While on vacation this weekend at the Wisconsin Dells, I stopped off at a local book and magazine shop just to find something to read to pass the time when we went back to our room. I instantly settled w/ the October issue of Toy Fare magazine, and found an interesting article that supposedly states some little known facts about several major 80's cartoons. I'm not going to post them all, as there are 80 facts total...but I'll post the best ones from each show.

Masters Of The Universe:

* Only two MOTU figures actually had "Copyright Filmation" stamped on them--The Sorceress, and Orko. Filmation, the studio, invented the characters, not Mattel.

*There were actually two Friends cast members in Masters Of The Universe: The Movie --Courtney Cox (Monica), played teenager Julie, and Chistina Pickles (who plays Monica's mother) played the Sorceress.

*It's hinted at in the mini-comics that Skeletor is really King Randor's brother Keldor, thus making him He-Man's Uncle. Keldor was to be one of the major villians in the aborted "Powers of Grayskull" line.

Transformers:

* Marvel's Transformers comic only lasted 80 issues, but in Britain, reprints of the American comics were supplemented with UK-exclusive stories that fleshed out much fo the comic continuity, covering 10 years and over 300 issues.

*Soundwave's awesome voice was provided by Frank Welker, who also voiced Inspector Gadget's nemesis, Dr. Klaw. Want proof? Listen for the first-season goof where Soundwave inexplicably praises Ravage in Klaw's voice (Episode #5, "Roll For It")....Side note from me....I have the DVD Boxed Set, so I know that this is true...it blew my mind when I heard it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

* In the UK, they're not the TMNT, they're the TMHT. Hmmmm...give up? That stands for Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles . Apparently, ninjas are persona non grata in Britain.

*Everyone remembers Vanilla Ice from the second Ninja Turtles movie, but the real stars were inside those rubber suits. Wrestling superstar Kevin Nash played Super Shredder, and martial artist Ho Sung Pak, a.k.a. Liu Kang in the Mortal Kombat video game, played Raphael. Fatality!

Thundercats:

*In France, the ThunderCats is actually known as CosmoCats. Lion-O's cry is also changed to " Cosmo...Cosmo...CosmoCats...Ahhhhhhhhh!"


Hopefully this wasnt to long...and you're not all bored with me now!!!

Originally posted by RainbowJemPony
Transformers
* Marvel's Transformers comic only lasted 80 issues, but in Britain, reprints of the American comics were supplemented with UK-exclusive stories that fleshed out much fo the comic continuity, covering 10 years and over 300 issues.
*Soundwave's awesome voice was provided by Frank Welker, who also voiced Inspector Gadget's nemesis, Dr. Klaw. Want proof? Listen for the first-season goof where Soundwave inexplicably praises Ravage in Klaw's voice (Episode #5, "Roll For It")....Side note from me....I have the DVD Boxed Set, so I know that this is true...it blew my mind when I heard it.



I don't have any of the 300-odd issues of Marvel UK's Transformers comic-book series.

But I do have most of the 80 issues of Marvel US's Transformers comic-book series.

I do remember the Transformers episode, "Roll For It," with the Frank Welker voice goof.

Interesting stuff, RainbowJemPony! [Or can I just call you RJP for short?] Especially about Kevin Nash playing Super Shredder. I was a big fan of the first two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films [The third one was horrid.] and have the videotapes of both. I'm gonna have to be a total fanboy now and look for Nash's name in the end credits for The Secret Of The Ooze.

Speaking of wrestlers in unusual appearances, check out the scene in Jingle All The Way where Arnie tries to fight his way through the gang of criminal Santas. The really big one is none other than "The Big Show", Paul Wight! I'm surprised that, during the holiday season, no signs ever appear at WWE events saying "I'm gonna deck your halls, bub!" And if they do now it was my idea. :D

And, for one more TMNT factoid, I bet you didn't know that, in the first movie, the pizza guy was also the suit actor inside Michaelangelo. [Now you're bored, right? :p] "Wise man say forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza".

Ok, RJP, I couldn't imagine a better opportunity than this one to kick off a post that I've been contemplating ever since becoming the Eighties Xchange's resident giant monster... "Showtime Synergy!" Of all the cartoons that were big in the 80s Jem is my choice for the one, unique animated series that I would really like to see either aired again or remade with the same respectful treatment that the new Masters Of The Universe has obviously been given. I, personally, think that a new Jem series could be done well if it was approached the same way - reintroduce concept and characters, make minor changes here and there, but keep all the main elements the same as in the original - or by just simply continuing right from where things left off. Ba Nee is gone, [And thank God for that, I don't know who was more annoying, her or Rio!] having been successfully reunited with her long lost father. Another crisis solved and life goes on for our favorite animated band! And, most importantly, Jem should remain firmly in the 80s.

I also think that recasting, or duplicating as closely as possible, the original voice actors, [Which also seems to have generally been the approach taken with a number of the voices in MOTU.] should be essential. Especially with regard to the two women who portrayed Jem's speaking and singing voices. I may have no interest in Britta Philips' real life musical endeavors, but the talent that she showed she had as Jem's singing voice was nothing less than truly outrageous!

I also have little doubt that, whatever the original intent of the show may have been [if not the merchandise], the guys quickly became as much the target audience as the girls, and I can say with a certainty that I'm in good company among guys who were serious Jem fans! There were clearly story elements, as well as entire episodes, that could easily appeal to either. Not to mention that at least a couple of major comic book writers at that time were credited with scripting various episodes, and comic books are generally more of a guy thing.

I was originally going to wrap this up with a high recommendation that you, and any other Jem fan here check out a great site called Jem Unlimited, which I think is the best fan site on the 'net - bar none! [The owner deserves a lot of credit for all the time and effort that obviously went into creating the many free offerings.] But as I looked for this post to respond to I came across an earlier one where you had already given your own high recommendation. :thumb:

And on that note, in reference to the hilarious More ways to know you're obsessed with Jem list :lol: that can be found there [Which, I'm proud to say, features a number of my submissions. :jester: ] I've just thought of a new one that would be the perfect way to end this post....

You see any female singer on eMpTy Vee sporting pink hair and simply think: "you're not worthy." ;)

ME AND MY FRIENDS ARE JEM FANS!
:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

If it didn't come from the eighties than it just isn't big enough!

Not too long at all :) Info is goooood :lol:

I knew about Kevin Nash (big wrestling fan...always know these things the moment word gets out :lol: ).

That ThunderCats thing is just too weird to imagine though...:lol: Why "aaaaaaah!"....what's so bad about "hoooooo!" :eek::lol: