In the 80s, a shift in the state of animated television occurred. The United States began to deregulate the advertising industry, which had previously been barred from advertising directly to children. With these new laws, companies began catering to their newest (and biggest) demographic: kids. If you're an 80's kid, welcome to the nostalgia highway.

Finding success in marketing toys and other products to children via commercials, advertisers soon came across an idea that would change the landscape of television forever. Instead of marketing toys to children with just 30 second television commercials, why not just create 30 minute tv shows instead?

This led to a boom in new animated tv shows. Toy companies would commission animation studios to make tv shows like “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”, “The Transformers”, and “The Care Bears”. These shows led to huge sales in the toy market, enticing more studios to get in the game.

Toys were not the only adaptations that animation houses were making. Television and Film studios began mining their older intellectual property to get in on the animation game as well. One of the more popular trends: adapting older live-action sitcoms into animated tv shows. Soon, there would be shows like “Laverne & Shirley in the Army”, “Gilligan’s Planet”, and “The Dukes”. Films studios would adapt famous film franchises like “Rambo” and “The Karate Kid” into cartoons.

Outside of the United States, the 1980s proved to be successful for the United Kingdom and Japan, as well. With the UK’s contributions of “Paddington Bear”, “Danger Mouse”, and Japan’s successful adaptations of their “Mobile Suit Gundam” and “Dragon Ball” franchises, the 1980s cemented itself as the Golden Age of Animated Television.

Created by Tongaler Jerson Ambion - @jersonordavid
Digital Assets and Timeline created by Ryan Larkin. @rlarkin124

This video was created as part of Tongal’s YouTube Animated Videos Project.
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