It may have been a while since some of has have reflected back on the cartoons we used to watch as a kid. That means very different things to different people: to my generation, the spoiled recipients of 24/7 kids programming, we think of the likes of SpongeBob SquarePants, The Rugrats, and Invader Zim. Our parents probably remember gathering around the tube on Saturday mornings to watch Tom and Jerry or The Looney Tunes. Those in their late 20s or early 30s, however, will probably remember a time when the likes of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or He-Man and the Masters of the Universe reigned supreme.

These late generation Xers or first-generation millennials—though most loathe that particular generational monicker—were born in an interesting time. Childrens marketing was slowly taking over television and, whereas previous decades saw the broadcasting of black and white adult-centric programming, advertisers and executives had caught on to the marketing potential of kids shows. At the time, the internet was still in its infancy, so an in-home connection to the pop-culture icons of the day could only be had through the tube. Kids today won’t mourn the passing of a medium subjected to so many decades of entropy, but an older crowd will remember it as the lifeblood of 80s culture. Given that some from that time are now parents, let’s go over a few 1980s cartoons that have been reimagined as parents—it’s almost scary to think that some of these characters would be old enough to have kids of their own.

25 Teenage Mutant Ninja Toddler

The youth of today knows the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by a generally well-received Nickelodeon children’s show and a less-than-adored duology of Michael Bay led blockbuster films. I have seen the some of the original TMNT films from the 90s, though, and I wouldn’t say that they are a great deal better. Teens of that era might be nostalgic for it, but those overblown, muppet-esque full-body turtle costumes are just awful and I’ll accept no argument on the matter. You’re mileage with the film may vary, but I think we can all agree that the best TMNT content came from the comics and animated TV series of the 1980s. Unfortunately, I wasn’t around to experience this, but, going by what I’ve seen of that content, I’d say that the Turtles in a Half-shell had a whole lot more credibility than they do today.

I don’t actually know if there was ever a canon female member of the TMNT, but, even if this is from the imagination of the nily-pily, the artist, it’s still cool. I might risk sounding sappy, but this seems to be an interpretation of what the franchise needs right now: some new blood. It could very well be a horrible idea, but I’m ready to see the animated adventures of Raph’s son or daughter instead of those of Raph himself.

Art by Lily-pily.

24 ThunderKittens

I hate to say it, but, much like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, this show was always just a bit too out-there my tastes. I don’t mean to impose my viewpoints or claim that you can’t enjoy it—if you do, than more power to you—I just don’t quite get it. To me, it feels very indicative of the weirdness of the 80s: kids back then were more willing to embrace the utter insanity of stuff like The Neverending Story or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (thought that admittedly came out more than a decade before 1980).

Media was much more creative back then, so a species of otherworldly cat superheroes didn’t even stick out among extra-dimensional superhumans and anthropomorphic reptilian martial artists.

That said, this comic, which is a snippet of a series created by artist piku-chan, is pretty adorable. The original animation displayed in the source material seems a little rugged by today’s standards, but piku-chan does a great job of cleaning it up and presenting the Thundercats in a way never previously seen. I know next to nothing about the show itself, but I do find this little clip to be extraordinarily cute and I’m going to look into adopting a Thundercat of my very own.

23 The Secret of the Ooze

In my mind, 1991’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Secret of the Ooze was, well, not exactly great. It had its moments, I suppose, but it mostly made an impression thanks to Master Splinter’s potentially non-PG-13 rooftop activities. If you’ve seen the movie, then I’m sure you’ll instantly be reminded of the scene to which I am referring. Again, I understand that lots of people love this movie—I am just not one of them. It’s quirky enough to be likable, I suppose, but it hasn’t aged well, and I don’t think modern audiences would find it at all appealing.

What does The Secret of the Ooze have to do with this wonderful artwork done by juliefofisss? Well, it’s the second TMNT reimagining featured on this list, and the second to feature Raphael. This time, though, it looks as if he may have engaged in an interspecies relationship, which is something the turtles actually seemed to be okay with live on Oprah in the 90s. If you haven’t seen that clip, look it up, it’s just hilarious and mind-bogglingly uncomfortable to watch.

That said, Raph’s kid is beyond cute, and, again, I’d like some material covering the adventures of these kids. Remember when James Bond had a son in the 1991 James Bond Junior TV show? Well, this would be something like that, but hopefully much better.

