These cartoons might as well have used tracing paper. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're ranking animated cartoon shows that were obviously copycats of earlier, successful series.
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00:00 "Bunny Bob?"
00:00 "Yeah?"
00:01 "Did you notice something familiar about this map?"
00:05 Welcome to Ms. Mojo,
00:07 and today we're ranking animated cartoon shows that were obviously copycats of earlier successful series.
00:13 "I am not a clone, I'm an enhanced replication."
00:16 Number 10, Digimon Digital Monsters,
00:20 also known as Digimon Adventure,
00:23 copy of Pokemon.
00:24 "And I've got this little pink thing following me everywhere."
00:27 "It is me, Mojimon, at your service. Anybody want lunch?"
00:31 What do you call a series that follows a group of young kids and their unique monster companions
00:35 as they battle other similarly crazy-looking creatures in the traditional anime style?
00:39 Well, you'd probably call it Pokemon,
00:41 but this first copycat on our list also fits that description.
00:45 The world of Digimon arrived on the scene only two years after the Pokemon animated series,
00:49 with Digimon Adventure debuting in Japan in March of 1999.
00:53 "Just what do you think you're doing?"
00:56 "I'm glad we never hear you complaining."
00:58 "Hmm, you people make me crazy."
01:01 This early incarnation of the franchise lasted 54 episodes,
01:04 but the public's interest didn't end there,
01:06 as the world of Digimon continues to be extremely popular with fans young and old around the world.
01:11 "Matt, you were so awesome against that monster."
01:14 "You think so? You know, you were the man."
01:17 "And you're the wolf man."
01:18 [Laughter]
01:21 Number 9, American Dragon Jake Long,
01:24 copy of Danny Phantom.
01:26 "Dragon up, yo!"
01:27 [Dragon roars]
01:31 There's a bit of debate online as to whether or not American Dragon Jake Long
01:34 is an exact copycat of the hit Nickelodeon series Danny Phantom,
01:38 but one thing's for sure, both series have their passionate defenders.
01:42 To be honest, both cartoons feature young protagonists who lead pretty fantastic double lives,
01:47 with Danny Phantom accidentally gaining the supernatural powers of a ghost,
01:51 while Jake Long comes from a long line of human-dragon hybrids.
01:55 "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you were following me."
01:57 "Well, maybe I am."
01:59 "Well, maybe you should stop."
02:00 "Maybe you should chill."
02:02 There's a ton of adventure and charm in both shows,
02:05 and the fans of each will probably argue to death about their subtle differences.
02:09 In our eyes, though, American Dragon definitely owes at least a small creative debt to the Phantom.
02:14 [Dragon roars]
02:18 Number 8, Chipchilla, copy of Bluey.
02:22 Charming, grounded, and genuinely funny.
02:24 Is it any wonder Bluey has become a worldwide smash?
02:28 "I'd say I'm pretty good at this."
02:29 "You sure are."
02:31 Sorry, that is not actually Bluey,
02:34 and on closer inspection, that becomes pretty obvious.
02:37 But when Chipchilla debuted in October of 2023,
02:41 it raised more than a few eyebrows for its similarities to the beloved Australian kids' show.
02:45 "Now that is a solid economic plan."
02:49 The series is one of the flagship original programs on BentKey,
02:53 a youth-oriented streaming service developed by conservative media outlet The Daily Wire.
02:58 Though it centers on a family of homeschooled chinchillas rather than cattle dogs,
03:02 everything from the visual aesthetics to the music to the family dynamics seem heavily,
03:08 let's say, inspired by Bluey,
03:10 all the while missing the original's point entirely.
03:13 Seems like a little personal accountability might be in order, huh?
03:16 "What was that?"
03:17 "Nothing, nothing at all, nothing."
03:19 Number 7, Silverhawks, copy of Thundercats.
03:23 "Call him back. The green button."
03:26 [Squeaking]
03:29 Our next cartoon copycat is the shameless star-set Thundercats ripoff, Silverhawks.
03:35 Both shows featured Japanese animation by the Pacific Animation Corporation,
03:39 and both were distributed by the production company Rankin/Bass.
03:42 Those involved specifically created Silverhawks as basically a new Thundercats, just set in space.
03:48 "Go, Tallyhawk. Cameras on."
03:51 [Screaming]
03:53 [Music]
03:54 So, does this mean Silverhawks sucked?
03:56 Not at all, actually, as the show featured a similarly high level of animation quality,
04:01 fun storylines, and a bitchin' theme song, which many fans can still sing to this day.
04:06 It's gotta count for something, right?
04:08 "Wings of silver, words of steel, Silverhawks."
04:14 Number 6, Galtar and the Golden Lance, copy of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
04:20 "The name is Galtar. If you want the Golden Lance, come and get it."
04:24 Hedo Barbaro was looking for a slice of that sweet, sweet He-Man money,
04:27 when they released this obvious cash grab back in 1985.
04:31 Galtar and the Golden Lance followed a similarly macho protagonist with a very badass main weapon,
04:36 as he and his crew protected a colorful fantasy world from the forces of evil.
04:40 "Fight, Galtar!"
04:42 [Music]
04:47 Although lacking a bit of the unintentional comedy that has since gone on to define its Masters of the Universe counterpart,
04:53 Galtar and the Golden Lance nevertheless possessed all of the imaginative animated tools
04:57 to make it a minor hit with a Saturday morning cartoon set.
