# The 20 Greatest 1980s Cartoon Series of All Time

> Toy-line juggernauts, Saturday-morning staples and cult oddities from a golden age of animation. Which one ruled your childhood?

*By YPB Team · Published August 31, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-20-greatest-1980s-cartoon-series-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles** — score 1000/1000
   The 1987 animated hit that turned four pizza-loving turtles into a global phenomenon.
2. **G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero** — score 832/1000
   The 1985 military-action series pitting the Joes against the Cobra organization.
3. **Jem and the Holograms** — score 787/1000
   The 1985 series of a music executive who leads a secret glam-rock band.
4. **Garfield and Friends** — score 786/1000
   The 1988 series adapting Jim Davis's lasagna-loving cat for Saturday mornings.
5. **Bravestarr** — score 636/1000
   The 1987 space-western series of a marshal with animal-spirit powers.
6. **Care Bears** — score 636/1000
   The 1985 series of pastel bears spreading caring from their home in the clouds.
7. **Voltron** — score 538/1000
   The 1984 series of pilots forming a giant lion robot to defend the universe.
8. **The Adventures of the Gummi Bears** — score 538/1000
   The 1985 Disney series of medieval bears guarding a secret magical heritage.
9. **The Transformers** — score 418/1000
   The 1984 series of warring robot factions that anchored a toy and film empire.
10. **Muppet Babies** — score 418/1000
   The 1984 series reimagining Jim Henson's Muppets as toddlers in a nursery.
11. **Dungeons & Dragons** — score 418/1000
   The 1983 series of kids swept into a fantasy realm by a mysterious amusement ride.
12. **Alvin and the Chipmunks** — score 418/1000
   The 1983 series reviving the singing chipmunk trio and their manager Dave.
13. **DuckTales** — score 418/1000
   The 1987 Disney series of Scrooge McDuck and his nephews on globe-trotting adventures.
14. **She-Ra: Princess of Power** — score 418/1000
   The 1985 spin-off starring He-Man's twin sister leading a rebellion.
15. **The Smurfs** — score 418/1000
   The 1981 Hanna-Barbera series about tiny blue creatures in a woodland village.
16. **ThunderCats** — score 269/1000
   The 1985 series following cat-like heroes exiled to the world of Third Earth.
17. **He-Man and the Masters of the Universe** — score 269/1000
   The 1983 sword-and-sorcery series built around the Mattel toy line, launching in 1983.
18. **The Real Ghostbusters** — score 269/1000
   The 1986 animated spin-off of the hit film franchise.
19. **Inspector Gadget** — score 269/1000
   The 1983 series about a bumbling cyborg detective and his clever niece Penny.
20. **M.A.S.K.** — score 269/1000
   The 1985 series of a task force with transforming, weaponized vehicles.

Tags: 80s, tv shows, animation