22 Calvin, Hobbes, and Bacon

I couldn’t actually find a credit for this particular reimagining, but it seems to include Bacon, Calvin’s daughter, and the brainchild of Bill Watterson fanatics Dan and Tom Heyerman, who posted their work on a site called Pants are Overrated. Though the actual strip ended in 1995, I am a huge fan of Calvin and Hobbes and it honestly makes me more than a little sad to think that enough time has past for Calvin to have had a kid… in 2011. Well, the Heyerman brother’s work was brought to an end sometime in 2011, but the actual strip is said to take place 26 years after the events of the original comics. Math is certainly not my strong suit, but, if Calvin was 6 in 1985, the year the original strip was syndicated, that means he would have technically been 16 in 1995, and 32 in 2011. I actually broke out a calculator to do that, and it’s probably still wrong.

I love this recreation and it’s great to see that the adventures of Calvin and Hobbes still lives on, if only in fan art form.

Though the passage of time may trample all, new readership and rumors of an upcoming movie based on the IP prove that Calvin and Hobbes will live on for years and years to come.

21 Pebbles and Bam Bam

This one is cheating a little bit, as the Pebbles and Bamm Bamm show actually depicted the grown Flintstone and Rubble children growing up and having children of their own. I’ve never really been a fan of these kinds of spinoffs, as they often spit in the face of the legendary shows on which they’re so often based. The Rugrats had All Grown Up, which did nothing but make me sad and confused: they were supposedly ‘all grown up,’ but Tommy and Company were barely even teenagers. I don’t like to be reminded of the unending, unstoppable passage of time, and I really dislike shows which put that kind of thing front and center.

The Pebbles and Bamm Bamm show may have been different, however. As you can see, the characters are actually adults here, or old enough to have their own children, at least. The Flintstones is a time-honored Hanna-Barbera classic, though, and I’m not really sure how I feel about the besmirching of such animated icons. Bedrock and its inhabitants lived thousands of years ago, though, so I suppose I shouldn’t feel overly-worried about them or their children. Children of the 1980s might have liked the show, but, given that I have never heard of it until now, I’d hazard a guess that it didn’t exactly live up to the legacy original show.

20 A Chip Off the Old Block

Nationally beloved comic strip Calvin and Hobbes is ripe for artistic interpretations of what might be the life and times of a modern day Calvin. A bittersweet experience, though I like to see the legacy of Bill Watterson’s original creation carried on, a part of me doesn’t want to give up on the idea of Calvin as a six year old. If Bart Simpson can be a fourth-grader for nearly thirty years, then I think Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes could live on as kids forever.

Of course, I don’t mean to knock the artistic visions of these creators, and, though I couldn’t trace this image back to the artist, it was uploaded to Imgur by prey0, who clearly holds the property in high regards. Again we see that Calvin’s daughter is a regular chip off of the old block, screaming and running through the house, tracking mud everywhere. Her dad doesn’t seem to mind, though—it would be a bit hypocritical to scold his child for the rambunctious behavior for which he was so infamously known. I would like to see more of this, though. What happened to Calvin’s babysitter? Or his parents? Could Hobbes come to life through the imagination of Calvin’s child or was that an ability exclusive to him?

19 Even the Ageless Age Eventually

As I’ve mentioned already, the characters featured on Fox’s legendary, long-running animated series The Simpsons are famous for not having aged a day since their debut in 1989. They’ve long since outlived The Tracey Ullman show from which they can trace their origins, and few even remember the very early days of The Simpsons.

To be fair, though the characters haven’t exactly aged canonically, they’ve gone through some drastic visual overhauls since their inception. While they were something akin to a low-budget cartoon nightmare in the late 80’s, the Simpson family of the modern day stands as one of the glitziest, most expensive-to-produce animated families on the 21st century landscape.

We’ve actually been treated to glimpses of the future of the Simpson family during multiple periods of the show’s lifetime.

Bart is often depicted as something of a burnout—a parallel of his buffoon father. Lisa, however, was famously depicted as a future President of the United States, winning an election over non-other than our actual current-day sitting president. That’s some foresight!

Artist gazmanafc apparently doesn’t predict as bleak a future for Bart, and his render of Lisa is very true to what we’ve seen of her adult form in the show. I think Bart’s wife or girlfriend may look just a tad too much like Lisa for my taste, but his interpretation of a grown Maggie makes up for that.

18 Haven’t Changed A Bit

We all know Calvin as one of the least well-behaved kids in comic history. He frequently flunks tests and flubs school projects, subjects himself to perilous sledding hills, and spends hours on end sitting in front of the TV eating his favorite cereal, Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs. Not exactly the best role model for children of the mid 80’s, but a timeless comcbook icon whose impact is still felt today. I would probably qualify Calvin and Hobbes as the greatest comic strip to ever be simulcast, and, for my money, it even outstrips comic book legends like Batman or Superman—yes, I would rate it that highly.

