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Rise and Fall of the 80s Toon Empire: A Behind the Scenes Look at When He-Man, G.I. Joe and Transformers Ruled The Airwaves
At Last, The In-Depth Story of the 1980s' TV Cartoon Explosion, With Dozens Of Quotes From Cartoon Writers and Producers Who Contributed To The '80s Legacy.He-Man. She-Ra. The Transformers. G.I.Joe. Thundercats. Voltron. Robotech. Rainbow Brite. Care Bears. My Little Pony. Jem. Inspector Gadget. All names that changed American pop culture. Now you'll learn the incredible story behind their arrival on American television.Rise and Fall of the 80s Toon Empire is a bird's eye view of a time in television history. It not only reveals the creative inspiration behind so many '80s cartoons, but it looks at the overall TV industry - showing how new cartoons were sold to TV stations (hint, the stations didn't pay a penny for many of them), how cartoons helped innovate the selling of home video cassettes, the ratings wars for the attention of young audiences, the fight by He-Man, Optimus Prime and G.I. Joe to conquer the big screen, and in the end, why the toon boom crashed.
422 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 8, 2018
Our opinion of what we read is frequently coloured by the experience and expectations we bring into it. On a certain level, that's a pretty trite observation--of course the reader's opinion of the book will be affected by who the reader is and what they want. But for some reason, I tend to forget that when reading fiction; it's only when reading nonfiction, and frequently, non-academic nonfiction (pity the poor subgenre defined by two negatives) that I'm reminded of that. All of which is to say, Rise and Fall of the 80s Toon Empire provided me with a lot of information I never knew about 80s cartoons, which would have been even more impressive if most of my cartoon watching had been then instead of the 90s.
Waguespack organizes his history around a narrative arc: in the early 80s, there was a gap in children's programming when it came to non-network cartoons, and toy companies jumped in to fill it. Beginning with Strawberry Shortcake, He-Man and Inspector Gadget, and swelling to incorporate GI-Joe, My Little Pony, and Transformers, the market reached a peak. Then, beset by oversaturation and ill-conceived film ventures, dominant players like DIC and Filmation took big hits. Disney, Fox, Warner Bros, and others stepped in to take their place.
If I'm being honest, my interest, professionally and personally, lies mostly in that final stage, when videogames were getting into the mix as well. But I learned a lot too. Waguespack tends to do a brief synopsis and summary of the major shows plot-wise when they first debut, which helps with the contextualization. The process of syndication is fascinating--I knew vaguely about shows' drives to reach 100 episodes, but I hadn't thought what that meant from an economic standpoint. I also found Robotech and similar shows really interesting; from a creative standpoint, there's something so bizarre about splicing together different TV shows from foreign networks to create your own story. Earlier this year, I finished Sean Howe's Untold History of Marvel Comics, and this book fills in a small set of blanks there, by detailing what Margaret Loesch was doing with Marvel Productions and television (a lot! Sunbow/Marvel had their fingers in My Little Pony, G. I. Joe, Transformers and Loesch made the introductions that led to Inspector Gadget).
The collapse of the late 80s reminds me of a lesser version of the earlier game industry crash that diminished Atari: in both cases, you have a oversaturated kid's market that's too flooded with subaverage product to allow the best parts to shine. In fact, maybe my biggest takeaway from the book is what it says about transmedia, and consumer industry. In digital-related studies, there's a tendency to act like new media is what led to convergences and dynamic overlaps, but Rise and Fall shows that the toy industry was doing the same thing a lot earlier. I was particularly interested in the idea that gets floated a few times that the actions figures *needed* the cartoons, that "Without the cartoon to provide the relationships between the characters, kids were uncertain how to play with the toys." That makes some interesting claims about how we play, the relatively rule-free play of action figures still benefited from a narrative to tie it all together.
There are other points of interest too: the attempts at blatant morality to combat notions of the shows' commercialism and violence; the uneasy balance between film and television; the idea that less action-oriented shows are more evergreen. I'll admit, even as a 90s brat, I found a lot worth reading here.
Waguespack organizes his history around a narrative arc: in the early 80s, there was a gap in children's programming when it came to non-network cartoons, and toy companies jumped in to fill it. Beginning with Strawberry Shortcake, He-Man and Inspector Gadget, and swelling to incorporate GI-Joe, My Little Pony, and Transformers, the market reached a peak. Then, beset by oversaturation and ill-conceived film ventures, dominant players like DIC and Filmation took big hits. Disney, Fox, Warner Bros, and others stepped in to take their place.
If I'm being honest, my interest, professionally and personally, lies mostly in that final stage, when videogames were getting into the mix as well. But I learned a lot too. Waguespack tends to do a brief synopsis and summary of the major shows plot-wise when they first debut, which helps with the contextualization. The process of syndication is fascinating--I knew vaguely about shows' drives to reach 100 episodes, but I hadn't thought what that meant from an economic standpoint. I also found Robotech and similar shows really interesting; from a creative standpoint, there's something so bizarre about splicing together different TV shows from foreign networks to create your own story. Earlier this year, I finished Sean Howe's Untold History of Marvel Comics, and this book fills in a small set of blanks there, by detailing what Margaret Loesch was doing with Marvel Productions and television (a lot! Sunbow/Marvel had their fingers in My Little Pony, G. I. Joe, Transformers and Loesch made the introductions that led to Inspector Gadget).
