10 Forgotten Kids TV Shows That Deserve A Movie Reboot

What better way to wash the disgusting taste of Twilight's emo vampires and werewolves out of our mouths (ayo!) than with an actually "good" movie starring Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolf Man in a rock 'n' roll band? Groovie Goolies certainly wasn’t the most critically acclaimed children’s show of all time, but we’re hard-pressed to find one that’s more entertaining.

This show is practically screaming for a CGI update complete with celebrity voices and musical numbers. Some tweaks might have to be made to the movie, such as getting Dracula out of those ridiculous high heels, but once that’s done, the Goolies are naturals for the big screen.

It might not have had the numerous drug references seen and heard in their other shows (i.e., H.R. Pufnstuf), but Sigmund And The Sea Monsters is still one of the most memorable creations of Sid and Marty Krofft. The show was about two young boys who befriend a sea monster named Sigmund after the beast's family disowns him for refusing to scare people.

Now if that doesn’t sound like a great premise for a children’s movie, we don’t know what does. The possibilities are endless for a sharp filmmaker to come along and create an imaginative world filled with crazy monster designs and underwater lairs. If you hire a director with a flare for visuals and fairy tales, much like Guillermo del Toro, then Sigmund And The Sea Monsters could be more relevant than ever.

Highly imaginative, yet criminally underrated, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters had the perfect blend of children’s humor and some truly grotesque set-pieces. Not as controversial as Ren & Stimpy, or as neurotic as Doug, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was great for young fans of fantasy and horror. The characters in the original series resembled creatures in a Terry Gilliam film rather than a Saturday morning cartoon, and that unique charm separated this show from the pack.

Unfortunately the concept of a monster school has already been done in Monsters Inc., so any Aaahh!!! Real Monsters movie would have to make sure it wasn't just repeating what Pixar already did. But if a filmmaker really latched on to the show's dark tone and twisted sense of humor, then perhaps Aaahh!!! Real Monsters would be given the respect that it deserves.

Before Hulk Hogan starred in the embarrassing reality TV show that eventually tore apart his entire family, the man with the 24-inch pythons actually had his own Saturday morning cartoon called Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling. In the ultimate sign of laziness, Hogan didn't even appear in the show; his character was instead voiced by future Everybody Loves Raymond star Brad Garrett. That doesn't stop us from absolutely loving this thing, though.

The show itself was somewhat similar to Hogan’s antics inside the WWF ring, except that there wasn’t a copious amount of cocaine and gorilla hormones coursing through the veins of these animated characters. Each episode revolved around Hogan and his gang of do-gooders, such as the Junkyard Dog, Andre The Giant, and Jimmy Snuka, going up against the evil Rowdy Roddy Piper and the Iron Sheik.

Tell us that a live-action version of the Hulkster's cartoon wouldn't be boss. Watching a 60-plus Hulk Hogan mop the floor with a cast of washed-up wrestlers would be epic. Unfortunately, Andre the Giant has since passed on to that great wrestling ring in the sky, but, hey, that’s what CGI is for.

Let’s face it: H.R. Pufnstuf contained more drugs references than a Snoop Dog album. The whole show was a brightly-colored trip through the worlds of LSD, marijuana, and probably a pint of Elmer’s glue thrown in for good measure. There were witches, Dragon politicians, and a talking flute; none of which could possibly be created without the aid of some higher influences. But it worked, and kids certainly loved it.

We think a modern, acid-soaked H.R. Pufnstuf flick filled with lethargic characters and talking musical instruments would be just as popular today as the original show was back in the '70s. Imagine Wanda Sykes playing the talking flute and Queen Latifah as a sassy trombone.

Much like the eccentric filmmaker did with Alice In Wonderland and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Tim Burton could easily hop aboard Pufnstuf and deliver the type of brain-rattling imagery that would appeal to both children and burnt-out liberal arts majors.

Eureeka’s Castle had so many Sesame Street rip-offs populating its world that the show’s producers should have had a copyright lawyer on retainer at all times. Despite those problems, we still have a soft spot in our hearts for the Nickelodeon program.

Between Magellan, Batley (a bizarre carbon copy of Sesame Street's The Count), and the moat twins, the children's show touted a lineup of hollowed-out puppets that could compete with The Muppets in terms of both wit and whimsy. A modern Eureeka’s Castle movie would have to be retooled by studio executives to make it appeal to more than just four-year-olds, but if it followed in the same fairy tale vein as Pan's Labyrinth, it would undoubtedly be a huge hit.

Right behind Britain's attempt to air a sitcom based on the comedic life of Hitler, ALF is perhaps the strangest show to ever grace a television screen. The NBC oddity was about a middle-class suburban family that was forced to adopt a lazy, sarcastic alien after it crashed into their garage.

During the show's on-air life, ALF (an acronym for Alien Life Form) cracked jokes, drank like an Irishman, and basically drove this family to near insanity, all while kind of resembling Scott Bakula. Its strange concept intact, ALF was a unique bit of pop-culture camp that has been unfortunately forgotten over the years.

We still think Alf needs to be revived in a multi-million dollar blockbuster. Just get the dude’s hand out of ALF’s back door and create him with some believable CGI or advanced puppetry. Oh, and cut out the fact that he had an appetite for cats; that might not fly with those PETA people.

Pop culture in the ‘90s was just plain bizarre. For instance, Vanilla Ice was a successful rapper, and the series finale of Family Matters featured Urkel in space, yet perhaps nothing topped Dinosaurs, one of the most surreal sitcoms of all time.

Produced by Jim Henson Television, the ABC sitcom followed the lives of a prehistoric family of talking dinosaurs complete with a brain-dead dad, a worrying mother, rebellious kids, and a mischievous baby. Dinosaurs shamelessly stole multiple plot points and characters from The Simpsons, but who cares? We loved it.

We're sick and tired of seeing the Spielbergian interpretation of dinosaurs; it's time to watch these mountainous lizards make wise cracks and wear people clothes once again, even though they never seemed to wear any pants. Plus, who needs to create an unrealistic puppet of the show's baby when you could just shave Snooki bald and stick a pacifier in her mouth? Trust us, she’s had worse things in there.

Despite being absolutely hilarious, Animaniacs has regrettably been forgotten over the course of the last decade. Starring the off-the-wall siblings Wakko, Yakko, and Dot, the FOX (and then The WB) toon combined typical cartoon humor with sharp references to politics, popular culture, and the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was a dream show for any kid who wanted a little bit more from their Saturday morning fare.

Also, aside from being down-right funny, Animaniacs was also incredibly intelligent. To this day, we’re almost certain that an entire generation of young kids learned the proper state capitols and the names of presidents from this show.

With our public schools failing us at an alarming rate, and current cartoons designed to do nothing more than sell cheap toys, a high-profile Animaniacs movie might go a long way towards actually entertaining our youth, as opposed to seeing them as gigantic dollar signs.

As Jim Henson's red-haired stepchildren, the characters on Fraggle Rock never quite got the respect that The Muppets have over the years. The show was devoid of high-profile guest-stars, and the characters were never the subject of multiple movies like their more successful counterparts. The world seems to have forgotten about Henson’s B-squad all together.

There have been several rumors about possible Fraggle Rock movies heading into pre-production, but here we are years later and they're still sitting in development hell; meanwhile, The Muppets are enjoying a silver screen renaissance. We think this show is well overdue for a movie version, just as long as the producers stay true to the Fraggle Rock's roots and don’t go in the CGI direction to bring these characters to life.

Better yet, a Fraggle movie could mimic the Alien vs. Predator films and feature scraps like Gobo Fraggle versus Kermit The Frog, or Mokey against Miss Piggy. Throw in a hard R-rating for excessive felt-tearing and curb-stomping and you'd have a foolproof winner.