For every animated game-changer and a generational milestone like Avatar: The Last Airbender or so-bad-it’s-good oddity like The Nutshack, there are countless more that could only dream of achieving even just a fraction of the aforementioned cartoons’ popularity.
For many reasons that range from being ahead of the curve or poor quality, these cartoons have been mostly forgotten by the general public. While shows like The Pirates of Dark Water deserve a second look and maybe even a revival, others are better left as relics in a museum’s basement.
The Pirates Of Dark Water (1991-1993)
Created by Hanna-Barbera and featuring voice acting legends Peter Cullen and Tim Curry, The Pirates of Dark Water looked like the perfect recipe for success. Even better was its fantastical premise, combining royal intrigue, sci-fi, high fantasy, and piracy into one well-animated cartoon. Unfortunately and even with strong critical approval, it only ran for 21 episodes.
Adding salt to the wounds was how its story was left unfinished, and the fact that pirates would be in vogue a decade later thanks to One Piece and Pirates of the Caribbean. Not helping was its hefty price tag, since the stunning animation cost even multi-million dollar producer Ted Turner way too much. Though mostly forgotten, it’s become something of a cult favorite today.
The 80s Star Wars Cartoons
Given Star Wars’ massive popularity during the 80s, it’s surprising that it only found success outside of the cinema through endless line-ups of Kenner toys. Star Wars attempted to make an animated name for itself in the buddy-comedy Droids (1985-1986) and the adventurous Ewoks (1985-1986), but these didn’t inspire the fervent dedication that the movies did.
Droids (above; left) and Ewoks (above; right) were ahead of their time, as Star Wars cartoons dominated TVs in the 2000s (see: Clone Wars). Today, these two are only brought up by older fans as guilty pleasures or underrated gems. In fact, they’re currently not on Disney+ and will probably be supplanted by spin-offs like Star Wars: A Droid Story. The only consolation is that unlike The Holiday Special, they’re remembered fondly.
The Centurions (1986)
At the height of the ‘80s, there were countless Saturday Morning Cartoons made to sell toys, with many studios trying to get repeat Hasbro’s success with GI Joe, My Little Pony, and The Transformers. Ruby-Spears’ The Centurion is no different, though it’s easily the most forgettable of this era’s trend.
Meant to promote Kenner’s toyline and the DC Comics’ series, The Centurions follows the titular team as they stop bad guys from dominating the world. The Centurions is as standard as it gets, with the only things worth remembering being the big-named artists who helped develop it. Cases in point, Armored Trooper Votoms' character designer Norio Shioyama and American comics legends Gil Kane and Jack Kirby.
Rubik, The Amazing Cube (1983)
Since it was the 80s, it shouldn’t be surprising to know that even a faceless puzzle box would get a Saturday Morning Cartoon. Rubik, The Amazing Cube starred a sentient Rubik’s Cube that’s not just a toy, but a living magical being that brings the Rodriguez siblings on amazing journeys.
Rubik isn’t remembered fondly or remembered at all, with its storyboard director Jim Woodring cussing it out during an interview and Warner Archive apparently forgetting that it was even in their library. To its credit, Rubik had Persons of Color (POC) front and center, which is a rarity for its time period.
Turbo Teen (1984-1985)
Perhaps the only thing people remember about Turbo Teen is its bonkers premise, where an everyday teenager gains the power to turn into his car because of science. What people forget is how absurd yet paradoxically boring Turbo Teen really was, and the fact that it only had 13 episodes to its name.
Produced in the hopes of capitalizing on Knight Rider’s popularity and even boasting animation from acclaimed anime studio Toei, Turbo Teen is barely brought up today unless as a punchline. The closest shot to relevance it had in recent memory was getting parodied in Robot Chicken, though some viewers thought the skit was original and not a parody of an actual cartoon.
Angela Anaconda (1999-2001)
The 90s and early 2000s were a weird time for cartoons since creators didn’t know how to reach a new generation of kids just yet. Cue Angela Anaconda, an imaginative slice-of-life cartoon animated in an odd style that’s experimental at best and uncanny at worst. Despite this strange stylistic choice that in some ways led to the more beloved and relevant The Amazing World of Gumball, Angela Anaconda has been mostly forgotten – except by dedicated Digimon historians.
Digimon: The Movie was released when America barely understood anime. Almost 40 minutes of its original cut were replaced with Angela and friends going to see “Mega Giants” (aka their in-universe Digimon) as a framing device. This was done because producers probably underestimated American Digimon fans’ comprehension skills and attention spans.
Da Boom Crew (2004)
Da Boom Crew follows four kids who make up the eponymous group that gets trapped in another world when a power surge hits their video game. Together, Da Crew must save this parallel world by collecting the scattered game cartridges. For lack of better words, Da Boom Crew is a very 2000’s cartoon that actually predates the isekai anime boom of the 2010s.
Not unlike many cartoons of the New Millennium, Da Boom Crew was made to chase kids’ trends, though this specific instance backfired spectacularly. Da Boom Crew had 13 episodes but only managed to air 4 because of how bad the ratings were. Unlike other shows here that were overlooked then vindicated later, almost everyone willingly forgot about Da Boom Crew.
Super Duper Sumos (2002-2003)
There was a time when gross-out humor was the name of the game, but Super Duper Sumos took this to the next level by mixing superheroics into the mix. Following the ethos of the Way Of The PHAT (Peace, Honor, And Truth), the three main sumo wrestlers use their massive rear-ends and too many butt jokes to protect Generic City from monsters on a weekly basis.
Super Dumper Sumos was forgotten almost as quickly as it was ignored, getting only one season on Nickelodeon before disappearing. The show even struggled on home video, with few if any complete sets being sold. Arguably, Super Dumper Sumos was mostly wiped out of the collective consciousness until Youtuber Pan Pizza declared it the “Worst Cartoon Ever.”
The Governator (2011)
Announced shortly after ex-Florida Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s term ended and with the help of Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee himself, The Governator was meant to follow fictionalized versions of Schwarzenegger and his family saving the day. Basically, it was The Incredibles but starring The Terminator.
Problem is, Schwarzenegger got embroiled in an infidelity scandal. The controversy was too big to ignore, and this informed producers’ decision to cancel The Governator even if it had a release date. All that’s left of it is a trailer and some online chatter from people who think The Governator was a well-animated SNL joke or an instance of mass hysteria.
Filmation’s Ghostbusters (1986-1987)
No, this has nothing to do with Ghostbusters of the real or extreme kind. This is a wholly original supernatural comedy that has more gorillas than Key Masters. Filmation’s Ghostbusters follows a pair of kooky supernatural investigators and their sentient gorilla as they embark on shenanigans to stop Prime Evil wizard from taking over the world.
Filmation’s Ghostbusters is the sequel to the equally forgotten 70s live-action series The Ghost Busters, and it was made solely to capitalize on the blockbuster impact and fame of the Ghostbusters everyone knows. Even if its source material predates Ghostbusters, this short-lived cartoon was quickly buried under whatever Peter Venkman and Slimer were up to.