A-Z of 80s CArtoon T-SHIRT IDEAS FOR MEN AND WOMEN

On this page we're going to jog your memory with some 80s cartoon T-shirt ideas. Of course, you probably won't have watched every cartoon featured here, but I hope you will find at least one or two that you will have enjoyed watching back in the day.

Why not celebrate your childhood with one of these retro T-shirts?

80s Cartoon Heroes T-shirt. Ft. Optimus Prime, Thundercats

 

80s Cartoon Heroes T-shirt

This hugely popular shirt features an array of 80s cartoon characters, including Optimus Prime, The Real Ghostbusters, Lion-O from Thundercats, He-Man, Count Duckula, Dangermouse and Penfold, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Availbel in 3 colours in sizes S to XXL for Men.

Bagpuss 70s Striped Cloth Cat T-shirt

 

Bagpuss T-Shirt

If you grew-up during the 70s, then you will certainly remember the loveable cloth cat Bagpuss. There were only ever 13 episodes, but this series is many people's favourite from their childhood. Characters included a little girl named Emily, a rag doll called Madeleine, Professor Yaffle the wooden woodpecker bookend. Oh, and I must not forget the mice who did a lot of heaving!

Barbapapa T-shirt for Men, Yellow

 

Barbapapa T-Shirt

This unusual cartoon first aired in the 1970s and was repeated in the 1980s. It featured a family of shape-shifting, blob creatures with no legs. They were thoughtful of the environment and tried to educate kids to be environmentally aware.

In Bod We Trust 80s Cartoon T-shirt

 

Bod T-Shirt

There were just 13 episodes of Bod (each one started with the announcement "here comes bod") which was originally shown in 1975 on BBC TV. The cartoon was repeated until 1984 and featured the voices of Dad's Army's John Le Mesurier, and Kids TV presenters Derek Griffiths and Maggie Henderson.

Dark Side of the Button Moon Funny T-shirt

 

Button Moon T-Shirt

Just about every child of the 80s has heard of Button Moon - even if they didn't watch it. This series of ten minute animations was shown on ITV between 1980 and 1988. Interestingly, the theme tune was composed by Peter Davison (Doctor Who) and his actress wife Sandra Dickinson - they are now separated.

Captain Caveman 80s Cartoon Black T-shirt for Men

 

Captain Caveman T-Shirt

Remember this prehistoric superhero? Perhaps, one of the best-remembered features was his battle cry where he called out his own name. Captain Caveman and The Teen Angels aired from the late 70s and into the 80s, and was created by Hanna-Barbera.

Disney Chip N Dale Detective Duo T-shirt

 

Chip 'n Dale Cartoon T-shirt

These two cheeky chipmunk characters were created in 1943 by Disney. In 1989 a new series called Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangerswas produced and this ran for three seasons. If you're looking for a cartoon tee that not many others will have thought of, then this is ideal. 

Chorlton and the Wheelies T-sirt

 

Chorlton and the Wheelies T-shirt
This popular 1970s stop motion animation took place in Wheelie World, where happiness dragon called Chorlton spreads happiness everywhere he goes. Sadly, Fenella Fellorick, an evil kettle witch had other ideas, and was forever trying to spread misery across the land. The only supplier I could find selling T-shirts was Redbubble who have a couple of designs.

Count Duckula Grey T-shirt by Truffleshuffle

 

Count Duckula T-Shirts

This horrifying British cartoon series was a spin-off from Danger Mouse and ran for four series, starting in the Autumn of 1988. Count Duckula lived in a Dracula style, scary-looking castle with Igor the butler and his over-sized nanny.

Danger Mouse 80s Cartoon T-shirt

 

Danger Mouse T-Shirt

This was a very British 80s cartoon that featured the voices of comedy greats David Jason (as Danger Mouse) and Terry Scott (as his sidekick Penfold). There will, no doubt, be many of you who have fond memories of coming from school and settling down in front of the TV to watch this cartoon - that includes myself!