05:01 "The water! It's boiling!"
05:03 "No, it's freezing cold."
05:09 Number 5, Challenge of the Go-Bots, copy of The Transformers.
05:13 "And soon the People's Republic would belong to me, along with the rest of this puny planet."
05:19 Okay, here's a fun fact.
05:20 The Go-Bots toyline actually edged out the Transformers by a little less than a year when they debuted in Japan in 1983.
05:27 This doesn't change the fact that the animated series, Challenge of the Go-Bots,
05:30 was clearly indebted to the success of the Transformers cartoon,
05:33 which had already gained serious steam as the latest Saturday morning obsession.
05:37 "The Transformers! More than meets the eye!"
05:42 Despite the fact that they both premiered in the same month,
05:44 the Go-Bots show was viewed largely by the public as a cheap imitation of Optimus Prime and company,
05:49 without even a special Autobot or Decepticon-esque seal to differentiate hero from villain.
05:54 Today, these transforming robots from, ahem, Go-Batron,
05:58 are perhaps better suited as a cartoon trivia answer than the Animation Hall of Fame.
06:02 "What are you guys doing here? It's me, Leader One, from the Challenge of the Go-Bots, remember?"
06:07 "Challenge of the Go-Bots? Never even heard of that."
06:09 Number 4 - Street Sharks - Copy of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
06:14 "Street Sharks! Oh, I'm in charge of 'em!"
06:19 You've all heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
06:22 but are you aware of all their various copycats?
06:24 No? Well, there were a lot of them, from biker mice from Mars to street sharks.
06:30 Yup, it seemed as if every species was given their chance to become mutated and fight crime,
06:34 and these sharp-toothed sharks were no exception.
06:38 "Then there's only one thing to do!"
06:40 "You're right. It's time we got to the bottom of this mystery."
06:44 The Street Sharks were four brothers whose DNA was spliced with those of various sharks
06:47 by their father's evil partner, Dr. Paradigm, who, naturally, seeks the sharks' destruction.
06:52 This basic premise is nowhere near as charming as the Turtles,
06:55 and the Street Sharks only mustered a three-season run before they were cancelled.
06:59 "Sharks only. This time. Ready, Jab?"
07:02 "It's shark-diving time!"
07:05 Number 3 - Goober and the Ghost Chasers - copy of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?
07:10 "Went from Ghost Chasers magazine and I... Oh, no! He's gone again!"
07:15 There were a number of Scooby-Doo ripoffs produced by the Hanna-Barbera team
07:18 after the runaway success of that titular Great Dane and his friends.
07:21 Some have stood the test of time. Jabberjaw, anyone?
07:25 While others have been relegated to the also-ran annals of cartoon history.
07:34 Goober and the Ghost Chasers was one such series,
07:36 which followed the usual team of teens who investigated supernatural mysteries
07:40 alongside their talking dog, Goober.
07:42 "Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, bark!"
07:44 "I wouldn't be caught dead under a sheet with a ghost like that!"
07:48 Although there were some major differences between this show and Scooby-Doo,
07:51 such as the existence of real ghosts the team had to outwit,
07:55 this wasn't enough to Goober any more than 16 episodes.
07:58 "A galloping ghost!"
08:02 "Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
08:04 "This ought to be good!"
08:10 If you've ever watched an episode of The Smurfs and thought to yourself,
08:13 "Hey, this would be a lot better if it were set underwater,"
08:16 that's pretty much the gist of this Hanna-Barbera series.
08:18 But it's not all bad news, as Snorks is a bit more fondly remembered
08:22 than other cartoons on this list.
08:24 "It's a swordfish!"
08:26 "Darlings, you're upstaging me!"
08:29 Maybe it's the colorful animation, the likable characters,
08:32 or the quality voice acting on display,
08:34 but Snorks earned enough positive response to garner four seasons on the air,
08:37 so it was doing something right.
08:39 "Here goes! Keep your snorks crossed!"
08:42 "It's working!"
08:45 "All right!"
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09:00 "Hey, Bingo! I'm open for fun!"
09:10 "And I have lots of great ideas sloshing around in my head."
09:14 "Slosh, slosh, slosh, slosh."
09:16 Rob Paulson is a legend in the animation industry,
09:19 having voiced characters from iconic franchises across the board,
09:22 including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Animaniacs,
09:25 as well as Corky from the aforementioned Snorks.
09:28 So, when even he is claiming that a show he worked on was derivative,
09:32 fans can probably take his sentiments to heart.
09:35 "Hey, Slip 'n Slide! Hey, Bunga!
09:37 I have a plan for today, and I want you to guess what it is!"
09:41 Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island was the cartoon in question,
09:44 a shameless riff on SpongeBob SquarePants
09:47 that featured a manic-talking Coconut and his kooky friends getting into mischief.
09:51 Thankfully, the kids' WB show only mustered two very short seasons before it was cancelled.
09:56 "Please leave! Go away! Now!"
10:00 "Okay, Mr. G."
10:02 What cartoon do you think is the biggest rip-off?
10:05 Let us know in the comments.
10:07 "Leave me out of this!"
10:09 "Oh, I'll leave you out, alright! Out the window!"
10:14 Do you agree with our picks?
10:16 Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo,
10:18 and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
10:22 [music]