There was a magical time when everything from Sonic the Hedgehog to Mario to The Legend of Zelda was getting its own cartoon. However, there were plenty of others out there that some of you may not have seen. Here's five cartoons based on video games you may have missed or forgotten about.
Dragon's Lair: Absolutely one of the most groundbreaking video games of all time. Dragon's Lair took film quality animation from the legendary Don Bluth and made a game that was unlike anything else at the time. In the game, you play as Dirk the Daring. Your mission was to rescue the Princess Daphne from the evil wizard Morro and the dragon Singe. Since it was already an animated property, it made sense to turn it into an animated series. Dragon's Lair: The Animated Series was produced by Ruby-Spears and premiered on September 8th, 1984, on ABC. The series revolved around Dirk the Daring doing good deeds and battling evil, but it only lasted for one season.
Saturday Supercade: Saturday Supercade isn't just one video game. It's a bunch of video games. Saturday Supercade was an anthology cartoon series from Ruby-Spears which focused on a variety of video games. It premiered on September 17th, 1983, on ABC. Each episode was split among games like Frogger, Donkey Kong, and Cubert. Despite featuring classic video game characters, the show only lasted two seasons.
Earthworm Jim: The video game Earthworm Jim was first released in 1994 and quickly gained popularity. It was about Jim, an earthworm who gains a super suit to fight aliens. The game was adapted into an animated series by Universal Cartoon Studios and Flextech, premiering on September 9th, 1995, on Kids WB. The series expanded on the game's plot, lasting for two seasons.
Battletoads: Released on the NES in 1991, Battletoads became known for its difficulty. The game featured a trio of toads: Rash, Zitz, and Pimple. Although a pilot for an animated series was produced, it never became a full series.
Mega Man: Mega Man is a cornerstone in video game history. Released as Rockman in Japan in 1987, it was later adapted into an animated series in 1994, co-produced by Ruby-Spears. The series followed the narrative of Mega Man fighting Dr. Wily's robots and was successful during its run.