One of the best Saturday morning cartoons of the 80s, with a pedigree steeped in comic book royalty, Thundarr the Barbarian is in desperate need of a toy line befitting his noble origins.
Thundarr sprang from the mind of Steve Gerber, one of the most inventive comic book writers of the 20th century, and featured designs from no less than Jack Kirby, who single-handedly created pretty much everything ever. With further comic book creative endeavors that included Alex Toth, Martin Pasko, Roy Thomas, and Gerry Conway, Thundarr is essentially a living, breathing, moving comic book.
Running for 21 episodes from 1980 to 1981, Thundarr didn’t quite look like anything else on Saturday. It was a post-apocalyptic world where demons and wizards ruled over mutated humans and other dark things. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect from someone like Ralph Bakshi, and certainly not something you’d expect crammed in between Scooby Doo and Heathcliff. It was a fresh and exciting world. Thundarr and his traveling companions Ookla and Ariel fought a constant battle against everything this nightmarish world could throw at them.
Thundarr was a Ruby-Spears show, which itself was an offshoot of Hanna-Barbera, and you can see the same type of science fiction magic in Thundarr that could be found in the Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the 60s. Thundarr was simultaneously a throwback and modern, both of its time and timeless. With great animation and excellent writing, it deserves its place in the pantheon.
It’s easy to point to everything that influenced Thundarr, but they were piled on top of each other in ways that made it all seem new. Thundarr is a unique synthesis of various influences, which is the true birthplace of creation. But if that’s too overblown, let’s boil it down to a single summary: Conan with a lightsaber.
I know, right?!
Thundarr received a very brief toyline back in 2004, but it’s time they got a complete toyline. The concept itself is as toyetic as they come. Thundarr is practically begging to be made as a fully articulated action figure, complete with powered-up Sunsword and depowered hilt that attaches to his wrist. Ariel and Ookla would make excellent figures, especially the oversized, shaggy Ookla.
It’s the villains that would really make this line. From the multi-eyed menace of Dr. Argoth to the floating head known as Skullus, the Kirbyness is quite clear. There’s also the Werewolf leader Zenon, along with badass wizard Infernus and his flying sled.
You get a lot of wizards in this place, from Vashtarr to Khromm to just plain Dark Wizard. There’s also an alien vampire-type called the Stalker from the Stars.
One particularly nifty one is Zogar, who has a clamp for a hand and uses a power trident.
My favorite villain out of all of them, and one who appeared in the opening, would have to be Gemini, whose “normal” head spun around to reveal an evil, Darkseid-esque face. If any Thundarr villain looked as if he belonged on Apokolips, it would be Gemini. The head-changing effect would be easy to achieve in an action figure.
Asking for a full Thundarr line—or any toy without a significant media presence—is a bit like spitting in the wind, but I’d definitely be all in for something like this provided it was faithful and fully articulated. These could be some of the Greatest Toys Never Made.
