Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Kids TV
    Kids TV TV Shows - 1980s 4 Mins Read

    Voltron: Defender Of The Universe

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 8 4Β (Japan/USA)

    The success ofΒ TransformersΒ as a cartoon and a set of toys led to a mania for transforming robots during the mid-1980s.

    Soon enough, the airwaves were overflowing with shows likeΒ Challenge Of The GobotsΒ andΒ M.A.S.K.Β and the toy shelves were packed with replicas of the shape-shifting vehicles that appeared on the shows.

    Riding at the top of this robo-wave wasΒ Voltron: Defender Of The Universe, a series that took the transforming vehicle idea a step further by presenting a series of such vehicles that could join together into one giant robot. The end result was a hit show and a series of spin-off toys that were just as popular.

    The end result was a hit show and a series of spin-off toys that were just as popular.

    VoltronΒ began its life as a popular cartoon, which was actually a combination of two different Japanese cartoon series:Β GolionΒ andΒ Dairugger XV. These two series were edited together and dubbed into English by the Harmony Gold Company and the end result wasΒ Voltron: Defender of the Universe.

    voltron1

    Syndicated to US television, the new show told the story of five pilots who protected their home planet Arus from the attacks of the planet Doom by piloting five ships that could join together to become a super-robot known as Voltron.

    Voltron: Defender Of The UniverseΒ became a popular show with kids, and its cool sci-fi concept was perfect for toys.

    Matchbox, a company best known for its toy cars, transformed the ships depicted in the show into toys in the mid-1980s. There were five die-cast lion ships, each one made in a different colour to correspond with the uniform of its team member: black, red, yellow, green and blue. Once a toy owner had acquired all five of these robot toys, they could be attached together to form Voltron.

    The double-barreled success ofΒ VoltronΒ on television and on toy shelves led to more shows and more toys. The originalΒ VoltronΒ series was followed byΒ Voltron: Defender Of The Near Future.

    The new show told the story of a pilot team that flew a series of fifteen vehicles that could join together to form a new and improved Voltron.

    For this series, Matchbox manufactured a Deluxe Warrior Set which included fifteen die-cast vehicles that could be assembled to form a large replica of the new Voltron robot. The new series was not as popular as the originalΒ VoltronΒ cartoons, but the Deluxe Warrior was and continues to be a highly prized item amongΒ VoltronΒ fanatics.

    As the 1980s drew to a close, Voltron toys quietly disappeared from the toy shelves. However, the series that inspired them continued to live on through reruns and remained quite popular with both children and the young adults who were becoming interested in the newly-popular Anime genre.

    Since cancellation could not keep this popular show from disappearing from the airwaves, the continued interest in it led to a new series in 1998.Β Voltron: The Third DimensionΒ boasted high-tech animation including CGI effects, plus celebrity voice actors like Tim Curry and Clancy Brown.

    Voltron: The Third DimensionΒ became an Emmy-winning show, and its popularity with fans new and old led to a new series of toys. This time, a new company called Trendmasters made the toys which included lion robots that could be assembled to create a Voltron robot and replicas of the assembled Voltron.

    They also added a new twist by introducing action figures. These finely detailed plastic figures were also packaged with high-tech weaponry and sleek lion helmets.

    Today, Trendmaster continues to make high-quality Voltron toys that are eagerly snapped up by all different generations of Voltron fanatics. The original Matchbox Voltron toys have become collector’s items and remain hot properties on the toy collectors market.

    King Zarkon
    Jack Angel
    Lance
    Michael Bell
    Keith
    Neil Ross
    Haggar
    B.J. Ward
    Hunk
    Lennie Weinrib
    Narrator
    Peter Cullen

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Out Of The Inkwell
      Out Of The Inkwell
      1 9 6 2Β (USA) In the 1920s, cartoon legend Max Fleischer and his brothers, David and Joe, developed a brand…
    • Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show, The
      Abbott and Costello Cartoon Show, The
      1 9 6 7 - 1 9 6 8 (USA) 39 x 30 minute episodes This animated series from Hanna-Barbera…
    • Atom Ant
      Atom Ant
      1 9 6 5 - 1 9 6 7Β (USA) 26 x episodes Atom AntΒ was originally aired as part ofΒ The Atom…
    • Bobby's World
      Bobby's World
      1 9 9 0 - 1 9 9 8Β (USA) 81 x 30 minute episodes Comic Howie Mandel created, provided voices,…
    • Ultraman
      Ultraman
      1 9 6 6 - 1 9 6 7Β (Japan) 39 x episodes This 39-episode Japanese series (originally titledΒ Urutoraman) was first…
    • Dick Spanner P.I.
      Dick Spanner P.I.
      1 9 8 6 (UK) 22 x 6 minute episodes Produced by legendary Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson, this tongue-in-cheek stop-motion…
    • Ulysses 31
      Ulysses 31
      1 9 8 1 - 1 9 8 2Β (France/Japan) 27 x 25 minute episodes This cartoon adaptation of Homer's OdysseyΒ was…
    • Concrete Cowboys
      Concrete Cowboys
      1 9 8 1 (USA) 8 x 60 minute episodes Jerry Reed and Tom Selleck (before his Magnum days) starred…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleSpider-Man
    Next Article Hector’s House

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Hugh Gaitskell
      Hugh Todd Naylor Gaitskell was born in London in 1906. He was […]
    • Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952)
      Still the best Hollywood-on-Hollywood movie,Β The Bad and The […]
    • Merton Parkas
      If the Merton Parkas had called their debut LPΒ Just Another Face […]
    • Valley of the Dinosaurs
      1 9 7 4 (USA) 16 x 30 minute episodes Valley of the Dinosaurs […]
    • Weddings Parties Anything
      Formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1985, Weddings Parties […]
    • Travelling Man
      1 9 8 4 – 1 9 8 5 (UK) 13 x 60 minute episodes This […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-64558222 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    David Bowie's handwritten Jean Genie lyrics sold for £57,000

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The handwritten sheet was given to the founder of the inaugural David Bowie fan club by the star.
    19 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😒
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news πŸ˜ͺ

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid πŸ˜‚

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😒

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😒

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear πŸ˜₯ rest in peace πŸ™ πŸ•Š xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😒

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright Β© 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.