Five Pieces of 80s Nostalgia That Haven't Been Ruined... Yet

It's no secret that Hollywood has made a somewhat of a trend out of taking what was once well and good, and then utterly destroying it. And, with what I've heard about the latest Transformers flick and what I've seen of the upcoming G.I. Joe picture, it seems that this summer is no exception. So, I decided to honor the pieces of my childhood that have gone untainted with this list of the five pieces of 80s nostalgia that haven't been ruined... yet.

5. Danger Mouse

Description: A British cartoon that followed the adventures of a secret agent mouse who shared more than a couple similarities with James Bond and Sherlock Holmes.

Why It's Awesome: British spy fiction was always ripe for a little parody, and Danger Mouse is the first instance I remember that decided to do so, and it was done in the form of a mouse with a sweet eye patch.

Where Are They Now?: I don't actually know, but musical artist and producer Brian Burton has adopted the name Danger Mouse, and has been making some killer beats with acts like Gorillaz, Beck, MF Doom, and (without permission) Jay-Z and The Beatles.

Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: Pixar is still trying to get the rights (probably).

4. Masters of the Universe

Description: Prince Adam can transform into scantily clothed He-Man to battle Skeletor on the planet Eternia. Adam always wins because he turns into the strongest man in the universe with the catchphrase "By the power of Grayskull... I HAVE THE POWER!!!"

Why It's Awesome: Two reasons: Loin cloths and Battle Cat!

Where Are They Now?: Robot Chicken has made several quality parodies of the series because of the easy access to He-Man action figures.

Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: Two reasons: Loin cloths and Battle Cat!

3. Blade Runner

Description: Harrison Ford shoots replicants, has a dream about a unicorn, then falls in love. All the while, Edward James Olmos spouts nonsense and J.F. Sebastian has creepy little friends that he makes.

Why It's Awesome: It's a sci-fi movie that has stood the test of time so far despite not being action oriented or a beloved, box office hit. Also, Pat Berman calls it "science fiction pornography," which is pretty great.

Where Are They Now?: There were a couple video games, one of which I played and it was pretty awesome. Other than that, there's groups of nerds that like to argue over the film's overall implications. This is all I know.

Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: The nerds still haven't decided on the film's overall implications, so continuing a 'canon' storyline is impossible and therefore a bad idea when your primary demographic is nerds.

2. DuckTales

Description: A cartoon that followed the adventures Dewey, Huey, Louie, and their great-uncle, Scrooge McDuck. It paved the way for other quality shows like Darkwing Duck and TaleSpin, but considering it was the OG of Disney's syndicated cartoons, it stands a cut above the rest.

Why It's Awesome: Scrooge McDuck is perhaps one of the best characters ever concieved. As the very embodiment of capitalism and a genius of a businessman, McDuck instilled valued quality, American lessons in children like how to get rich and stay rich; that and that you don't really have a reason to be angry unless some goods from one of your factories gets lost.

Where Are They Now?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKHpIuodU3Q

Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: Disney refuses to comment on this officially, but I'm pretty sure it's because DuckTales is the best thing they've ever done, and they fear that new iterations on the intellectual property--save for a boss Nintendo game--could damage the Ducktales name.

1. ThunderCats

Description: Lion-O and his cat-like compatriots do crazy epic battle with Mumm-Ra on the planet Thundera. If you know anything about cat people, then you know that this is, quite possibly, the best thing ever.

Why It's Awesome: 'ThunderCats are on the move, ThunderCats are loose! Feel the magic, hear the roar, ThunderCats are loose!" Also, Mumm-Ra!
Where Are They Now?: They too sometimes appear on Robot Chicken, but, more importantly, the animation group that made ThunderCats went on to form a little studio called Ghibli, otherwise known as the most critically acclaimed animation studio ever.

Why It Hasn't Been Ruined... Yet: No one wants to be messin' with cartoon perfection.