Review of Mister T

Mister T (1983–1985)
7/10
Might Be A Silly Cartoon To Some, But Mr T Is Very Educational
19 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Back in the 80s, The A-Team was one of the biggest TV hits to grace Western television, both in the US and UK respectively. Its combination of live-action sequences, odd humour and end-to-end action won the hearts of millions of people and garnered new fans in the process. Following on from The A-Team's phenomenon, animation company Ruby Spears wanted that success to continue through transition by creating and releasing a cartoon series based on the exploits of one of the A-team cast members, MR. T who played BA Baracus in the original show.

In Mister T: The Animated Series, the 'Gold-chained one', was a coach to a group of kids, who ply their trade as gymnasts and together, they solved mysteries and caught the bad guys. The show would open with a opening title sequence and the appearances of the main characters and then afterwards, there would be a live- action type of segment where Mr T basically explains, what I refer to as, the synopsis of the episode. The episode is then shown and the initial problem is then resolved, in the end. The show is concluded when Mr T, in live action mode, then explains the moral of the story and teaching kids not to talk to strangers and things like trust, respect and the importance of friendship, for example. He also pointed his finger at the camera, in a 'don't mess with me' style and uttering: 'Take it from me Mr T!'.

It can be a tad cheesy and to some they may see this as embarrassing or stupid-which it's not, but Mister T's brief success did span other TV/film based crossovers/adaptations/spin-offs for the cartoon market back in the 80s. These included, The Gary Coleman Show, Rambo, It's Punky Brewster, Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos and Police Academy- all created by Ruby Spears Production. The only thing I Wished Mr T had done more often, was that he would frequently utter his famous lines from The A-Team, such as: 'I Pity The Fool', 'Shut up fool' and 'I ain't getting on no plane, fool!'. Something on the lines of that.

Whilst Mister T came across as a 'hard man' as BA,who took no crap from no one in the A-Team, in the cartoon series, he is more laid back and not as angry and aggressive as he was in the A-Team. But then again, this was a kids cartoon and so, Mister T was a hero to many kids back then, who looked up to him and saw that despite his mean streak, in the show, he demonstrated he had a lot of heart and that he cared so much for the kids, who show a lot of faith and respect to him.

Overall, despite the cheesy overtones this show might give off, this is quite an entertaining cartoon that has an educational theme to it. So take it from THE Mister T, watch this show and you will see, what this show might mean to you and me!
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