Dastardly and Muttley Grey T-shirt

 

Dastardly & Muttley T-Shirt

We all remember this wicked duo don't we? Muttley's evil snickering is still firmly fixed in my head! The duo appeared in Wacky Races and also had their own cartoon series which has been reinvented and repeated several times.

Fraggle Rock Dance Your Cares Away T-shirt

 

Fraggle Rock T-shirt

There are around a dozen T-shirt designs available featuring the classic 80s puppet TV series by Muppets creator Jim Henson, which originally aired between 1983 and 1987. This is a quirky choice of T-shirt for an 80s festival, party etc.

Hong Kong Phooey No.1 Super Guy T-shirt, blue

 

Hong Kong Phooey T-Shirt

I adored this fun 70s cartoon as a kid, which featured Penry, the mild-mannered janitor who would transform himself into the clumsy kung-fu superhero by running into a filing cabinet - after his cat, Spot, had freed him that is! 

Ivor The Engine with Jones  T-shirt

 

Ivor The Engine T-shirt

This charming British animation featured a loveable steam engine called Ivor, and this T-shirt would make a lovely gift for anyone who grew-up watching the animated series back in the 1970s and 80s.

Jamie and the Magic Torch 890s Cartoon T-shirt, blue

 

Jamie and the Magic Torch T-Shirt

Transport yourself back to Cuckoo Land with one of these retro cartoon T-shirts. Although regarded as an 80s cartoon, the series originally aired on ITV from 1976 to 1979, but was repeated during the 80s. Best memories for me are Jamie's pet dog Wordsworth and his mother saying "sleep well, Jamie" at the start of each episode.
 

MASK Cartoon Mobile Armored Strike Kommand T-shirt, black

 

M.A.S.K. T-Shirt

M.A.S.K. (Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand) was an action-packed cartoon series that originally aired for two season from 1985 to 1986, with 75 episodes in total. The storylines revolved around a law enforcement task force taking on a criminal organistation called V.E.N.O.M.

Retro 1970s Mr Benn Animation T-shirt
Mr Benn T-Shirt

This cartoon was one of my favourites from my childhood, and I always used to get excited about what character Mr Benn was going to transform himself into in the fancy dress shop. There were only ever 13 episodes, but one extra episode was shown in 2005 entitled Gladiator.

Mr Magoo Cartoon Character Black T-shirt

 

Mr Magoo T-shirt

This hilarious, short-sighted character was first created way back in 1949 for a cartoon called The Ragtime Bear. Many cartoons were shown throughout the 50s and 60s and repeated through the 1970s. A new series which aired in the late 70s was entitled What's New Mr Magoo?

Mr. Bump Official T-shirt with Roger Hargreaves signature

 

Mr Men T-shirt

Arthur Lowe was the perfect choice for narrating the original Mr. Men cartoon series, and the wide array of characters was fascinating to young children, including myself! There are many tees available and our favourite is this amusing "Bend it like Bump" design.

Roobarb and Custard Cartoon T-shirt

 

Roobarb & Custard T-Shirt

I adored this wibbly wobbly cartoon which was first shown back in the 70s. It used to be shown on a weekday tea-time just before the news, and was narrated by the late, great Richard Briers. However, Custard (the pink cat) was one of those annoying characters that would make my blood boil!

Scooby Doo Gang in Mystery Machine Blue T-shirt

 

Scooby-Doo T-shirt

This retro Hanna Barbera cartoon featured the goofy character Scooby-Doo with his gang driving around in the mystery machine van to solve, erm, mysteries! The loveable great dane would often search for monsters with Shaggy, who were almost permanently petrified and always hungry - Scooby snack anyone?

Sesame Street Elmo Face Red T-shirt

 

Sesame Street T-shirt

Amazingly, over 4500 episodes of the American kid's puppet show have been produced and it is still going strong! You may remember Oscar the grouch who lived in a trash can and was actually orange in the first season before turning green!

