Retro Weekend Rewind: Mr. T (Cartoon & Cereal)
This month’s post is about an 80s icon who would “Pity the fool who don’t devote an edition of Retro Weekend Rewind to his greatness” That’s right, I’m talking about the one and only Mr. T!
That gold chain wearing, mohawk having, stay in school saying muscle man was a staple of the ‘80s. He was everywhere during that amazing decade from beating up Rocky Balboa, visiting Arnold Drummond, and being drugged just to get him on a plane every week for 5 seasons. The one and only Mr. T is so amazing that he hits the trifecta for Retro Weekend Rewind: Cartoon, Toys, and Cereal!
“Mister T” the series aired on NBC Saturday mornings from 1983-1986. Only Mr. T could put teenage gymnasts in danger every week, to solve mysteries, and not get in trouble by the authorities. (As long as there’s a lesson to be learned at the end of each episode.) That’s the power of T! Plus he had a dog with a mohawk and a gravelly voiced Danny Bonaduce look-alike that dressed like him. The cartoon was produced by Ruby-Spears Productions with a total of 30 episodes.
Mister T Cartoon intro courtesy of Warner Archive
The A-Team 6" action figure commercial courtesy of vintagetvcommercials.com
The Mr. T cartoon did not have it’s own toylike, like so many of it’s ‘80s counterparts, but "T" did have several action figures at the time. The A-Team had 6” and 3 3/4” toy lines released by Galoob in 1984. The 6” figures, didn’t have great articulation, but a lot of cool accessories for a line this size. The 3 3/4” line had articulation similar to the G.I. Joe figures of that time, but with less quality control and broke very easily. The most popular piece of Mister T merchandise was the talking 12” doll that said lines like “Always listen to your parents”, “Stay in School”, and (of course) “I pity the fool!”.
Mr. T Cereal was a great example of 80s cereal based on a cartoon. It was released in 1984 by Quaker and had cereal pieces shaped like the letter T. The box was in-your-face with a bright yellow background, the name in large red letters, and Mr. T himself pointing right at you! This cereal was so popular that Pee-Wee Herman ate it as part of a well balanced breakfast in 1985's "Pee-Wees Big Adventure"!
Mister T Cereal Commercial
We pity the fool that didn't enjoy this months Retro Weekend Rewind. Be sure to leave your comments and stories of your own 80s Saturday mornings with us. If you have any suggestions for a future Retro Weekend Rewind let us know here or on our twitter @nearmintfanboys. See you in December for a Christmas themed Retro Weekend Rewind!