25 Great Children's TV Shows That Aren't On DVD
Forgotten classics, from Captain Kangaroo to Zoom.
by Brett Singer
September 2, 2008
25. Thundarr The Barbarian
ABC, 1980-1982
This fantasy/sci-fi/adventure series gets a lot of love online, collecting over 9,000 signatures on a petition for a DVD release. The plot, for the uninitiated, is as follows: in 1994 (you know, the future!), Earth has been decimated by a "runaway planet" that sliced the moon in half (hate when that happens). Then, two thousand years later, "Earth is reborn…" The main characters are Thundarr, a big dumb barbarian with a special weapon called the Sun-Sword, Ookla the Mok (basically Chewbacca with fangs) and Ariel, a tart sorceress who tolerates Thundarr's stupidity. The three travelers wander the now-decimated planet, which is full of "ancient" technology such as movie projectors, cars, and soda machines. Somehow, high-level magic has become commonplace, and pirates (pirates!) roam the land, making life both difficult for the common folk and extremely entertaining for the viewer.
24. The Beatles
ABC, 1965
According to BeatlesCartoon.com, the Beatles' Saturday morning cartoons have never officially been released on VHS/DVD – and that's a shame. These charming animated adventures were very much of their time, obviously, but the animated Liverpool Lads are just as cute – and the songs just as hummable – as they were in the sixties.
23. The Jackson 5ive
ABC, 1971-1973
Before Michael Jackson had so much plastic surgery that he looked like a cartoon, he actually was a cartoon! This little gem originally aired on ABC from 1971-1973, but it must have continued in re-runs because I remember it more vividly than I care to admit. Oddly enough, if Wikipedia is to be believed, the Jacksons didn't actually contribute anything to the cartoon other than their music.
22. Wonderama
Syndicated, 1967-1977
"Snake cans!" This wonderful local program was a variety/game show of sorts and featured actual kids – many of the YouTube videos are from the grown-ups who were in the audience at the tapings.
21. Scooby's All Star Laff-A-Lympics
ABC, 1977-1979
Although you can get discs containing every episode of "Wacky Races" (cool!) and "Dastardly & Muttley in Their Flying Machines" (um, who cares?), the never-ending competition between The Scooby Doobies, The Yogi Yahooeys and The Really Rottens is thus far confined to the dustbin of cartoon sports history. With everyone still high on the Olympics, this is a perfect time to put these out.
Are Not on DVD |
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Are on DVD |
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©2008 Babble
About the Author |
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Brett Singer is a writer and father living in Manhattan with his wonderful wife and two terrific sons. Other writing work includes his new site, daddytips.com.
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