# Lamest Cartoon Series Ever **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2019, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409 "2019-02-12T16:22:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/61 "2019-02-13T22:01:37Z")
_[Crusader Rabbit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3hHQvkUhJo)_. It was the [first animated-for-TV cartoon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusader_Rabbit), and it shows. Lots of voice over. Outside of stuff like the opening no real animation. OTOH, Jay Ward was involved and we all know the cool thing he ended up doing. Another really bad one was _Tom Terrific_ which was part of _Captain Kangaroo_. ---
**Author:** ![Gerald\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Gerald\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerald_II)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/62 "2019-02-13T22:47:29Z")
For me, the early '90s had a lot of lame cartoons. **Hammerman** The ABC lineup of cartoons really went downhill in the early 1990s. **Mr. Bogus** This show was pretty bland, and the only thing good about it were claymation segments. The Lion King animated series that didn’t feature the lion king, but Pumba and Timon instead. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/63 "2019-02-14T13:48:52Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > _[Crusader Rabbit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3hHQvkUhJo)_. > > It was the [first animated-for-TV cartoon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusader_Rabbit), and it shows. Lots of voice over. Outside of stuff like the opening no real animation. > > OTOH, Jay Ward was involved and we all know the cool thing he ended up doing. > > Another really bad one was _Tom Terrific_ which was part of _Captain Kangaroo_. Crusader Rabbit was GREAT! Jay Ward wasn’t just “involved” - he created the show. As with his later series (especially Rocky and Bullwinkle, which used the same “short smart hero/big strong dumb sidekick” dynamic), he didn’t have the money or resources for quality animation, so he made up for it with clever writing. The Crusader Rabbit cartoons I grew up on, though, were a slightly later vintage, not actually made by Jay Ward, but with a lot more animation (and color). But they kept up the witty writing and wonderfully atrocious puns. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2019, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/64 "2019-02-14T23:52:40Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Caillou > > Every episode features Caillou freaking out about going up stairs or getting splashed with water and then saying “but mommy, I’m scared” in that fake kid falsetto voice and then the mommy replies “That’s OK, Caillou, just give it a try” in her wholesome, slightly condescending voice, and then Caillou walks up the stupid stairs and says “Look mommy! I did it!” then the theme song plays and then he does it again with baking cookies or cleaning up his toys. Caillou was on during a period where the overall PBS lineup was pretty strong. Since we were too cheap to get cable, that’s what our kids watched. Arthur, Between the Lions (which included the twisted, and excellent, Chicken Jane), and Cyberchase were all good enough for me to sit through. Caillou, like Barney, was an outlier. I was picky about my cartoons (I grew up in the seventies). One of the three networks almost always had something I could watch. Probably the worst I would deign to turn on was Laff-o-lympics. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/65 "2019-02-15T01:49:50Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > _[Dick Tracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dick_Tracy_Show)_. Probably the only cartoon whose title character only made cameo appearances. > > Every episode started out the same way: Tracy, at his desk, would be speaking on the phone and say, “Right, Chief, I’ll get on it right away.” He would then put his wrist radio over his mouth (conveniently saving on animating his lips) and call one of his detectives. The rest of the episode would show one of the four (Joe Jitsu, Go Go Gomez, Heap O’ Calorie, and Hemlock Holmes) comically investigating a crime. Halfway through, the detective would say “Hold everything!” and all will freeze, and then “Calling Dick Tracy.” You’d see a little bit of Tracy asking a few questions. Then the call would end and the action would resume. > > After the criminal was caught (and they used a few of the actual comic strip villains), the detective would call Tracy again, who’d congratulate them on a job well done. > > It also didn’t help that the detectives were stereotypes that wouldn’t fly today. > > The “Hold everything! Calling Dick Tracy” line did become a catchphrase among kids, but the show itself was awful I remember when Disney owned las channel 9 and to promote their dick tracy movie they ran those …… it didn’t last 3 days before the furor started even radio personality tom leykis got involved … ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/66 "2019-02-15T02:06:09Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > … Arthur, Between the Lions (which included the twisted, and excellent, Chicken Jane), and Cyberchase were all good enough for me to sit through. … I just want to say that Arthur is the worst artistic rendering of an aardvark ever! Same for his whiny sister! ---
**Author:** ![CelticKnot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celticknot/32/3392_2.png) [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/67 "2019-02-15T14:25:39Z")
At the risk of starting an argument, or a thread in the Pit, I have to say that the introduction of Scrappy Doo permanently ruined a fan favorite, to the point of sullying the reputation of the entire series. Simply saying so made Mr. Celtic Knot dump me after our first date. Thankfully, we were able to talk it out and have enjoyed 23 years together. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/68 "2019-02-15T15:23:32Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > …Caillou, like Barney, was an outlier… I’m now reading Michelle Obama’s memoir _Becoming_, and she mentions that, early in her career with a big Chicago law firm, she was responsible for _Barney & Friends_’s intellectual property rights. I felt sorry for her. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/69 "2019-02-15T16:24:19Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#): > > At the risk of starting an argument, or a thread in the Pit, I have to say that the introduction of Scrappy Doo permanently ruined a fan favorite, to the point of sullying the reputation of the entire series. > Simply saying so made Mr. Celtic Knot dump me after our first date. Thankfully, we were able to talk it out and have enjoyed 23 years together. There were a bunch of bad spin-offs in the late 70’s / early 80’s I watched avidly but didn’t like much… - The “new” Shmoo - Superfriends (featuring important heroes, but here they were just dumb) - Grape Ape I’ll see your Scrappy Doo and raise you a “Godzuki.” Recall, in the spirit of having a “baby” version of the hero, there was a cute, cuddly baby Godzilla that appeared on that show. Ugh. In the late 80’s they started with He Man, which many kids like but by then, being in High School, I just couldn’t stand to watch it. Babysitting was extra difficult when I had to sit through He Man. