After watching the debut of the new and rebooted Thundercats series on Cartoon Network, and thinking about a couple of other rebooted series I am enjoying over on The Hub, specifically Transformers: Prime and G.I. Joe: Renegades, I would have to say that there is a certain reaffirmation of love being shown some of these classic cartoon series as of late. Hell, even My Little Pony is enjoying some new fans with a successful update to that line. It seems like all these 80s cartoons are finding new life nowadays on TV with series that bring forth nostalgic memories of old from older fans while managing to connect with a new set of fans just discovering these wonderful toons.

That is definitely a good thing. As a fan of animation, to have these new series come out and be successful validates my liking of the original series when I was a child. I remember watching all of these series, yes, even My Little Pony, when I was younger and being fascinated by them. They were the best. Now, as a father myself, I would like for my kids to enjoy the same cartoons that I once did as a kid. I will show them DVD sets of the older series, but I would also like them to experience these cartoons in new ways suited to their generation. It is with that thought in mind that I decided to come up with this list of the five 80s cartoons I would love to see remade. I know some of you out there will remember these shows and some of you will wonder why I left a certain series out. Please share your thoughts with me in the comments section below. As for now, here is my list:

Honorable Mentions: Battle of the Planets, Dangermouse, Dungeons and Dragons, Lady Lovely Locks, MASK

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983 - 1985) and She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985 - 1987)

I know this is technically two, but hear me out: He-Man was one of those cartoons that really spoke to young boys: a prince in a kingdom haunted by an evil who could magically transform into the greatest hero in the universe. I mean, how could that not grasp your attention if you were a young boy. Then, to bring in the girls, they introduced She-Ra, He-Man’s sister who would go on to protect another kingdom much the same way He-Man did. If these cartoons were remade today, they wouldn’t need to be split and could feature both brother and sister prominently. In that manner, it could appeal to both boys and girls with its magic and fantasy world.

Inspector Gadget (1983 - 1986)

It’s funny, I look back at this series now and wonder what I liked about it. In terms of longevity, this series didn’t really hold up well over time, with the exception of the incredible voice work of Don Adams. But as a young boy I used to love watching Inspector Gadget. Seeing all his tricks that would come out of his body and uniform was funny and intriguing. Of course, Penny and Brain always having to help out this bumbling detective was a good catch for young viewers. Except for maybe an update or two to the gadgets he uses, I could see Inspector Gadget being a hit with today’s younger viewers should they ever decide to remake it.

Jem and the Holograms (1985 - 1988)

I am outing myself a bit here, but I used to totally be in love with Jem. I would actually make my sister watch this with me, not the other way around. I even used to sing the theme song non-stop. Hell, even now I still know the all the words to the song and even use it as a ringtone for certain people when they call me. If they really wanted to remake this series, the basic formula would still work; they would just need to update the type of music in the series. Other than that, I see no reason why Jem wouldn’t be a hit once again.  

The Real Ghostbusters (1986 - 1991)

Toning down a bit of the scare factor and upping the laughs, The Real Ghostbusters continued the story of this group of ghost hunters and gave bigger roles to some of their supporting characters; Janine, Louis and Slimer. Playing out like a better written Scooby-Doo mystery of the week and adding just a bit more action, these Ghostbusters were a hit with many young boys back in my youth. With recent talks about a third movie finally being made, I don’t see why a new animated series couldn’t help lead into it, especially with updated themes and the introduction of a younger set of Busters to help out the older members.

Voltron: Defender of the Universe (1984 - 1985)

Let me get one thing straight here; I am only talking about the Lion version of Voltron, not the Vehicles version. I’m sorry, but the Vehicles version just never appealed to me. Not the way the Lions did as the protected the universe, mainly the planet Arus, from the villainous King Zarkon and his evil forces from the planet Doom. They could remake this series, and using traditional animation techniques, to appeal to today’s younger audiences while still sticking to the Lion version of the series. Again, edit out some of the violent bits from the anime that inspired the original and they could have another hit on their hands.

Those are my picks. I know there were so many other cartoons out during my youth that could certainly work if redone today, but these five are the ones that I would definitely want to see redone. Certainly any of those in my honorable mentions would definitely work, as would countless other. But these were amongst my favorites growing up and still appeal to me this very day. And with the renewed interest and success in remaking other 1980s cartoons, I don’t see why some producer wouldn’t want to try and remake these series. They were hits before and I am sure they could be hits one more time if given the proper treatment and chance.