22: The Cartoons That Made Us Gay
Warning! Warning! You are encountering an atypical episode for this podcast. Instead of the discussion of sitcoms, this one concerns the discussion of 1980s cartoons — and with none other than leading ’80s cartoon authority and Netflix director of original series Ted Biaselli! Animated conversation includes but is not limited to He-Man, She-Ra, Jem, ThunderCats, Care Bears, Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake, Beverly Hills Teens, SilverHawks, TigerSharks, Paw Paw Bears, Kidd Video and Dungeons & Dragons.
Read the transcript for this episode here.
Because not all of you were fortunate enough to come of age in the 1980s, here is a visual guide to what the hell we are talking about. It is, in effect, a 1980s cartoon mood board where all the images link to a corresponding video. In order…
He-Man: thick thighs save lives
The staggering gayness that is Fisto
Ram Man (a name, not a command)
Bo, She-Ra’s male friend and the best mustache in animation
Madame Razz, fairy godmother for gay nerds
ThunderCats: feline body dysmorphia!
Lion-O Races Cheetara
Rainbow Brite: the last time straights got rainbows
Murky and Lurky, Rainbow Brite villains and also committed dom/sub couple
The She-Ra Crystal Castle playset ad
“Jealousy,” by Jem and the Holograms
Arcee in Transformers: The Movie
The Beverly Hills Teens intro is a little gay boy’s dream
Pierce Thorndyke III, closet queen
Bianca Dupree, the best but also the worst
The Get Along Gang: friends and furries
TigerSharks: that is not how octopuses work
And the incredibly gay-coded Dungeons & Dragons episode, “Odyssey of the Twelfth Talisman”
She-Ra, because girls are better than boys
Sorceress of Castle Grayskull: ask about her fun Friends connection!
The trailer for He-Man: Secret of the Sword, the movie that introduced She-Ra
Shadow Weaver, Glen’s childhood role model
Castaspella, who is not Katharine Hepburn
Jem and the Holograms: drag for girls
“I’m Okay,” the actually quite good single sing by Stormer and Kimber
The Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak
And the Pie Man’s hag, Sour Grapes
The My Little Pony Dream Castle playset commercial
“Who Is He Kissing?” by Jem and the Holograms
The Paw Paw Bears: Saturday morning appropriation!
Susan Blu, queen of cartoons and all-around badass
True Heart Bear and Noble Heart Horse: *almost* a lesbian couple?
“Flying Your Colors,” a barely coded gay anthem
SilverHawks: ThunderCats with less clothes
Kidd Video: live-action intro and live-action cute boy