SuperTed Cartoon Japanese Graphic T-shirt for Women

 

SuperTed Cartoon T-Shirt

This was a Welsh 80s cartoon (very different to the more gentile Ivor The Engine, though) that originally ran from 1983 until 1985 on S4C and then BBC1. The animated series followed the adventures of a superhero teddy bear and his bumbling friend Spotty.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles T-shirt

This very well-known 80s cartoon series followed four anthropomorphic turtles (Yeah, I've never heard that word before either, but basically they had human traits) who shouted out "Cowabunga!" quite a lot. Can uyou remember their names, though? They were Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael.

The Clangers - Dropped A Major Clanger T-shirt

 

The Clangers T Shirt

The pink knitted aliens are now back on our screens (albeit in a more modern form) but the original animations will still remain No.1 for a certain generation. This Dropped A Major Clanger Tee would make a lovely gift for a fan of the series.

Disney The Muppets T-shirt ft. Kermit, Gonzon and Fozzie Bear

 

The Muppet Show T-Shirt

Now, I just adored the muppets! Created by Jim Henson, the comedy puppet series originally ran for five series (12 episodes) on ITV from 1976 until 1981. Kermit the Frog, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear feature on this retro T-shirt shown here. However, there are oodles of other T-shirts available featuring the muppet characters.

Smurf Poking Out Tongue T-shirt

 

The Smurfs T-Shirt

Who's old enough to remember collecting Smurf figures at their local National petrol forecourt? I managed to collect about a dozen smurfs, and Papa smurf was my favourite character. The blue, gnome-like creatures became so popular they topped the music charts in 16 countries with "The Smurf Song".

The Trap Door T-shirt, black

 

The Trap Door T-Shirt

Okay, so this wasn't actually a cartoon, but an animated series featuring clay models. Each story followed the adventures of a group of monsters who lived in a castle. 40 episodes were created and each one lasted for five minutes. You may also remember the voices for the characters which were provided by Willie Rushton, and it just wouldn't have been the same without him! The Trap Door is now considered a cult classic.

Thundercats Characters Group Shot T-shirt for Women

 

Thundercats T-Shirt

So, what were Thundercats exactly? I can only describe them as part human, part cat aliens. Originally a Japanese animation, the cartoon was adapted for an American audience and originally aired from 1985 to 1989. A comic book by Marvel was also produced.

Tom And Jerry Chase T-shirt

 

Tom And Jerry T-Shirt

This classic cartoon was a firm favourite in our household, and the duo's slapstick antics used to have us all in stitches. The cat and mouse first appeared in the 1940s and was originally created by Hanna-Barbera for MGM. In the 60s another series of cartoons was created by Chuck Jones, although, personally, I much preferred the originals which were regularly repeated on TV during the 70s and 80s.

Top Cat Cartoon T-shirt

 

Top Cat T-Shirt

I must've spent a lot of time watching cartoons as a child because here is yet another firm favourite. The most effectual Top Cat was the leader of a gang of alley cats who were always up to no good and trying to outwit Officer Dibble. This funny Hanna-Barbera cartoon was created in the 1960s but the 30 episodes were regularly repeated.

Transformers 1984 Autobots T-shirt

 

Transformers Cartoon T-Shirt

There are actually dozens of designs available with a Transformers theme, and the one shown is a cybertron contrast design. The first toys started to appear around 1984 with the TV series and movie quickly following. TV ads for the transformer toys (I can still remember the "robots in disguise" song in the ad) were regularly shown during the 1980s.

Um Bongo Blue T-shirt

 

Um Bongo Fruit Drink Hippo T-shirt

"Um Bongo, Um Bongo, they drink it in the Congo!" Yes, if you're of a certain age then you will remember the Um Bongo TV adverts that were a regular feature on our TV screens back in the 1980s. Two tees are available featuring the classic logo.