# Early 80s Nickelodeon Cartoon Identification? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 12, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203 "2003-04-12T04:13:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/1 "2003-04-12T04:13:13Z")
I have memories of watching a cartoon on Nickelodeon as a child that no one else seems to remember and was hoping someone here would be able to help me. The only thing I distinctly remember about the show was that the protagonist lived on a little meteroid of a planet by himself (or maybe with some pets, I don’t know) and would catch a passing comet with his butterfly net to fly to Earth for some reason every episode. I also seem to remember it looking like anime and the hero being a strawberry blonde in a vaguely seaman looking outfit. Can anyone help me? I’ve asked numerous people over the years and no one knows what the hell I’m talking about. I’m starting to think I might be crazy. ---
**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/2 "2003-04-12T04:20:11Z")
I believe the name of the show _the little prince_ based very loosely on the children’s book of the same name. ---
**Author:** ![captainQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e68b1a/32.png) [@captainQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/captainQwark)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/3 "2003-04-12T04:22:15Z")
that should be “name of the show is…” ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/4 "2003-04-12T04:24:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by captainQwark \* > \*\*I believe the name of the show _the little prince_ based very loosely on the children’s book of the same name. \*\* Captain appears to be correct. [Here’s](http://www.johnsrealmonline.com/classicnick/littleprince/main.html) a link… ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/5 "2003-04-12T04:27:45Z")
That’s it! I knew I wasn’t imagining things! I love this board sometimes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/6 "2003-04-12T04:29:00Z")
Oh, and thanks, **Casey1505** and **captainQwark**. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/7 "2003-04-12T05:12:41Z")
I didn’t like that show, but watched it anyway because it was on after The Mysterious Cities of Gold. MCOG is probably the best cartoon ever shown on Nick. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/8 "2003-04-12T05:37:32Z")
Ah, The Mysterious Cities of Gold. That sure was cool. I wonder if Cartoon Network would ever pick something like that up. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/9 "2003-04-12T05:41:04Z")
I spent the 80’s serving in the Navy, and had no access to Nickelodeon (although I would have guessed _the little prince_, anyway just based on the description), so I have no idea what Mysterious Cities of Gold is, or was. But was it really better than _The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron_, or _Rugrats_? ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/10 "2003-04-12T05:49:30Z")
Yes, MCOG was by FAR the best cartoon ever shown on Nick. A masterpiece in every way, about a group of Incan children somewhere in south or central america. They had some spectacular adventures. The only cartoon that comes close is Inspector Gadget, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/11 "2003-04-12T06:42:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Flymaster \* > \*\*Yes, MCOG was by FAR the best cartoon ever shown on Nick. \*\* Pah. I’ll see your Incan children and raise it a porous invertebrate and an Irken invader. Still, 80’s Nick had some great moments. Especially considering that out of its 12 hour broadcast day, 8 hours was _Pinwheel_. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![Sapphire\_Bullet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Sapphire\_Bullet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapphire_Bullet)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/12 "2003-04-12T10:41:35Z")
Preach it, Alphagene. To this day, I can still hear that damned theme song in my head. Oh, how I hated that show. _Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around, look at my pinwheel and see what I found…_ ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/13 "2003-04-12T10:49:39Z")
You guys think that’s bad, I started singing a snippet from “Hey Dude”'s theme song today… ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/14 "2003-04-12T12:26:07Z")
I can beat the _Hey Dude_ theme song (although Brad was kinda cute, and who knew Melody would grow up to be **the** Christine Taylor): my nightmare flashbacks of my sister’s intentionally off-key version of the _Today’s Special_ theme. _Pinwheel_…grrrrrrrr. That thing came up in another thread recently, some cool cartoons from overseas (I’d like to see “Simon” and the stop-motion series with the two characters playing in a vast world of building blocks and wooden toys, no idea on the name). But the main segments with the “Gotcha last!” kids, the terminally perky humans, and that damn snail were some of the worst kids TV I’ve ever seen. Worse than _The Letter People_, worse even than local town character, Erlene the Story Lady, and that is saying something. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/15 "2003-04-12T12:38:38Z")
Today’s special…shout it loud and clear! Yes, I can remember theme songs to shows I watched when I was a miniNinja, but I can’t remember where I put my damn keys. ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/16 "2003-04-12T18:46:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sapphire Bullet \* > \*\*Preach it, Alphagene. To this day, I can still hear that damned theme song in my head. Oh, how I hated that show. > _Pinwheel, pinwheel, spinning around, look at my pinwheel and see what I found…_ \*\* Got you last! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/17 "2003-04-12T19:07:07Z")
Hm, strangely, I don’t have any idea whatsoever as to what _Pinwheel_ is. I remember _David the Gnome_ and can still hear his voice in my head fifteen years after watching the show though. That count for anything/ ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/18 "2003-04-12T20:14:37Z")
I still know the entire theme song for David the Gnome. I loved Out of Control and as soon as someone posted the first word to the “Pinwheel” theme, it got stuck in my head. And if I had the money to bribe a company, I’d bribe Cartoon Network to get the Mysterious Cities of Gold. I _loved_ that show! Remember the game show “Finders Keepers”? I had the home game version of it. It was really, really lame. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/19 "2003-04-12T20:20:01Z")
OH, and Bill Cosby’s “Picture Pages”! \*Picture pages, picture pages Open up your picture pages Time to get your crayon and your pencil! Picture pages, picture pages Open up your picture pages Time to let Bill Cosby do a picture page with you!\* Sure, I’ve forgotten how to do triple integrals in under a year, but almost two decades later I still have that song in my head (and yes, I know it was on Captain Kangaroo before Cosby did it). Hey, does anyone remember Zoobalee Zoo (I have no idea if that’s the correct spelling)? No one else I’ve asked remembered it, so I hope I didn’t make it up! (Last one for this post, I swear) And I would give my eye teeth for some sort of copy of the “The Cat Came Back” cartoon short that Nickelodeon used to run in the 80s, in between shows. Does anyone have that on an old tape or anything? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2003, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203/20 "2003-04-12T20:27:19Z")
_The Cat Came Back_! My god, I hated that cartoon as a kid since it was one **all** the time but I _love_ it now, looking back! _The cat came back the very next day… the cat came back, we thought he was a goner but the cat came back. It just couldn’t stay away._ Nostalgia’s so addictive. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-80s-nickelodeon-cartoon-identification/168203.md?page=2)