of water, but Joey is afraid of heights. George does the trick himself, but halfway down realizes he can’t swim. So, Joey comes up with a way to save him!
“Robinson Caruso”
Wilford Wolf tries to catch Kiwcky Koala, but he is too fast. Kwicky wants to live on the island, but Wilford claims it is his island. He also refuses to help Kwicky find treasure. This, of course, backfires as Wilford tries to steal the treasure map from Kwicky for himself.
“High Roller”
Joey has two umbrellas for their high-wire act. and he’s excited to get moving. George is almost across, when Joey gets wire-happy, setting off events that ruin the act and leave George all wired up!
“The Claws Conspiracy”
Ranger Rangerfield makes it clear that there is no hunting, but that does not stop Rawhide Clyde, a fur trapper, and his dog, Bristletooth, from trying to hunt Crazy Claws.
“Hat Dance”
Joey is taking a snooze when George tells him that Joey will do a Mexican hat dance, while George plays music. This is sure to get them into show biz until Joey messes the act up.
“Dirty’s Debut”
Dirty Dawg is very hungry. He and Ratso are hungry since they have not eaten in a week. Dirty Dawg steals a steak, but the police stop him from eating it. To make money for food, Dirty Dawg decides to enter Ratso into the Beautiful Bowser Dog Contest. The first prize is $500. Of course, Ratso isn’t a dog. He’s a rat, so things do not go as planned.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Like most television shows, cartoon or not, from the 1980s, Saturday Morning Cartoons is offered in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The actual quality of the episodes cannot be discussed in general terms because each series offers a specific quality. Some of the episodes look pretty good, but all of them come with expected flaws. The most common issues involve mild amounts of noise and dirt. I expected this problem though and as a result I was not too upset by its presence. Sure, it sucks that it’s there, but it’s not bad enough to be truly annoying and the fact that these are cartoons from my childhood makes up for it.
The best looking of all the series’ was probably Thundarr and I wouldn’t say there was really a worst quality. There were some episodes that were soft and some muted colors, but nothing here creates a problem in the viewing experience.
The audio is certainly the most noticeably dated. Any tracks that lack stereo usually stand out as being old, so this was to be expected, as well. Don’t come into this expecting a dynamic sound because if you do you will be disappointed. The levels are steady enough that volume toggling is not an issue and each track is relatively free of sound distortion. Along with English, there are tracks in Spanish and Portuguese. There are also English, French and Portuguese subtitles.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
There is only one main special feature in the bunch, but it’s nothing to really complain about. The biggest and longest of the bunch is “Lords of Light! The Story of Thundarr the Barbarian”. Everything you really want to know about this series is touched upon in this 19 minute segment. They discuss the characters, production tidbits, the setting of the show and the legacy that they feel was created. New interviews are added into this piece, where everyone talks highly of the show and they share plenty of fond memories.
Cartoon fans should enjoy this and the plethora of WB cartoon clips that are also used during the segment. It would have been nice to see a few other features like this, but all in all, this was more than I expected. Other than this the only thing here is the typical promos that come with all DVDs.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
The Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1 two-disc set offers some awesome cartoons, some okay cartoons and a few duds. Overall, this set is a great way to reminisce about the 80s and the kinds of cartoons this decade had to offer. It is also a great way to introduce kids to some innocent, zany cartoons they are guaranteed to have never seen before. We recommend that you rent before you buy, especially if you are unfamiliar with most of these shows, as we were.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1, DVD Review, Warner Home Video, Flintstone Kids, Mr. T, Monchhichis, 1980s Cartoons, Classic Television, TV on DVD
Written by Dom & Ash Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick and Ashtyn have been together since 2002. Together, they live in Michigan, work together as pro bloggers, and homeschool and raise their 15 year old son, CT. Their interests are diverse. Ashtyn loves to write, listen to music, shop and enjoy the finer things in life. Dominick enjoys playing wheelchair sports, watching sports, acting, singing, playing video games and making movies.
