"Catch the action! Catch the mystery! On my show! The best show! Mister T!"
In The '80s, the company Ruby-Spears (the creators of Rubik, the Amazing Cube) decided that Mr. T was cool enough to get his own Animated Adaptation. Mister T is the result.
In this cartoon, Mr. T is a gymnastics coach who travels the world fighting crime and solving mysteries with his team of young gymnasts. Hilarity Ensues, not really intentionally. Each episode had a live action clip of Mr. T shown at the beginning, where he would tell the kids about the situation, and another at the end where he would tell the moral lesson that went with it.
The show ran from 1983 to 1986, and had 30 episodes. The Agony Booth has several full recaps of some of the most bizarre episodes of the series.
Compare with Rambo: The Force of Freedom and Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, two other Ruby-Spears adventure cartoons from The '80s based on live-action stars and franchises.
Mystery of the Mister T Tropes:
- And Knowing Is Half the Battle: It actually had Mr. T himself — filmed in live-action — giving the lesson. "Take it from me, Mr. T!"
- Badass Boast:"Yeah, T! As in trials! Tribulations! And trouble! Which is what you gonna get, if you don't find that pass!"
- Bluff the Impostor: With Mr. T and his robot double.
- Catchphrase: Each character had one. "Take it from me, Mr. T." and of course "I pity the fool!" for Mr T, Ms. Bisby has "Oh my stars and garters!", Robin has "What the hairy heck?" and Jeff has "My eagle eyes even amaze me!"
- Canine Companion: Dozer, a dog who shares Mr. T's hairstyle!
- Episode Title Card: Like most Ruby-Spears cartoons, the series uses them.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Many (but not all) episodes are titled either "Mystery of the [X]" or "The [X] Mystery".
- Invasion of the Baby Snatchers: In one episode, Spike and some other kids are abducted for purposes never gone into, but he helps one girl escape while he is recaptured. She finds some adults who refer her to a police officer. Bad thing is, one of the abductors posed as a cop to lure her and others in. The looks on their faces as she asks tearfully 'Is He A Real Policeman?' bring the horror home.
- Leotard of Power: The gymnasts wear them. Mr. T doesn't.
- Manly Tears: "Mystery of the Stranger", just before the usual live action lecture by Mr T. After Spike is rescued from kidnappers, Mr. T kneels down and embraces him, tears falling from his closed eyes.
- Not Himself: Kim's dad after being under Mind Control.
- Passionate Sports Girl: The team has Robin and Kim, two young girls who really want to be pros.
- Photographic Memory: There are occasional references to Kim having one.
- Prefer Jail to the Protagonist: "Mystery of the Stranger" deals with abducted kids. Mr. T and company track down a pair of kidnappers. Eventually, Mr. T catches one of them and with a Death Glare, offers the kidnapper a choice: face him or go to jail. The kidnapper begs to be thrown in jail.
- Punny Name: A bulldog named Dozer
- Rule of Cool: The show runs on it.
- Just look at the Title Sequence.
- Mr. T spins an alligator around above his head, for one example. Heck, he even punches a shark.
- Scary Black Man: Mr. T is a benevolent version, having the looks but being more of a loud Team Dad in personality terms. But woe betide anyone who threatens his pupils, the Tag Along Kid or his dog.
- Self-Restraint: In one episode, Mr. T is arrested for theft; his friends ask why he doesn't just break out and he then proceeds to demonstrate that he could — and quite easily — but he says that he is innocent and therefore has no need to run away.
- Spot the Impostor : In one episode, Spike is misled by a sophisticated scheme in which his vanished eldest sister Cathy is impersonated via technology. He finally sees through it when the faked voice calls him 'Spike': Spike is his nickname, one he only adopted well after Cathy's disappearance and, though the episode never confirms this outright, her likely death. Crosses over with I Never Told You My Name.
- Team Dad: As the coach and protector of his gymnastics team, Mr. T may be one of the most badass team fathers in 80's western animation.
- There Was a Door: In an accidentally hilarious way. In one episode a door spontaneously exploded to reveal Mr. T behind it. Supposedly he kicked it down like he always does, but the animation didn't suggest any kicking at all.
- They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: "The name is Mr. T! First name is Mister, middle name is that period, last name is T!"
- Uncatty Resemblance: Dozer the bulldog has Mr. T's mohawk.