The collapse of the late 80s reminds me of a lesser version of the earlier game industry crash that diminished Atari: in both cases, you have a oversaturated kid's market that's too flooded with subaverage product to allow the best parts to shine. In fact, maybe my biggest takeaway from the book is what it says about transmedia, and consumer industry. In digital-related studies, there's a tendency to act like new media is what led to convergences and dynamic overlaps, but Rise and Fall shows that the toy industry was doing the same thing a lot earlier. I was particularly interested in the idea that gets floated a few times that the actions figures *needed* the cartoons, that "Without the cartoon to provide the relationships between the characters, kids were uncertain how to play with the toys." That makes some interesting claims about how we play, the relatively rule-free play of action figures still benefited from a narrative to tie it all together.
There are other points of interest too: the attempts at blatant morality to combat notions of the shows' commercialism and violence; the uneasy balance between film and television; the idea that less action-oriented shows are more evergreen. I'll admit, even as a 90s brat, I found a lot worth reading here.
February 5, 2026
A damn near perfect history book. It explains how these cartoons came about, why they were significant, and takes them on their own terms. Biographies are often hatchet jobs or hagiographies. The same is true with cultural histories, but this avoids that trap quite well, and as far as I can tell, most other works on this topic are duds by being either hatchet jobs or hagiographies.
January 22, 2023
Despite what the cover may imply, this is not a history of cartoons from the ’80s, but rather a history of first-run syndication cartoons from the ’80s. Just saying that is arky enough that you can understand why marketers would be hesitant to stress this smaller scope, and in fact, the book often only asserts its true focus implicitly. One example among many: On p. 136, Waguespack lists the extant “’80s cartoons” before 1985, but only comes up with eight titles. Obviously networks were showing many more than eight programs before 1985. Waguespack means there were eight first-run syndication cartoons before 1985, but not only does he not say so, he specifically says otherwise. This happens again and again, and unless you have a little voice in the back of your head reminding you that what Waguespack writes differs from what Waguespack means, you will find yourself puzzled by absurdities.
Although the scope of the book is narrow, this is not a drawback. The book is very well-researched and thorough, and expanding its pages to include the vast number of network cartoons would be deadening. In fact, I would say that this thoroughness, while possibly the books greatest strength, is also its greatest weakness. Waguespack frequently quotes all sides of a controversy, without weighing in himself. Sometimes this is merely unsatisfying—presumably Waguespack knows more than I do about these issues, and is better equipped to wade through the contradictory quotes. Sometimes this balance is deadly: Waguespack quotes both positive and negative reviews of (for example) the animated movie spin-offs of the syndicated cartoons, but it really doesn’t matter at all if one small newspaper had specific criticisms of a film, another specific aspects to praise. Unless the reviews are serving some kind of narrative function, Waguespack could have mentioned the mostly positive or mostly negative or mixed reviews and moved on.
Too often, though, narrative is exactly what the book lacks, preferring a wall of facts. And the wall of facts is good! Waguespack really digs up a lot of interviews and newspaper archives. I just wish there’d been more context or analysis or judgment. As it is, things can get chaotic. The chapter on Jem appears after the chapter on the toon implosion, and maybe chronologically you can justify this, but some effort needs to be put into the justification or the reader gets whiplash.
Two full paragraphs on p. 32 are repeated word-for-word on p. 41, which is weird enough that I feel I should mention it; also so Waguespack can correct it in a future edition. Overall, the book avoids most obvious blunders, or at least I didn’t spot them; all I would add as something to fix is the fact that Jay Ward was not affiliated with Underdog.
A good deep dive into a complicated subject. I sure learned a lot. The behind-the-scenes story of the death of Optimus Prime is an especially wild ride.
Although the scope of the book is narrow, this is not a drawback. The book is very well-researched and thorough, and expanding its pages to include the vast number of network cartoons would be deadening. In fact, I would say that this thoroughness, while possibly the books greatest strength, is also its greatest weakness. Waguespack frequently quotes all sides of a controversy, without weighing in himself. Sometimes this is merely unsatisfying—presumably Waguespack knows more than I do about these issues, and is better equipped to wade through the contradictory quotes. Sometimes this balance is deadly: Waguespack quotes both positive and negative reviews of (for example) the animated movie spin-offs of the syndicated cartoons, but it really doesn’t matter at all if one small newspaper had specific criticisms of a film, another specific aspects to praise. Unless the reviews are serving some kind of narrative function, Waguespack could have mentioned the mostly positive or mostly negative or mixed reviews and moved on.
Too often, though, narrative is exactly what the book lacks, preferring a wall of facts. And the wall of facts is good! Waguespack really digs up a lot of interviews and newspaper archives. I just wish there’d been more context or analysis or judgment. As it is, things can get chaotic. The chapter on Jem appears after the chapter on the toon implosion, and maybe chronologically you can justify this, but some effort needs to be put into the justification or the reader gets whiplash.
