My All-Time Favorite Animated Kidvid Shows

I was a child in the Sixties, a teenager in the Seventies, a twentysomething in the Eighties and a thirtysomething in the Nineties. And all that time I watched animated cartoons on TV, whether on a network on Saturday morning or in syndication five days a week. I had a wonderful time doing so--let's be honest, cartoons are cool!

So here is my list of my all-time favorite TV animated kidvid over the decades--enjoy!

FILMATION'S GHOSTBUSTERS: This is the cartoon based on the live-action seventies show with Spenster, Tracy the Gorilla and Kong. Kong and Spenser pass their ghostbusting business to their grown sons Jake and Eddie and Tracy now works with them, fighting the evil ghost gang led by Prime Evil. And, of course, there's a moral at the end of each episode.

KIDD VIDEO: A live-action teen rock band is whisked off to the cartoon world of the Flipside by the villainous Master Blaster, then freed by Glitter, a tiny winged fairy who becomes temporarily superstrong after sneezing. Together they rescue various Flipside citizens from Master Blaster's schemes while trying to find a way to get the Kidds back home. Clips from 80s music videos are included, as is a video from the live-action Kidds at the end of the episode.

THE AMAZING CHAN AND THE CHAN CLAN: Mr. Chan is the master detective and father to ten children, who try to follow in their Pop's footsteps but end up tripping over their own feet. As in most seventies cartoons, the kids form a rock band, singing a new song every week.

DEVLIN: Motorcycle stunt star Ernie Devlin forms a stunt team with his younger brother Tod and their little sister Sandy after losing both their parents. Working out of Hank's small circus, the three strive to keep their little family together while helping friends and strangers learn moral lessons--yes, "prosocial values."

LAFF-A-LYMPICS: A half-hour segment of the two-hour "Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics," three teams of Hanna-Barbera superstars--the Yogi Yahooeys, the Scooby Doobies and the villainous Really Rottens--compete around the world for Gold Medals. Snagglepuss and Mildew Wolf are your humble announcers.

JEM: Jerrica Benton, head of Starlight Music, secretly doubles as her label's hottest singer Jem, disguised by the hologram-producing computer Synergy. With her backup band the Holograms, they challenge rival bands the Misfits and the Stingers, teach life lessons to Jerrica's foster daughters the Starlight Girls, and keep Jerrica's hotheaded boyfriend Rio from learning her secret identity while he's falling for Jem. At least two songs from the show's bands are featured in every episode, music-video style.

C.O.P.S. (aka CYBER C.O.P.S.): Baldwin P. Vess, aka Bulletproof, leads the Central Organization of Police Specialists in the fight against Empire City's toughest gang of crooks, led by the iron-fisted Big Boss. The prosocial "C.O.P.S. for Kids" segments features the cartoon characters but mostly features live-action real-life police officers.

EXTREME GHOSTBUSTERS: This sequel to "The Real Ghostbusters" has Egon Spengler mentoring four street-smart teenagers in the fight against a new crop of spooks and spirits. Janine Melnitz returns as well, and Slimer's still sliming the place and stuffing his face.

JAMES BOND JR.: 007's teenage nephew fights the evil organization SCUM (Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem)--consisting of familiar Bond villains like Dr. No and Goldfinger plus new bad guys like Baron von Skarin and Dr. DeRange--while attending high-security high school Warfield Academy. And since this is James Bond's handsome nephew, he meets a new girl every episode.

ROBOCOP: ALPHA COMMANDO: In the year 2030, the Future of Law Enforcement returns as an agent of the covert law-enforcement group Division Alpha--as well as Officer Murphy of the New Detroit City Police Department--fighting the evil organization DARC (Directorate of Anarchy, Revenge and Chaos) along with Alpha Agent Nancy Miner, young tech genius Dr. Neumier, and his cop boss Sgt. Reed of Metro West Precinct.

POLICE ACADEMY: THE SERIES: This is the animated version based on the movie series. Officer Carey Mahoney leads his squad of eight other kooky cops from Academy Precinct against the city's even kookier bad guys while under the stern eye of Capt. Harris and his bungling partner Lt. Proctor.

M.A.S.K.: Led by Matt Trakker, Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, with their shapeshifting vehicles and masks that grant superowers, fight the similarly-outfitted villains of V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious, Evil Network of Mayhem), led by Miles Mayhem--despite interference by Matt's 10-year-old adopted son and Jonny Quest wannabe Scott and his robot pal T-Bob. And each episode ends with a safety tip.

BEVERLY HILLS TEENS: This is what the Archie Gang would be like if they were all as rich as Veronica. This mostly female bunch of adolescents enjoy all the trappings of cartoon wealth: antique desks and diamond-tipped pencils at school, robot servants tending to them at the Beverly Hills Teen Club, and endless shopping sprees on Rodeo Drive. The standout teen: Bianca, underaged shopaholic and Alexis Carrington wannabe.

BAILEY'S COMETS: Created during the Seventies' roller derby craze, this one stars a six-member teen skating team led by Barnaby Bailey competing for a million-dollar prize against fourteen goofy bad-guy teams who try to trip the Comets up. Along the way, our heroes befriend and help people in need. All of this is observed by Howard Cosell and Don Meredith knockoffs Gabby and Dude, reporters in a helicopter.

CHALLENGE OF THE SUPERFRIENDS: Here is where the Hanna-Barberized heroes start fighting real villains, not just cleaning up the messes of well-meaning but misguided scientitsts. Eleven Superfriends battle the thirteen-member Legion of Doom, DC Comics' premiere supervillains led by Lex Luthor, Superman's arch enemy.

Well, there you have it. In future essays, I'll pick out a favorite show and tell you why it's my favorite, listing characters, episodes, tropes, stock situations and themes, and my favorite episodes, whether I remember the titles or not. Until then, byeeeee!