Years ago I did a list of my favorite childhood cartoons and THUNDARR was on that list:
http://rupertpupkinspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-favorite-childhood-cartoons.html
I was an obsessive cartoon watcher at a young age. I was often glued to the TV from 6:30 AM to Noon on Saturdays and that obsession even carried over into Sundays as well. The Saturday lineup (and what I preferred to watch in it) varied over the years, but that never bothered me. Cartoons ruled Saturday mornings back then (pre-Cartoon Network) and there was never any shortage of stuff to watch. Sundays was a different animal though. On Sundays cartoons were shuffled around, preempted at the drop of a hat by nearly ANY sporting event and general treated poorly. I remember THUNDARR was a Sunday show where I grew up and I also remember being captivated by it from the very beginning. From the open credits:
I can see now what appealed to me about the show. For one I've always loved post-apocalyptic stuff (and I still do). Secondly, the show is so obviously ripping of STAR WARS with it's veritable light saber and with Thundarr's pal Ookla the Mok who is so much like a Wookie it's not even funny. Anyway, it was a dark show for me when I first saw it. The world was very much an evil place in general, like some horrible alternate dimension. There was a sense of dread about it that I think pulled me in somehow. Plus it was just a fun, adventure-y kinda thing and Thundarr was rather fearless which was admirable. Also, Princess Ariel was super cute. It was and favorite back then and still holds a special place in my heart. I've since shown it to both my son when he was younger and also recently to my little girl. All have approved and enjoyed it.
Buy It Here:
http://bit.ly/1jCjBAF
WHEELIE AND THE CHOPPER BUNCH (1974-75)
Forget about CARS and PLANES, WHEELIE AND THE CHOPPER BUNCH was my first and will always be my favorite talking vehicle universe. Not that John Lasseter needs to throw any credit towards this show as any kind of inspiration for his global franchise, but it would be nice as this show remains a somewhat under-the-radar animal to this very day. Unlike THUNDARR, WHEELIE drove his way into my heart on weeknights via the old USA Cartoon Express showcase. Cartoon Express was a lively dumping ground for Hanna-Barbera syndicated oldies and I owe a good deal of my HB education to that series. As I said, I was quite the cartoon addict as a kid (still love em today) and there came a point when Saturdays and Sundays were not enough and I was craving cartoons every day of the week. USA Cartoon Express was there to oblige and be my savior.
Apparently Wheelie was the first and only Hanna-Barbera series with no humans or animals in it, which is interesting. It was a fun world to enter into certainly and the fact that HB regular voice actors Frank Welker (Fred on SCOOBY-DOO) and Don Messick (Scooby-Doo himself) made it very familar. The fact that these two guys and many others (Daws Butler, John Stephenson etc) regularly populated HB cartoons through the years really made it all feel just like home to me. Been showing my little girl this one too and she seems to dig it pretty good. Recommended.
Buy It Here:
http://bit.ly/RsTEZK
THE SPACE KIDDETTES and YOUNG SAMSON (1967)

Buy It Here:
http://bit.ly/1snplBk
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