It’s nice to see that, though the passage of time may have changed many things, but, as depicted by Dan and Tom Heyerman, Calvin’s attitude was not one of them. As I recall, he had a penchant for playing with his food and, as far as I can tell, he still does. I guess his wife is supposed to be Suzy, his former next door neighbour, though we don’t know for sure. She seems to have adopted her husbands great sense of humor and learned to lighten up a bit since her 1985 debut. Parents may be weird, but these two seem to be a far cry from Calvin’s notoriously stiff and unimaginative mother and father.

17 Old-He-Man

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe actually didn’t last that long. Broadcast from 1983 to November of 1985, the show’s legacy overshadows the short run time of the actual material. I always assumed Masters of the Universe to be some great cartoon saga the likes of which might rival a series as large as Naruto, but that’s not even close to the case. This is very much a case of 80s nostalgia inflating a once-forgotten cartoon property, and, as a child of the late 90s and early 2000s, the only thing I know for sure is that Skeletor was the show’s antagonist and he’s pretty cool.

I can’t really be sure if the women pictured here alongside an aging, bearded He-Man are his daughters, but I would like to assume so, if only in the vain hope that his legacy may somehow be continued. Artist lovingit2 clearly put in lots of work to bring this thing to life, and I hope he or she is pleased with the result. It makes me question why we never got another He-Man cartoon. I understand that there was either a movie or some sort of short series in 2002, but I’d like to see a full on return—wouldn’t it fit well on Cartoon Network’s revived Toonami?

16 Pre-Teen Titans

We’re taking a major step away from cartoons which I know anything about, not that we necessarily started on solid footing to begin with. I understand the basic premise of Teen Titans, and I used to watch some of what I believe to have been the original series back when it was shown on Cartoon Network during the mid-2000’s. Batman’s Robin led a team of misfit superheroes against all manner of crime in… whatever city in which they lived. They did take up residence in a giant T-shaped building, though—if I remember anything about that show, it’s that.

Teen Titans actually got its start in comic book form in the 80s, much to my surprise.

Apparently most of the characters on the fictional team already had some established reputation; I was under the impression that, outside of Robin, they had all been conceived by whatever studio had been commissioned to make the show.

If they’ve got kids, as envisioned by artist pizet, then they must be much older. That’s Starfire on the left, I can tell you that. The other guy, though, I’ve never seen before. He might be some adult form of Robin—I really don’t know. Hardcore fans of the series are probably internally screaming at me right now… well, I hope the screaming is internal, at least.

15 X-Babies

I could be wrong, as I often am, but I believe artist kanomkv has reimagined the X-Men as babies, being cared for by Charles Xavier and… some other guy with whom I am not familiar. This is by no means a knock on the artist’s abilities, I just don’t know a whole lot about the X-Men.

I guess poor Charles has his hands full and it looks like he might be trying to calm an upset baby Beast, which doesn’t sound like an easy task. Also, that looks like baby Banshee doing a supersonic baby screech, the bane of any parent’s existence. This looks like more than a handful, and, based on what I know concerning the reputation of recent films based on this franchise, potentially not worth the time. Some of them were good, I’m lead to believe, but I remember fans absolutely detesting 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine and 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse. Logan, I am told, is really good, though. I’m still not going to watch it, no matter how many people tell me that it’s a masterpiece—I’m just really not interested in comic book properties. That may seem hypocritical from a major Star Wars fan, but the surreal fantasy and overblown science fiction elements just don’t resonate with me for some reason.

14 Father’s Day for Wolverine

I’ve established that I’m not exactly knowledgeable about the X-Men or comics in general barring the exceptionally odd 80’s Marvel adaptation of Star Wars. That said, Wolverine seems to be the hero that gets the most exposure from this catalogue of super mutants, and rightfully so. He might have one of the most interesting stories to tell, and his claws are about as iconic as Spider-Man’s outfit or Superman’s “S” symbol. I may not necessarily be a fan, but I can appreciate how cool this guy is. In fact, though I’ve not seen any of the movies, I still associate Hugh Jackman with the character and I think artist Chrisasyd might agree.

As far as I know, Wolverine did have kids canonically, though his daugher is actually a clone of him, or something to that effect; sorry, Marvel fans, but the lore to most of these heroes is so deep and complex as to be nearly impenetrable to newcomers. Though his kids are cute, that must be an absolute parenting nightmare. The character doesn’t really come across as the sort with enough patience to parent, but I could be wrong. Those kids look like they’ll end up cutting him to pieces, though. I’ve heard that Wolverine is supposed to be near-indestructible, but I think Father’s day might put that to the test.

