With such a long and successful career in tabletop--and a plethora of adventures for players to take part in--it's unsurprising Dungeons & Dragons has gone on to have many spin-offs; from graphic novels to toys to even the ridiculously successful Critical Role series. However, perhaps one of its most memorable for kids was the highly successful American cartoon; running for two years and three seasons back in the early '80s

RELATED: Best Ways For Newcomers To Get Into D&D

In the cartoon, we saw 6 kids who together ride a Dungeons & Dragons-themed rollercoaster before being sucked into the game and given roles and magical items by the Dungeon Master. It featured: Hank the Ranger, Diana the Acrobat, Presto the Magician, Sheila the Thief, Eric the Cavalier, and Bobby the Barbarian along with his pet unicorn Uni as they all tried to escape back to the human world.

Unsurprisingly, there are still many things about the series that fans don't know. So from parent groups labeling it as 'satanic worship' to the identity of big, bad villain Venger, here are 10 things you probably never knew about the highly successful Dungeons & Dragons cartoon:

10 Created Thanks To Comic Legends

Batman Adventures Comic Cover with Joker, Batman and Harley Quinn and Howard The Duck First Edition Cover

The TSR and Marvel Production cartoon series Dungeons & Dragons was created and put onto television thanks to Mark Evanier, the creator of the highly successful Garfield and Friends.

Other writers included Steve Gerber; co-creator of Marvel's Howard the Duck, and Paul Dini, credited with the co-creation of Batman's own Harley Quinn and her introduction to the fan-favorite Batman Adventures series.

9 Too Violent?

Dragons Graveyard episode of Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon Showing all the children facing off against Venga

The '80s saw uproar in America from parent groups who found some children's television to be "too violent", and meant the 20th episode "The Dragon's Graveyard" almost didn't make it to air.

In the episode, the children, finally fed up with villain Venger's plans to keep them from returning home, resolve to get rid of him with the help of five-headed dragon Tiamat--the star of many a great D&D adventure. The children's desire to kill Venger rattled cages but was eventually allowed to air as they did not go through with the plan.

8 Eric Was Meant To Be Unlikable

Various shots of the group with Eric the Cavalier looking annoyed or groaning in Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon

Anyone who watched the show will tell you that Eric the Cavalier was no one's favorite character. Oftentimes whiny, stubborn, or content to tell the group that their plan was a bad idea. However, what you may not know is that Eric was made this way for a reason.

RELATED: D&D: Things You Didn’t Know About Orcs

Parent groups at the time wanted kids to know that sticking with the group and working together was always the right thing to do. Therefore, the kids' plan that Eric often times berated would always turn out to work and Eric would always come across looking like the odd one out.

7 The Satanic Panic

Dungeons and Dragons Venger Astride Horse with Satanic Panic text

The '80s saw the rise of 'Satanic Panic' in America; a societal fear that worshippers of the occult were behind some of the country's major crimes. This saw a majority of the blame put on media depictions of supposed deviant music, shows, and games, including Dungeons & Dragons.

In the '80s, Dungeons & Dragons came under major scrutiny from religious groups who feared its power over young minds, even citing it was a cause in the 1979 suicide of a 16-year-old boy as he was known to have played it with friends. Because of this, during the last season of the show in 1985 the cartoon had to run a warning stating that Dungeons & Dragons had been linked to real-life violent deaths before the airing of each episode.

6 Thievery Isn't Cool Kids

Shiela The Thief in Dungeons and Dragons Cartoon seen with cloak and mixing potions with Uni

During each episode, the Dungeon Master would refer to each of the characters by class instead of their human name, that was except for Sheila.

Sheila being a thief became controversial and drew complaints, as parent groups thought being a thief shouldn't be seen as 'cool' or something to be looked up to. Because of this, she was only ever called a thief in the show's opening credits. Remember, being a thief isn't funny kids.

5 The Episode That Never Aired

Requiem-final-episode-card-of-Dungeons-and-Dragons-Cartoon-Showing-all-the-children-facing-off-against-Venga-on-the-DVD-cover

When Dungeons & Dragons was eventually canceled in 1985 many blamed the parent groups and 'Satanic Panic', although it was actually due to the show's dwindling viewer numbers that it eventually had to come off-air.

RELATED: Things About Dungeons And Dragons Only True Fans Know

Because of this, the third season remained one episode short. That was until Marvel Productions hired Michael Reaves to write up the final episode, titled: 'Requiem'. Despite never airing, the script for 'Requiem' eventually ended up being recorded as a radio play for the cartoon's DVD release and has since gone on to be used by fans to create their own fan-made final episode.

4 Venger's True Identity

Venger with the Dungeon Master in the Dragon Graveyard and then as human in what was supposed to be the final episode 'Requiem'

With the release of the final episode 'Requiem' came answers to some of the cartoon's prevailing mysteries, including the real identity of villain Venger.

Venger was the evil wizard of great power who sought to rob the children of their magical weapons for his own schemes, much to the continued annoyance of the party. However, in 'Requiem', we learn that Venger had come under the influence of a corrupting force known as the 'Nameless One' and that he was in fact the Dungeon Master's own human son all along.

3 Forgotten Realms: The Grand Tour

Forgotton Realms The Grand Tour Comic Book Featuring the Kids as Adults

The Grand Tour was a limited-edition comic book released in 1996 introducing various key concepts from the game's story along with some ongoing storylines from the novels.

In The Grand Tour, we saw adult versions of the kids from the cartoon series as they attempted to get Legendary wizard Elminster to take on Presto as his apprentice. This showed that the kids either never found a true escape from Dungeons & Dragons, or that they all chose to remain there into adulthood. Nevertheless, it was a great cameo for fans.

2 Did the Kids Die in Dungeons & Dragons?

Baldur's Gate II Title Image and text from a painting of Bobby in the adventure's Mart

The Baldur's Gate games were a collection of PC games set in the forgotten realms of Dungeons & Dragons that first released back in 1998.

RELATED: Every Classic Nintendo Cartoon From The 80s & 90s, Ranked From Worst To Best

In the Copper Coronet--a large tavern and inn in Baldur's Gate II--there is an easter egg of two paintings on the wall that shows Bobby the Barbarian and Hank the Ranger as they appeared in the cartoon. When clicked on, both paintings tell us that Bobby and Hank were eventually killed by the dragon Tiamat who regularly appeared in the show. Perhaps showing that their decision to stay within Dungeons & Dragons ultimately led to their own demise.

1 Time For A Re-Vamp?

2019 Figures from Wizards of the Coast and Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons #3 Featuring the Dungeon Master

Despite Dungeons & Dragons having been canceled in 1985 for a lack of viewers, the shows and characters' popularity never truly perished, as shown from their recent re-release in various Dungeons & Dragons media.

In 2019, Iron Studios released a limited-edition series of 7 hand-painted figures from the cartoon, 34 years after it came off-air. Rick and Morty even got in on the action, with a Rick and Morty vs Dungeon's & Dragons graphic novel whose third edition featured the enigmatic Dungeon Master on the front cover. Could it finally be time for a re-vamp?

NEXT: Dungeons & Dragons: Unpopular Opinions (According To Reddit)