Saturday, July 29, 2006

This Week's Feature: The Mysterious Cities of Gold!

What is "The Mysterious Cities of Gold?" Only one of the best animated shows ever produced, and the first show I remember watching on television. It came to the states in the early 80s during Nickelodeon's infancy, right before "Spartakus and the Sun beneath the Sea," another awesome show that sadly is only available on DVD in French. (So if you speak French, you're in luck!)

Both shows were co-produced by French and Japanese companies and brought to the states, making them not only the first animated shows I ever remember watching, but also the first anime I ever saw - before I even knew what anime was.

MCoG chronicled the adventures of a young boy named Esteban and his companions, Zia and Tao, as they searched for...you guessed it, the mysterious cities of gold, a.k.a. El Dorado. The show also featured an awesome giant gold condor and quite a bit of Latin American history (none of which I remember but I do recall thinking the whole show was cool).

Thanks to the power of the internet, I now know that I am not the only person besides my father who remembers this program. Turns out their are other children of the 80s lurking out there, one of whom put the the entire theme song online. And after watching the theme, I am still impressed by the work that went into creating this show - because sadly, not every nostalgic memory can stand the test of time (like "The Wuzzles"...shudder).

Watch the opening theme here at:

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_tvshows/76-mysterious-cities-of-gold/

click on Play Intro 2 and enjoy!

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