13 It Is Not Who I Am Underneath, but What My Kids Do that Defines Me

Were it not for the fantastic Christopher Nolan trilogy of films, I would likely not know anything about Batman. Fortunately the Caped Crusader has been treated pretty well in recent years. Though I wouldn’t go so far as to claim that the recent Batman vs. Superman was all that great, there were a slew of great games and films that came out in the late 2000s, which helped to cement Batman as my favorite comic book hero. Mark Hamill is also well known for his role as The Joker, Batman’s arch nemesis, in both the games and the animated TV series, which only helps to further the properties appeal in my eyes.

While it is certainly true that Batman isn’t exactly an institution synonymous entirely with the 1980s, comic releases were still going strong during that time, and the famous Jack Nicholson led Batman film debuted in 1989, so I would say that he’s laid claim to the era.

That said, though he never had any kids of his own (as far as I know), Tumblr artist foroplus apparently didn’t want poor Bruce Wayne to miss out on Father’s Day. Again, I don’t know if these kids are official Batman canon, but they are cute either way! I just hope they don’t accidentally spill the beans about the Dark Knight’s true identity.

12 Luke, I Am Your Father

Alright, well, you may call it cheating, but I had to include Jeffrey Brown’s phenomenal Darth Vader and Son. Perhaps I’m biased, but I think of Star Wars as a staple of 80s pop culture. The Empire Strikes Back was released in 1980 and Return of the Jedi made its way to theaters three years later, making it an essential movie going experience for anyone living in that decade. Lots of people argue over which film was the absolute best in the series and, if not the 1977 original, it has to be either of these 80’s classics. Star Wars comic books also released throughout the decade, so it’s safe to say that the property is synonymous with the time period.

We all know that Darth Vader is actually Luke’s father—if this is how you’re finding that out, then I implore you to actually go watch the original Star Wars trilogy.

Yet, other than severing his hand and saving him from the grip of Emperor Palpatine, he didn’t do a whole lot that might be considered fatherly. This series amends that, and we’re treated to a whole slew of father-and-son activities that poor Luke had to miss out on during his formative years on Tatooine. Maybe Disney will retcon this in later, though.

11 The Smurfiest Arrival

Artist, storyteller, and Smurfs fan extraordinaire Vic George was actually bold enough to come up with an entire fanfiction series surrounding this image. Well, I would guess that the stories actually came first, but they all revolve around the marriage and pregnancy of Hero Smurf and Wonder Smurf. It certainly makes for some interesting reading if you are so inclined.

To me, the Smurfs absolutely reek of the 1980s. Though they’ve been somewhat revived in recent years thanks to a series of semi-horrible live action movies, the adventures of these odd, forest dwelling creatures is up there with He-Man and Thundercats in terms of only-in-the-80s weirdness.

I don’t know a huge amount about the Smurfs, though I’m aware that they’re all blue, tiny creatures whose surnames are all the same as their species—that’s akin to a child baring the name John Human. They all spoke in annoying, high-pitched voices, and their nemesis was the nature-hating Gargamel and his gross cat. I suppose what kids think of the Smurfs today might be what kids of the future will think of SpongeBob SquarePants: it doesn’t make much sense, and it’s hard to understand why anyone thought it was good to begin with. I don’t mean to cast any shade on those who grew up as fans of the franchise, but those little blue beings have strayed pretty far from the public consciousness since their mid-eighties heydays.

10 The Snorks

Now, if you thought the Smurfs were the pinnacle of 1980s television oddities, allow me to take you one level deeper. The Snorks, which were a gross amalgam of Smurfs and sea monkeys, were a Hanna Barbera created cartoon simulcast across the globe, and I almost feel bad for everyone who had to deal with them. They’re aquatic beings, and they get their names from the snorkel protrusions atop their heads. Whether they act like Dolphins and require to poke their nozzles above the water’s surface to breathe is unknown to me—I’m not all that invested in Snork canon. They apparently thought of the surface area as outer space, though, so I’m guessing that isn’t a likely scenario.

I have to give credit to artist HeinousFlame for posting something like this; it’s out there, for sure, but I definitely appreciate his or her bravery. Delivering unto the internet an image such as this would draw the ire of many people, but I’m glad that such things can find a place on Deviantart.

I don’t think I’m tempted enough to investigate the reproductive cycles of Snorks, but I do find it interesting that someone did. I guess we should all count ourselves lucky that we haven’t been subjected to a Snork movie like we did with The Smurfs or Alvin and the Chipmunks… could you imagine how completely unbearable that would be?

