Cartoons can’t all be about the main characters. After all, who would there be to solve that final piece of the puzzle, get kidnapped by the villain, or bumble their way into a critical clue?
Back in the 80s, we loved cartoon sidekicks almost as much as the protagonists. Here are some of our favourites.
12. Spotty – SuperTed
As if featuring a superpowered teddy bear wasn’t fantastical enough for a Saturday morning, SuperTed paired the ursine hero with Spotty, an alien from an incredibly hot planet.
He had one of those odd voices that made you think he was potentially hiding some dark secret, speaking as he did with a raspy whisper, but he always gave SuperTed work to do by getting into trouble!
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11. Brain – Inspector Gadget
Brain was the pet dog of Gadget’s niece, Penny, and was often the one who saved the day by solving the villain of the week’s evil scheme.
However, they weren’t exactly a duo: Brain would often cross wires with Inspector Gadget by dressing in disguise and being fingered as a suspect!
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10. Slimer – The Real Ghostbusters
In the original film, Slimer was a nasty ghost that – fittingly – slimed Bill Murray. In the classic 80s cartoon, however, he became something of a pet or a mascot who would often irritate the Ghostbusters.
Slimer was never particularly threatening, so this change of heart and character progression made sense!
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9. Godzooky – Godzilla
Made in the Scrappy Doo / Scooby Doo mold, Godzooky was the baby version of Godzilla who’d hang around with his cooler, rampaging relative.
Godzooky was one of those characters who supposedly existed to appeal to children, but we only ever remember him being incredibly annoying.
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8. Orko – He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Orko was one of the few characters who knew Prince Adam’s secret – that he was really He-Man. He was a magician from an alien planet whose magic would go wrong 99% of the time.
…the other 1% being the times when, if it didn’t work right, they would likely all die! He was a fan favourite though and loved by kids everywhere.
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7. Scrappy Doo – Scooby Doo
The nephew of the titular hound, Scrappy Doo was one of those characters who was so irritating that even kids didn’t particularly like him very much!
In a show where everyone had a kitschy catchphrase (think “Zoinks!” and “Jinkies!”), Scrappy Doo’s came off as the most contrived of the bunch: “Da-da-da-da-da-daaaaaaa. P’uppy. P’ower!”
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6. Snarf – ThunderCats
The Thundercats was one of the biggest shows of the time and Snarf would often follow Lion-O on his adventures – either to be there to help him, or usually to run off and get someone more capable when Lion-O fell into the clutches of evil.
Did you know? Snarf isn’t actually his name – that’s the name of the entire race of old-man-looking beasts!
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5. T-Bob – M.A.S.K
The little robot that had been created by Scott Trakker and who could transform into a scooter when required giving the young lad his own vehicle to ride on!
He was annoying at times, but we’d put up with an irritating robot if it meant we got a free scooter.
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4. Penfold – Danger Mouse
The ultimate cartoon sidekick? Possibly. This little hamster (often incorrectly described as a mole) was the flustered bureaucrat to Danger Mouse’s Errol Flynn-esque caperer.
Ultimately, however, the pair made a great team despite – and perhaps because of – their different personalities.
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3. Uni – Dungeons and Dragons
The unicorn that the kids discover as soon as they arrive in the strange world they are transported to, Uni was never much use but certainly imperiled himself often enough to get the kids in trouble too.
They probably should have just left him behind. It’s a dragon-eat-dragon world out there!
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2. April O’Neil – Teenage Mutant Ninja (Hero) Turtles
The plucky journalist who becomes firm friends with the Turtles, April O’Neil provided a much-needed human perspective in a show filled with mutated ninja turtles, sensei rats and some kind of cyborg criminal mastermind.
April O’Neil showed us that journalism can shine a light in the dark and bring wrongdoers to justice – though as adults we realise they tend not to wear bright yellow jumpsuits as they do so.
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12. Cedric Sneer – The Raccoons
The son of series villain Cyril Sneer, Cedric Sneer is actually a friend to the Raccoons. Unfortunately, Cyril was well aware of this fact and oftentimes used the hapless Cedric as bait.
The stereotypical nerd, thick glasses and bow tie and all, Cedric was hugely annoying. But he had a good heart!
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