The History of THE MYSTERIOUS CITIES OF GOLD – Barely Remembered in the US
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MYSTERIOUS CITIES OF GOLD from DIC is from an era before INSPECTOR GADGET and was first released in Japan. However, it’s impact was really felt in FRANCE where MYSTERIOUS CITIES OF GOLD became, and continues to be, a huge hit.
Hitting the US a few years later on NICKELODEON, it was part of a contentious battle to help raise some quick cash.
SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Cities_of_Gold
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot_(company)
https://blogs.westlakelibrary.org/2024/06/nostalgic-showcase-presents-dic-entertainment/
https://ejunkieblog.com/2021/09/23/the-history-of-dic/
https://agentpalmer.com/18008/miscellany/inspiration/whatever-happened-to-dic-an-attempted-oral-history-on-the-saturday-morning-cartoon-powerhouse/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIC_Entertainment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Chalopin
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/2009-10-29/mysterious-cities-of-gold
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Cities_of_Gold_(2012_TV_series)
https://en.lescitesdor.com/
https://lostmediawiki.com/DIC_Entertainment_(partially_found_pre-Ulysses_31/Inspector_Gadget_cartoon_series_of_animation_studio;_1975-1980)
https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Mysterious_Cities_of_Gold_(partially_found_original_Japanese_edition_from_the_Japanese-French_animated_series;_1982-1983)
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@NecrochildK
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
XD Except the US my ass! I still remember the song by heart! And a friend just linked a screenshot with "Core memory unlocked .." Both of one of our favorites as kids in the 80s in the US.
@elnubnub-k3c
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Aaaaah aah aah, Esteban, Zia, Tao, les cités d'or …. also , in Québec we also knew Miyazaki before he became popular with Sherlock Hound (Sherlock Holmes in french)
@spencersholden
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
So annoyed it’s basically non existent in the States.
@brainsmasher66
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I loved that cartoon.
@saintmatthew956
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I think one of the things that impressed me even as a kid, is how the story wrapped up. You knew there was never a final episode of Scooby Doo, but there was a final episode of LCoG.
@attackofthecopyrightbots
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
would kill for a re-release in the original japanese or french
its absolutely impossible to find nowadays
@Odins-squirrel
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I watched this show in the 80s in the US! My memories mingle this cartoon with Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea.
@soniclore
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I was absentmindedly singing this theme the other day and my wife asked me where the song came from. I found the theme on YouTube, and realized I hadn’t watched the show since I was a kid 40 years ago….but I still have that ear worm theme in my head!
@mathewm6294
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
For a native american kid growing up watching this, it can't be overstated how exciting it was that the brain of the group was Tao.
@kevincarr8434
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Thanks for this video. My mom recorded it on Nickelodeon she only missed maybe 1-2 episodes. She’s amazing for that. And I wasn’t even born yet.
Was season 5 canceled due to Covid?
@lemythologia4315
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Season 1: South America
Season 2 : Spain + China + Tibet
Season 3 : Japan + India + Arabia + North Africa
Season 4 (Final season part 1) : Continuation of Arabia and North Africa + All African Continent with Center and South Africa, but especially Zimbabwe + France
Season 5 (Final Season part 2) : Not yet released, we still waiting
@bigbangerz5856
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
Ulysses 31 is inspired by Odysseus as chronicled by homer in the Odyssey, Ulysses is the cartoon persona of Odysseus
@masukuma
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I am Kenyan – grew up in the 80s. That intro song was stuck in my head… run into a few of those episodes on either on VHS or on our national broadcaster. But I did hear watch a few episodes. I cannot remember them but I remember the intro song well.
@rahatmohyuddin7247
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I absolutely loved watching it in 1986 or 87
@MohammadAlAsaly
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
in the 90s we had the arabic version, it was very popular and as there was limited set of kids shows in arabic, it was airing at least once each year. so here in IRAQ this show is one of the most nostalgic shows ever for 90s kids.
@gdawwg1125
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
was pretty popular in Australia in the early 90's . used to be shown after school on ABC (the australian one) i am currently watching the origional series with my daughter on SBS streaming
@ChildlessCraneLady
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
As if an adventure show about a mixed-race kid and his Native besties thwarting greedy European Colonist and protecting Native villages, land and treasure would ever be a thing in the United States. (No wonder I loved this series so much, but even as a pre-school aged kid, I felt mainstream folk and mixed race folk trying to hide their dark roots would find this series taboo…) Another problem with the show from an 80's standpoint? No cuddly, mass produced merchandise to make every parent fist-fight their opponent for at K-Mart on Black Friday. Final problem? The show was TOO nuanced, culturally relevant and intelligent for most mainstream programming. I'm cynical. This show was my everything and they took it away when I was too young!!!!
@goldarnit
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
They showed it on the ABC in Australia back in the mid-late 1980s. Love this series.
@nathandaniels4823
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
This is possibly my favorite childhood cartoon along with Transformers (and just slightly ahead of Gummi Bears, Pole Position, and Kidd Video).
Despite hating school, I'd wake up every morning at 5:30am to watch Gumby and then MCoG. When the internet became a thing, I found a webring for MCoG that shared VHS dubs of the series. Somebody sent me the whole thing on 5 or 6 VHS tapes, just to share the love. Those were the days…
I eventually discovered that Australia sold the (region-locked) series on DVD, and purchased my first DVD player: a region-free one, primarily to play MCoG.
20 years later, I have a pretty cutting edge home theater. But that DVD player has stayed in my setup, just for MCoG.
@ArkonBlade
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I do remember watching this as a kid
I cant remember crap about the show but the opening song has stuck with me.
@nicvoid
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
You might try actually wearing one of your favourite 80s tshirts during your 80s tshirt ad 😂
@HocusPocusAlimagocus
March 25, 2026 at 5:00 pm
I'm an elder millennial and I have such fond memories of watching this show on Nickelodeon during the late 1980s…
I introduced this show to my Gen Z girlfriend and she absolutely loved it!!!
Comments are closed.