Two full paragraphs on p. 32 are repeated word-for-word on p. 41, which is weird enough that I feel I should mention it; also so Waguespack can correct it in a future edition. Overall, the book avoids most obvious blunders, or at least I didn’t spot them; all I would add as something to fix is the fact that Jay Ward was not affiliated with Underdog.
A good deep dive into a complicated subject. I sure learned a lot. The behind-the-scenes story of the death of Optimus Prime is an especially wild ride.
September 26, 2020
I love books that give an inside look at various industries, especially the struggle faced during a rise and fall cycle. Unfortunately, this one did not do that.
To be honest, I could not care less what the plot of a My Little Pony TV special from the 1980s was, and yet, time and again, this is exactly what Jason Waguespack delivers. He meticulously details the finer points of numerous shows while avoiding any in depth analysis of the actual business at play. And when he wasn't doing that, he was employing the method every public school student knows how to use. Endless lists to increase word count. On a number of occasions I found myself wondering if Waguespack had simply read the TV Guide one too many times.
In the end, this did not deliver for me.
To be honest, I could not care less what the plot of a My Little Pony TV special from the 1980s was, and yet, time and again, this is exactly what Jason Waguespack delivers. He meticulously details the finer points of numerous shows while avoiding any in depth analysis of the actual business at play. And when he wasn't doing that, he was employing the method every public school student knows how to use. Endless lists to increase word count. On a number of occasions I found myself wondering if Waguespack had simply read the TV Guide one too many times.
In the end, this did not deliver for me.
November 13, 2018
As someone who was born in 1989 (thus grew up watching the reruns of these shows) and who loves cartoons, I found this book to be fascinating. I didn't know any of the history of the shows or how television worked in the '70s and '80s so it was a very engrossing read. You can tell the author did his research. And if you're interested in anime, this book does cover how the first wave of anime came to America. My only issue is that, while I enjoyed the detail he put into each chapter, by the end, it starts to become a little exhausting to get through. But other than that, it was pretty solid.
January 26, 2018
If you grew up watching cartoons in the 80s or simply have an interest in social history or pop culture, it's a very good read. Waguespeck gives us an overview of the 80s cartoon boom and the people and companies involved. It's more scholarly work than nostalgic indulgence, but it's not dry or a slog to read. It could've benefited from another round of proofreading, but the typos, while noticeable, are not overwhelming.
October 11, 2022
fun, though missing a thorough narrative
A great resource of research and insight into syndicated cartoons. The book doesn’t follow a clear timeline, and frequently feels like it’s going in circles. Each chapter signals the end of cartoons, but then it’s back again until the end of the next chapter when cartoons are dying again… But overall it’s worth a read, and well-researched.
A great resource of research and insight into syndicated cartoons. The book doesn’t follow a clear timeline, and frequently feels like it’s going in circles. Each chapter signals the end of cartoons, but then it’s back again until the end of the next chapter when cartoons are dying again… But overall it’s worth a read, and well-researched.
September 23, 2020
A comprehensive history of you favorite 80's cartoons
A very comprehensive book for a child of the 80's. Some of the back stories of how and why some of my favorite cartoons were created were fascinating. Any kid who grew up in the 80's and woke up early on Saturdays to watch cartoons should read this book.
A very comprehensive book for a child of the 80's. Some of the back stories of how and why some of my favorite cartoons were created were fascinating. Any kid who grew up in the 80's and woke up early on Saturdays to watch cartoons should read this book.
October 29, 2019
Great book
Great book. It was a nice stroll down memory late for this child of the 80s. Very fast read that you will just fly through
Great book. It was a nice stroll down memory late for this child of the 80s. Very fast read that you will just fly through
March 29, 2022
You get excited for the rise, sad for the fall. Unrepeatable moment for the entertainment industry, that has changed massively its production models.
April 22, 2025
2.5. This book is undeniably interesting and fills a niche, given how few nonfiction books exist about cartoons. But that alone isn’t enough to make it an easy recommendation.
Its biggest drawback is its approach—it leans heavily into the business side of things rather than the creative, throwing facts, figures, and numbers at the reader in a way that felt more like sandpaper than smooth storytelling.
There’s also a strong focus on the toy industry, since toy sales were the driving force behind nearly all cartoon production in the '80s. So if you pick this up, expect a deep dive into that aspect as well.
All in all, I don’t regret reading it—it was informative for what it was. But given the subject matter, I just wish it had been more enjoyable.
Its biggest drawback is its approach—it leans heavily into the business side of things rather than the creative, throwing facts, figures, and numbers at the reader in a way that felt more like sandpaper than smooth storytelling.
There’s also a strong focus on the toy industry, since toy sales were the driving force behind nearly all cartoon production in the '80s. So if you pick this up, expect a deep dive into that aspect as well.
All in all, I don’t regret reading it—it was informative for what it was. But given the subject matter, I just wish it had been more enjoyable.
July 21, 2019
A very interesting look at the behind the scenes stuff behind a lot of my childhood.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews