Shirt Tales
The Shirt Tales were a band of animals, including such luminaries as Pammy Panda, Rick Raccoon, and Bogey Orangutang, who wore T-shirts emblazoned with words that would change depending on their emotions or what they wanted to communicate. Their human handler didn’t know the Shirt Tales had secret lives as crime fighters. They, too, started their lives as Hallmark characters and adapted into yet another Hanna-Barbera Saturday Morning cartoon success. And with that success came the merchandise. They landed merchandising deals rivaling Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears, appearing on clothing (of course, T-shirts), toys, plush toys, even accessories like headphones. They landed a deal with fast food franchise Hardees to give away stuffed plush toys with children’s meals. Shirt Tales haven’t had the sustained longevity of Star Wars or Transformers, nor the resurgence like Smurfs. But 80s kids will get that “Ah, right! I remember those!” sensation from Shirt Tales.