Shirt Tales

As part of our look at the top 5 Saturday morning cartoon shows Shirt Tales comes in at 5
This Favorite Saturday Morning Cartoon animation is a real mid 1980s classic.

Shirt Tales was a cute little cartoon by the Hanna-Barbera studio during the mid 1980s. It first aired on September 18, 1982 and finished January 21, 1984

Shirt Tales Animation at number 5

Executive Producers Joseph Barbera and William Hanna had a great cartoon animation with Shirt Tales shown on saturday morning. Shirt Tales were a group of adorable characters and consisted of Rick Raccoon, Tyg Tiger, Bogey, Digger Mole,T.J. Tiger, Kip Kangaroo and Pammy Panda. Oh yes i nearly forgot Bogey Orangutan and Mr. Dinkel.

The concept for the cartoon started life off as a greeting cars. Janet Elizabeth Manco a greeting card designer, found popularity with her card design with Hallmark. The characters on the designs made there way into the animation studio a few years later and ran for 23 episodes over 2 seasons during 1982 to 1984

With various coloured shirts, the cartoon showed them living in Oak Tree Park and wore shirts which flashed various brightly lit messages reflecting the characters’ thoughts. They spent their time teasing the park ranger, Mr. Dinkle, and battling crime in and out of their hometown of Mid City.

The animals shirts would randomly proclaim things such as “Hug me” or “Let’s go!,” usually hinting at the current mood of the various “Tales.”

Shirt Tales Season One (1982-1983)

The Case of the Golden Armor/Crumpling’s Circus Caper
Shirt Napped/Game Masters
Elephant on the Loose/The Big Foot Incident
Horsin’ Around/The Humbolt Ghost
Mission Mutt/Vacation for Dinkel
Digger Runs Away/Wingman
Figby the Spoiled Cat/The Commissioner is Missing
The Terrible Termites/Raiders of the Lost Shark
Moving Time/Back to Nature
Save the Park/Pam-Dora’s Box
Hapless Hound/The Nearsighted Bear
The Magical Musical Caper/The Very Buried Treasure
Dinkel’s Ark/The Duke of Dinkel

Shirt Tales Season Two (1983-1984)

Bogey Goes Ape/Digger’s Three Wishes
The Rain, the Park and the Robot/Digger’s Double
Kip’s Dragon/Taj Mahal Tyg
Double Exposure/The Outer Space Connection
Brass Bogey/The Forbidden Island
T.J.’s Visit/Pleasure Valley
Saturday Night Shirt Tales/Kip’s Toy Caper
Dinkel’s Buddy/The Big Set-up
The Ghost Out West/Dinkel’s Gift
Mayhem on the Orient Express/The Cuckoo Count Caper

One fan of Shirt Tales insisted it is one of the greatest show of the 1980s. They beleive a cartoon studio should look at this nostalgic series and have a new version of the series air for the 21st century generation. It’s not for babies they claim, it’s for everyone. If He-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other show get revived, then why not Shirt Tales?

Anyone remember the “Shirt Tales’ Super-Sonic Transporter”, which not only helped them get around quickly, but also sported a laserlike beam that functioned as a lasso or a ladder.

Do you remember Shirt Tales?
Did we miss any of your memories about the cartoon?