They Put This Out as a TOTAL JOKE… Became A SMASH Hit & Made BILLIONS! | Professor of Rock

So In the past we’ve counting down the greatest television theme songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. We’ve covered movie scores and the best jingles. And through it all, I’ve had thousands of requests for Saturday Morning Cartoons or cartoon themes. Well On this episode, we’re counting down the greatest cartoon theme songs of the 80s. And we've got some crazy stories to tell. Like, did the J Geils Band secretly lift their risqué chart-topper Centerfold from a kids cartoon… about tiny blue creatures? We’ll also solve the bizarre internet rumor that’s persisted for decades, claiming the dignified host of Inside the Actors Studio was the secret mastermind behind the ThunderCats themes ever. How did that even start? And wait until you hear how Arnold Schwarzenegger indirectly launched one of the biggest action figure lines of the decade and one of the most iconic cartoon themes in history. Plus, a hit songwriter wrote one of the catchiest songs of all time… Everyone knew it would be a #1 smash, but it became a kids' TV song and never got released as a single. He missed a #1 hit, but decades later it’s more famous than any of the #1 hits from the year it came out.. Can you guess it from its first second? From bouncing bears to pizza-loving reptiles, we're covering it all. Let’s do it.

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Executive Producer
Brandon Fugal

Honorary Producers
Jaimee Hammack, Dan Tierney, Sarge, Byrdman, Duff Gordon

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#classicrock #80smusic #vinylstory #onehitwonder

Hey Music Junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of a all time. Make sure to subscribe to the channels. Ya know Growing up as a kid in the 80s, Saturday mornings were sacred. You'd roll out of bed, pour a bowl of cereal, and plant yourself in front of the TV for hours of pure cartoon bliss. And the 80s brought us some of the most iconic cartoons in history. And here's the thing about 80s cartoons... they weren't afraid to real stories… and sometimes even get a little dark when they had too. Remember Optimus Prime getting killed off in the Transformers movie? Anyone else traumatized by that one? Okay, that was technically a movie, but you know what I mean. Remember how the Real Ghostbusters served up some freaky and grotesque monsters… some of those thing were pure nightmare fuel.
These cartoons didn't talk down to us. They had real stakes, real consequences, and storylines that mattered. And along with it, they gave us some of the best cartoon themes ever written. And today, we're counting down 6 of the best. So let’s get started.

Coming in at #6 position on the countdown we have The Smurfs theme song. Belgian illustrator Pierre "Peyo" Culliford created the Smurfs way back in 1957 for a children's book. Originally called the Schtroumphs [pronounced Shtroomfs], loosely translated as "whatchamacallits," the name was eventually changed to the much easier "Smurfs." These pint-sized blue creatures stood just three apples high, wore white stocking caps, and lived in mushroom houses hidden away in an enchanted forest. The Smurfs became hugely popular across Europe throughout the 60s and 70s. But it wasn't until 1978 that Smurf toys got licensed in America. And that's when things really started cooking.

In 1981, Fred Silverman, then president of NBC, noticed his young daughter playing with a Smurf doll. A lightbulb went off. He immediately commissioned Hanna-Barbera Productions to create a cartoon series around these lovable blue characters. The timing couldn't have been better. The Smurfs debuted on NBC in September 1981, and it absolutely crushed the competition. The show featured 98 male Smurfs, each with names reflecting their personalities: Happy, Grouchy, Lazy, Clumsy, Brainy, Vanity, Jokey, and so on. Leading them was the wise Papa Smurf, and rounding out the village to an even 100 was of course Smurfette, the one and only female Smurf. Together, they lived by an all-for-one-and-one-for-all attitude… and constantly using the word "smurf" in every possible way
The story of the TV THEMES for Duck Tales, Thundercats, The Smurfs, Gummi Bears, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Transformers, He-man and the Master of the Universe .