What’s more nostalgic than those animated television shows that dominated your childhood? Well, let me ask you this – do you really remember any of the storylines, or do you mostly just remember the theme songs? Vague memories, maybe, but I’d wager you remember those opening musical numbers more than anything else.
Today, we’re going to look back at some of the most memorable of those animated TV show theme songs from the 1980s. According to Wikipedia, there were over 200 different animated series that aired in the ‘80s, so this is purely based on immediate recollection.
Below are the top 8 most memorable animated TV show theme songs from the 1980s!
Looking for the ’90s? We got you: The 10 Best ’90s Animated TV Show Theme Songs – Ranked
Some people were super into The Smurfs. We were not those people, yet we do still remember the theme song of one of the longest-running of any of the series on this list. Over 200 episodes and nine seasons, that’s nothing to sniff at. As soon as you hear the la la la la la la start up in the theme song, you’re like oh yes, I remember this. Despite the longevity, though, we’d argue that other theme songs are actually better.
You can’t help but sing/speak along with the lyrics of the opening – Transformers, more than meets the eye, Transformers, robots in disguise. The mid-80s were a blitz of Transformers, with the toys coming out around the same time as the animated series. You’d think that the toys came out first, or vice versa, but from online accounts it seems they all came out around the same time. Now that’s a media blitz!
As soon as the theme song starts up for Inspector Gadget, it immediately drops it’s catchy hook after that siren sound. It’s a very simple theme song, but one you remember very well. Go, Gadget, go! Eventually, Hollywood tried to make a live-action movie out of the beloved dimwitted Inspector Gadget with his robotic appendages, but it did not capture the same essence as the original. And let’s not forget about dear, sweet, niece Penny, who was the real inspector in most cases.
Compared to today, many theme songs of the ’80s era were essentially full on songs rather than just little snippets to intro the show, and the theme song for Chip ‘N Dale is no exception. The song is very ’80s, so if you’re feeling nostalgic, definitely get listening. Chip and Dale themselves were first introduced as part of a Pluto short film in 1943, and often appeared in Donald Duck shorts, but they got top billing in this series.
The synthesizer is in full effect in the Alvin and the Chipmunks theme song, giving us a strong introduction to the chipmunks and their musically inclined selves. Sadly, today’s young people probably know the chipmunks from the terrible 3D animated movies rather than this TV show, and that’s a real shame. The theme song is super memorable and will easily get stuck in your head if you let it.
If you want a classic jingle, look no further than Muppet Babies. Not only do you have the overall theme, you’ve got little snippets from each of the main characters. The Muppets were very popular, and the original idea for this series came about when Miss Piggy imagined what it would have been like to grow up with Kermit in the movie The Muppets Take Manhattan. It was so popular that it eventually turned into this TV show, which featured a lot of original songs aside from the rockin’ theme song.
Fans of Jem may think it’s truly outrageous, truly truly truly outrageous that it’s not featured in the number one spot. But, alas, some people don’t remember Jem, or apparently haven’t ever seen or heard of it (gasp!). All that aside, the song itself is very memorable, and if you were a fan growing up, you can sing along to all of the lyrics. And you might even agree with the notion that the Misfits had better songs, who’s to say.
It was tough deciding which song should go to number one, as all of the top four here are very catchy. In the end, we went with DuckTales, because who wouldn’t want to sing some “woo-oo” while swimming with Uncle Scrooge in his mountains of gold coins. Not to mention, this song can easily get stuck in your head just as much, if not moreso, than some of the others, even if you’re not sure what all of the lyrics are.
What’s your favorite animated TV theme song from the ’80s? Let us know in the comments!
- If you feel like DuckTales and Chip ‘n’ Dale‘s theme songs are in the same wheelhouse, that’s because they were both composed by Mark Mueller and sung by Jeff Pesceto.
- The Jem theme song “Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous” was featured as the opening theme until 1987 when it was replaced with “Jem Girls,” but the original theme was used throughout over the closing credits.
- Muppet Babies was rebooted in 2018 with an updated version of the theme song sung by Hamilton’s Renee Elise Goldsberry, who played Angelica Schuyler.
- Though Alvin and the Chipmunks didn’t debut until 1983, the Chipmunks were around since the 1950s when they released the song, “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” which is still played around the holidays to this day.
- The Inspector Gadget theme song was inspired by Edvard Grieg’s movement “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and was composed by Shuki Levy. Give it a listen and you’ll definitely recognize the movement and see how it inspired Gadget.
- If you feel like DuckTales and Chip ‘n’ Dale‘s theme songs are in the same wheelhouse, that’s because they were both composed by Mark Mueller and sung by Jeff Pesceto.
- The Jem theme song “Truly, Truly, Truly Outrageous” was featured as the opening theme until 1987 when it was replaced with “Jem Girls,” but the original theme was used throughout over the closing credits.
- Muppet Babies was rebooted in 2018 with an updated version of the theme song sung by Hamilton’s Renee Elise Goldsberry, who played Angelica Schuyler.
- Though Alvin and the Chipmunks didn’t debut until 1983, the Chipmunks were around since the 1950s when they released the song, “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late),” which is still played around the holidays to this day.
- The Inspector Gadget theme song was inspired by Edvard Grieg’s movement “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and was composed by Shuki Levy. Give it a listen and you’ll definitely recognize the movement and see how it inspired Gadget.