9 Son of Danger Mouse

I was going to comment on how Danger Mouse seemed very much to be a product of its time, but, as some may be aware, that doesn’t exactly apply anymore. If you weren’t previously aware, as I wasn’t, Danger Mouse was an animated kids television series which debuted in 1981. It featured the exploits of the eponymous Danger Mouse, a secret agent and obvious parody of British parallels Danger Man and James Bond. Now, a for-kids James Bond sounds like a great idea, but we’d get the animated series James Bond Junior in ten years time, so I don’t know that I would qualify it as required children’s programing.

I’ve alluded to it already, but Danger Mouse actually got a reboot in 2015 and is, as of now, 74 episodes strong. Given the cartoonish violence and 80s flair present throughout the show, I wouldn’t think of it as a property ripe for modern-era reincarnation, but someone clearly thought it was a good idea.

I don’t know if Danger Mouse ever had a wife or son, but artist AnimationFantaic clearly wanted him to. It’s an adorable little family, and it’s an aspect of James Bond we haven’t been permitted to see as of yet. If you haven’t given the original series a watch and you’re somehow invested in the reboot, I would give it a chance.

8 Lisa and Milhouse

I don’t mean to insult the artistic rendering of Artrookie--yup, but adult Milhouse’s peach fuzz moustache is upsetting me far more than it should. I never exactly understood the frequent pairing of Milhouse and Lisa in adult depictions of The Simpsons. I get that Milhouse has a thing for Lisa, but, as far as I know, it isn’t mutual. Isn’t he supposed to be the physical manifestation of the mediocrity she strives to hard to avoid? Isn’t her character all about rising above her mundane and less-than-exceptional peers?

I’m probably overthinking things, as I often do, but I don’t think Lisa should end up with Milhouse.

That’s just my interpretation, however, and others are certainly welcome to display their ideas. It looks like this sketch envisions the couple with an infant, and possibly another on the way. It is cute, and it’s nice to see that the pair has their lives apparently in order—I just feel that something is out of place. Lisa is supposed to grow up to be the President of the United States, isn’t she? I may be lowballing poor Milhouse, but he isn’t exactly portrayed as the type that would be up to that kind of public exposure. Alright, I’ll admit it: I’m definitely overthinking the likes of an adult-oriented cartoon.

7 Mother Hulk

Look, as you no-doubt understand if you’re reading this list, Deviantart can be a very weird place. If you can conceive of it, it’s probably on there. That might make it sound like some sort of wondrous internet phenomenon, but most of the time the site simply plays host to the Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction of pre-teens the world over. Why that’s such a recurring theme, I really don’t know, but rest assured that plunging the depths of Deviantart is sure to result in a Lovecraftian-like madness that won’t easily be amended.

I don’t wish to insult artist kazuv or his unique take on Marvel’s She-Hulk, but I’m just not all that sure that third-trimester Hulk was something I want to see. She’s definitely an under-utilized character. I haven’t watched many Marvel movies, but, in a world in which Ant-Man and Captain Marvel are getting movies, you’d think we’d at least have a cameo at this point. Maybe we have, I honestly couldn’t tell you.

I guess this particular character never really reached the peaks of popularity experienced by some of her contemporaries. Bruce Banner’s monstrous alter-ego is something of a comic book staple, but his feminine counterpart? Well, I suppose it’s nice to see that, even when Marvel ignores a character, the fans are there to let us know what a pregnant She-Hulk might look like.

6 Starborn

Continuing on with the theme of maternity, here we see a loving interpretation of a pregnant Starfire courtesy of artist Olympic-Dames. The artwork here has clearly been lovingly rendered, and it’s always nice to see quality fanart, even if the subject matter is just a little bit out there. Maybe Starfire does have a child in Teen Titans canon—it could certainly make for an interesting story arch given that she technically isn’t human—but something tells me that that’s a topic which hasn’t really been explored.

Yet, that’s sort of the point of fanart, isn’t it? To take a beloved piece of fiction and expand upon it—take it to places which the original creators wouldn’t. We’ve seen such things happen in the Star Wars universe… until Disney came along and ruined it. With Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go! garnering something of a less-than-desirable reputation, it’s good to see fans doing with the source material what they see fit. Granting creative rights to hardcore fans can be both a blessing and a curse, but, given that this artist has actually done an entire suite of pieces dedicated to pregnant Teen Titans figures, I would assume that he or she has the vision to carry out some really cool Titans-related stuff.