D&D General Poll: Did you watch the D&D cartoon when it was new?

[Autumnal]

I was in high school and college, and disliked it immediately. It’s loaded up with a lot of elements guaranteed to not work for me. Others can enjoy it on my behalf.

 

[ezo]

I was in high school and college, and disliked it immediately. It’s loaded up with a lot of elements guaranteed to not work for me. Others can enjoy it on my behalf.

I think that is part of the issue for many who didn't care for it back then... it was a kids' cartoon, not really meant for most teens or young adults.

I was 9 when the cartoon started, so it was perfect for my age group and thus I have fonder memories of it. Because of that, even though I am now 51, I can still enjoy it for what it was. Of course, I also still enjoy the other cartoons of the mid-80's like Transformers and G.I. Joe. No accounting for taste, I suppose.

 

[NN]

It was garbage

 

[Reef]

I was 11 when it came out, and had the Moldvay red box for about a year at that point. So I was absolutely the target audience. And I loved it. I was still pretty much a kid, so the fact it was a kids show wasn't an issue. And let's face it, standards for Saturday morning cartoons weren't that high in 1983.

I was just so psyched to see the game I loved so much on TV. Lolth, Skeleton warriors, orcs, shadow demons, and Tiamat! If I had been even a year older, it probably wouldn't have hit so hard. And I can see why people looking back have a hard time understanding the impact on those of us smack dab in its demographic.

 

[Bedrockgames]

Simple, random poll question.

If you watched any part of any episode of the original Dungeons & Dragons cartoon during its original run in your home country, the answer is yes.

If you've only seen it after its original run in your home country - in syndication, on home video, online, etc. - the answer is no. (If you've never seen it at all, the answer is obviously also no.)

Feel free to elaborate on your first impressions of the original D&D cartoon below!

Yes, I remember watching in the early 80s before I knew what D&D even was. I also recall liking it a lot

 

[Clint_L]

I will say this, having rewatched many of those cherished cartoons from back in the day (D&D, Transformers, GI Joe, Thundarr, etc.) The D&D cartoon actually holds up just as well, if not better, than all of them. That isn't a very high bar...

The 80s were an animation low point. I was a kid in the Golden era of Saturday mornings, the 1970s.

 

[Sacrosanct]

The 80s were an animation low point. I was a kid in the Golden era of Saturday mornings, the 1970s.

Yeah, gonna disagree there I was a kid in the 70s as well. I will concede that many of our cherished cartoons (especially Transformers, He-Man, and GI Joe) from the 80s were nothing more than toy ads.

 

[ezo]

The 80s were an animation low point. I was a kid in the Golden era of Saturday mornings, the 1970s.

Also must disagree. While I was younger, I was still watching cartoons in the late 70's anyway (many of which were reruns from the early 70s). I mean, you're talking low animation in the 70s... but much of it I can still appreciate due to the nostalgia of it.

the 80s were nothing more than toy ads.

Most of them, yes... effective toy ads, too, unfortunately for my parents.

 

[roger semerad]

I didn't even know it existed until around the 2010's. I was born in 82 so I was a bit too young. It's a shame, I loved fantasy growing up and read a lot of fantasy books. I probably would have liked it if I saw it at a young age. The cartoons that caught my attention in my earliest years were Transformers, TMNT, and the Real Ghostbusters.

 

[roger semerad]

The 80s were an animation low point. I was a kid in the Golden era of Saturday mornings, the 1970s.

I'll have to disagree as well. Most cartoons aimed at kids are pretty bad, regardless of the time they were made. I see the 80s about the same quality wise as previous gens, but with the higher overall production values they paved the way for cartoons to be taken more seriously in the 90s with stuff like Batman the animated series, Gargoyles, and Animaniacs.

Most of them, yes... effective toy ads, too, unfortunately for my parents.

I have so many Transformers, both old and new. My earliest memory is getting a G1 Optimus Prime for christmas.