Hello there! My name is Tammy and I love toys. I not only love the toys themselves, but I love the animated cartoons that usually create the idea for the toy lines. I would like to help you out , if you are trying to "know your characters", when it comes to my very favorite cartoon of the 1980s, the THUNDERCATS.

In the beginning, on a planet far away called Thunder-a, there lived a race of cat-like people called Thunderians. Very wise, very athletic, very advanced...their planet became geologically unstable and had to be evacuated before it became unlivable. While evacuating the population, a war-like neighboring speices (called the Mutants from the planet Plundarr) destroyed most of the refugee spaceships, and in doing so, nearly annialated the Thunderian race. The Mutants, were after the lead ship (the Royal Flag ship), which was carrying the Thunderian royalty, called the Thundecats. With the Thundercats was the legendary Sword of Omens and mystical Eye of Thunder-a (which is what the Mutants were really after). A battle ensues and the Mutants are fought off, but at a price. The lead ship is damaged and cannot make it to their destination. They have to settle for a closer planet, called Third Earth. They also have to travel to it in Suspension Capsules, which are like a form of suspended animation.

On this ship are the main characters: Jaga, the elderly leader. Lion-o, the young hereditary future lord of the Thundercats. Panthro, the strong mechinally minded one. Cheetara, the swift. Tygra, the wise architect. Wilykat and Wilykit the young siblings. And Snarf (whose actual name is Oswald)...the 'comic relief' of the bunch...he serves as Lion-o's nanny. He comes from a race (called Snarfs) who live in unision with (though possibly as servants to) the Thunderians.

On the long journey, Jaga dies and due to a mulfunctioning capsule, Lion-o grows up from a pre-teen to an adult. The Thundercats awaken on Third Earth, under attack from the Mutants (who have followed the Thundercats). Lion-o uses the mystical Sword of Omens to scare off the Mutants and save his friends. The Thundercats, being good people, soon make friends with some of the local inhabitants, such as the Berbils and the Warrior Maidens, the Balkins and the Wollos.

The Mutants also make friends on this new planet though...they ally themselves with a demon-priest named Mumm-ra...a feeble looking mummy-like creature. Mumm-ra decised to use the Mutants to help him to get the Sword of Omens for himself. Mumm-ra spends most of his time hanging out in his black Pyramid, sleeping in his sarcophagus, or spying on the outside world with his magic cauldron, or (later) talking to his pet dog, Ma-Mutt. Mumm-ra does have the ability though, to channel the ancient spirits of evil, and transform into a large, muscular, powerful, terrifying creature of great power.

For a few years, life on Thirs Earth is intereresting, but repetitive. Lots of new races and creatures to meet, new and dangerous places to explore, work to do, and of course, fighting off the bad-guys. Later on, Snarf's nephew Snarfer lands on the planet. Also, 3 previously unknown Thunderian survivors are found and recruited as Thundercats (Lynx-o, Pumyra and Bengali). Not to shift the balance of good vs evil, some new bad-guys arrive on Third Earth as well. Called the Lunataks, they are much more dangerous than the Mutants. They are Luna, Amok, Alluro, Chilla, Tug Mug and Red Eye. It was about this time that the series was beginning to wind down. Not all the newer characters were made into action figures, nor the new vehicles or playsets.

Luckily, after a good 15 years of retirement, the Thundercats were revived due to a series of new comic books, and then the release of the series onto DVD.