I was browsing tv this morning while eating breakfast (tsk, tsk, I know...) and ran across a shocking sight. They've remade a BUNCH of the 80's cartoons, and not very flatteringly at that. I knew about Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears, but check out some of these other ones, too! As an 80's child myself, I've often wished over the years that those old cartoons would make a comeback, this wasn't exactly what I meant!
Strawberry Shortcake: Then and Now
The 80's Strawberry people were reminiscent of the sugary treats that gave them their names. Now the characters look more like shrunken Barbie dolls.
Care Bears: Then and Now
Care Bears (and their cousins!) used to be a soft, cuddly bunch that liked to stare down bad guys every now and then. Is it just me, or do the new versions have unusually large heads? This somehow makes them look both younger and creepier at the same time.
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| Available on Amazon: $4.99 |
Strawberry Shortcake: Then and NowThe 80's Strawberry people were reminiscent of the sugary treats that gave them their names. Now the characters look more like shrunken Barbie dolls.
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| Available on Amazon Instant: $1.99 |
Care Bears (and their cousins!) used to be a soft, cuddly bunch that liked to stare down bad guys every now and then. Is it just me, or do the new versions have unusually large heads? This somehow makes them look both younger and creepier at the same time.
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| Available on Amazon DVD: $26.24 |
My Little Ponies: Then and Now
As with most 80's cartoons, the My Little Ponies were drawn with deep, saturated colors. They were the epitome of cuteness! Now they look like a cross between Pokemon and the creepy new Strawberry Shortcake dolls. It's those eyes!! *shudder*
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| Available on Amazon DVD: $8.49 |
Pound Puppies: Then and Now
80's style Pound Puppies all sort of looked alike - which was part of their charm. They were just so cute!! Other than being dogs, the modern cast of characters don't resemble their older namesakes in the least.
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| Available on Amazon Instant: $2.99 |
Rainbow Brite: Then and Now
Again we see the deeply saturated 80's colors in the original Rainbow Brite cartoon. Love those!! Each character was so obviously a color of the rainbow. Today's characters, with all their pastel brights, are a mash-up of Lisa Frank and Barbie. (And where did all those extra horses come from? Those should be the new My Little Ponies; they look much more like what My Little Ponies should look like!)
A Few Other Casualties:
Don't even get me started on the many hideous movie reboots have transpired over the last few years. I love revisiting old friends, but could you at least make them resemble the originals?
Winnie the Pooh: Then and Now ---> WIN!
The one exception to this trend of Hollywood mangling my childhood favorites was the new Winnie the Pooh movie. That one stayed surprisingly true to the other versions, thankfully, both in appearance and personality. Come to find out, the original guy to voice Pooh also voiced him in this movie! Very cool!! :)
omg i love this post! basking in nostalgia is always fun... kinda cool how much design has evolved. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI really don't like what they've done to the smurfs :( And strawberry shortcake - the whole body size and image issue comes out quite strongly. Very sad.
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