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/70 "2019-02-15T21:54:42Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > I just want to say that Arthur is the worst artistic rendering of an aardvark ever! Same for his whiny sister! The first Arthur book had him looking like an aardvark. I don’t think the tv show ever acknowledged that any of the characters were animals except Buster Bunny and the Art Garfunkel moose that appeared in one episode. They also had a discussion about a show where animal characters might be in danger of being eaten by their pets in “real life.” The cartoons were way, way better than the books in the opinion of this kids’ librarian. ---
**Author:** ![edspellman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@edspellman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edspellman)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/71 "2019-02-16T05:03:54Z")
Agree with Celtic Knot, Scrappy Doo needed to be dropped down a large pit, he made me tune out Scooby Doo, probably forever. I remember watching Dodo (the Kid from Outer Space), thought it was pretty lame, creepy even, that weird cast and animation, Professor Fingers? Compy the computer bird? Brrrrrr. King Leonardo etc weren’t the best, but not much worse than similar fare, like Tennessee Tuxedo, Ricochet Rabbit, etcetcetc, watched them all. And Crusader Rabbit? NOT lame! When I was 5-6 years old, it was the BEST! ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/72 "2019-02-16T17:23:09Z")
Were the USA spared the Japanese manga inspired animated series in the 70s? In Spain we had to endure \*Heidi \*and _Marco_, two really soppy but incredibly popular animated series, specially with the pre-pubescent girls. And then there was Mazinger Z, called Tranzor Z in some countries, which was just… hard. An enormous super robot, commanded by a child, aided by another robot, a female one called Aphrodite A (commanded by another child). Aphrodite fought by firing her breasts as missiles against the enemy. [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXQT99470wI)you can see 36 really hard seconds. I remember the episodes as really repetitive, the same sequences shown over and over again. They were so bad, they were almost good again. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/73 "2019-02-16T17:33:14Z")
_Caillou_, by contrast, is so bad it’s OH LORD SWITCH THAT OFF BEFORE MY KID HEARS IT AND STARTS COPYING HIM!!!1! KILL THE TV WITH FIRE!!! ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/74 "2019-02-18T03:50:06Z")
My prime cartoon watching childhood years were from the late-70s to the mid-80s, which, as far as I am concerned, was the nadir of American animation. Hanna-Barbera Filmation, and Ruby-Spears were in a race to the bottom to crank out shows the fastest and the cheapest for the Saturday morning cartoon ghetto. Meanwhile, the toy companies realized, that instead of just paying for commercials to promote their toys, they could just pay for the programming to promote their toys. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/75 "2019-02-18T04:08:39Z")
> [@Pardel-Lux](#): > > Were the USA spared the Japanese manga inspired animated series in the 70s? In Spain we had to endure \*Heidi \*and _Marco_, two really soppy but incredibly popular animated series, specially with the pre-pubescent girls. And then there was Mazinger Z, called Tranzor Z in some countries, which was just… hard. An enormous super robot, commanded by a child, aided by another robot, a female one called Aphrodite A (commanded by another child). Aphrodite fought by firing her breasts as missiles against the enemy. [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXQT99470wI)you can see 36 really hard seconds. I remember the episodes as really repetitive, the same sequences shown over and over again. They were so bad, they were almost good again. As a kid I loved _Tranzor Z_, _Battle of the Planets_, _Starblazers_ and _Voltron_. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/76 "2019-02-18T04:41:18Z")
The problem with naming bad cartoons, is that for every one that sticks in your mind, there are probably three or four knockoff cartoons that were even worse that you’ve forgotten about because they had a brief existence. Think Scooby-Doo was bad? You probably don’t remember dreck like Clue Club, The Buford Files, or Jabberjaw. Think Space Ghost was bad? It’s brilliant adventure compared to, say, Young Samson, Shazzan, or the Mighty Mightor. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/77 "2019-02-18T04:43:43Z")
didn’t they find out that ruby spears …was a under the table h-b unit that they made so they wouldn’t get in trouble for the monopoly they held on tv cartoons until the mid 80s ? ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/78 "2019-02-18T05:04:17Z")
I liked the Voltron series that wasn’t the lions …… I remember when most of the most popular weekday cartoons were Hasbro toy based …. transformers gi joe my little pony … Well when the new MLP show was first on Hasbro bought a network from discovery and called it “the hub” and 90 percent of the programming was based on Hasbro toys and games they even brought back the op transformers and gi joe …… It didn’t last amd they sold it back to discovery losing a ton of money in the process … ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/79 "2019-02-18T05:12:35Z")
Also, I think you have look at what else was around when a show was broadcast before consigning it to the dustbin of history. I mean, the last time someone started one of these threads, they led off with the assertion the the worst cartoon of all time was…Jonny Quest. Sure, maybe it doesn’t stand up to Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it was outstanding for its time. ---
**Author:** ![bmoak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@bmoak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bmoak)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409/80 "2019-02-18T05:29:21Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > didn’t they find out that ruby spears …was a under the table h-b unit that they made so they wouldn’t get in trouble for the monopoly they held on tv cartoons until the mid 80s ? Ruby-Spears were Joe Ruby and Ken Spears, two H-B vets who became ABC execs. Fred Silverman, the ABC President, thought the H-B was getting stale and spread too thin, so he asked Ruby and Spears to form their own production company to make cartoons for ABC. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lamest-cartoon-series-ever/829409.md?page=5)