Millions of filmgoers fell in love with the sleeper hit of 1984, The Karate Kid. They cheered in shared triumph for underdog teen Daniel Larusso, laughed out loud at the playful antics of Mr. Miyagi, repeated each memorable line from the film at every opportunity and gave their little brother a surprise roundhouse kick while exiting the theater. And after two successful sequels proved that audiences hadn’t quite gotten their fill of their favorite duo, it only made sense to give the boy and his Sensei a Saturday morning cartoon series.

Produced by DIC and debuting in 1989, the animated series featured the familiar pair in an adventure just a tad more fanciful than the average karate tournament. When a small shrine, renowned for its power to heal, is stolen in Okinawa, it’s up to Daniel and his mentor, Mr. Miyagi (voiced by Robert Ito, sidekick to Jack Klugman on Quincy M.E.) to bring it back to its rightful resting place. The only problem is, it could be anywhere in the world. They enlist the help of Taki, an Okinawan girl and begin scouring the globe for the missing shrine. And with every stop, they are given ample opportunity to show off their advanced karate skills against an assortment of bad guys.

But, as Mr. Miyagi might caution – timing is everything, not only in karate, but also in life. And the timing of The Karate Kid animated series couldn’t have been worse. For one thing, the popularity of the film franchise was beginning to wane. And if that weren’t bad enough, it was matched up against such formidable opponents as The Real Ghostbusters and Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. This time around, even a swooping crane kick couldn’t save the courageous chums and the show was cancelled after a mere 12 episodes.