History YMMV / InspectorGadget

* SugarWiki/AwesomeArt: Say what you will about the premise and the repetition of the show, it's animation is GORGEOUS for 1983. Given Creator/TMSEntertainment was responsible for the first season it's not hard to see why. For a cartoon made in the 1980s it rarely uses any repeating or recycled footage and kept its animation smooth and fluid for the most part even after the studio switch in the second season.

** The episode title "NSF Gadget" in the day and age of the internet, with the prefix NSF typically being used in acronyms like NSFW, or "Not Safe For Work", indicating material of pornographic, gory, or generally disturbing nature that is, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin material generally not considered safe to be seen in a public space, such as a work environment.]]

** In one episode, Dr. Claw steals fighter jets by [[VideoGame/{{Polybius}} brainwashing their pilots with an arcade game.]]

** In the episode "Dry Spell", the M.A.D. agent Dirk Boulder is assisted by a pair of identical trolls, one wearing orange and the other wearing blue. Orange and blue would later be the respective colors of Fidget and Digit, the titular Gadgetinis from the spinoff series WesternAnimation/GadgetAndTheGadgetinis.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The show was one of the first cartoons produced for first-run syndication, as opposed to being aired on one of the major TV networks. This not only enabled a [[AnimationBump much higher quality of animation]] compared to what most of the competition (namely Creator/HannaBarbera or Creator/{{Filmation}}) were capable of at the time, but the absence of [[ExecutiveMeddling network censors]] also allowed for stories with higher stakes than what would have been thinkable on a Saturday Morning cartoon. But in an age where these things are the new normal, it may be hard for modern viewers to understand how much of a step up the show was.

* EvilIsCool: Claw. Who wouldn't want that voice?

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Some people say that Gadget ''isn't'' stupid, he's [[ObfuscatingStupidity willingly]] being a distraction so Penny can accomplish the mission, since when Penny's safety is threatened, he suddenly becomes a ''lot'' more competent.

** The official soundtrack includes an ''extremely'' baller [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKGclWTpww8 unused them for MAD]].

** Gadget biting and destroying his pillow during a nightmare in "Bad Dreams Are Made of This" becomes even funnier and more disturbing if you're familiar with the honeymoon scene from [[{{Literature/Twilight}} a certain infamous vampire love story]].

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The show was one of the first cartoons produced for first-run syndication, as opposed to being aired on one of the major TV networks. This not only enabled a [[AnimationBump much higher quality of animation]] compared to what Creator/HannaBarbera or Creator/{{Filmation}} were capable of at the time, but the absence of [[ExecutiveMeddling network censors]] also allowed for stories with higher stakes than what would have been thinkable on a Saturday Morning cartoon. But in an age where these things are the new normal, it may be hard for modern viewers to understand how much of a step up the show was.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The show was one of the first cartoons produced for first-run syndication, as opposed to being aired on one of the major TV networks. This not only enabled a [[AnimationBump much higher quality of animation]] compared to what Creator/HannaBarbera or Creator/{{Filmation}} were capable of at the time, but the absence of [[ExecutiveMeddling network censors]] also meant far fewer restrictions than what cartoons airing on Saturday Morning had to deal with (Gadget, Penny and Brain were often put in peril, which would have been unthinkable on a Saturday Morning cartoon). As the cartoons that came after it were given even larger budgets and fewer restrictions, it may be hard for modern viewers to appreciate how much of a step up the show was.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The show was one of the first cartoons produced for first-run syndication, as opposed to being aired on one of the major TV networks. This enabled a [[AnimationBump much higher quality of animation]] compared to what Creator/HannaBarbera or Creator/{{Filmation}} were capable of at the time. The absence of [[ExecutiveMeddling network censors]] also meant far fewer restrictions than what cartoons airing on Saturday Morning had to deal with (Gadget, Penny and Brain were often put in peril, which would have been unthinkable on a Saturday Morning cartoon). As the cartoons that came after it were given even larger budgets and fewer restrictions, it may be hard for modern viewers to appreciate how much of a step up the show was.

** Penny's theme (both the normal and [[ThemeSongPowerUp heroic]] versions).

* ValuesResonance: The moral of Episode 42, ''No Flies on Us'' talks of the importance of getting regular vaccinations and regular checkups. [[UsefulNotes/Covid19Pandemic with the recent conditions of 2020]] this moral has become far more valuable.

* WeirdAlEffect: Someone who has grown up watching the cartoon may recognize its theme song better than Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King", which the theme is based on.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The show was one of the first cartoons produced for first-run syndication, as opposed to being aired on one of the major TV networks. As such, it boasted a [[AnimationBump much higher quality of animation]] than Creator/HannaBarbera or Creator/{{Filmation}} were capable of at the time. The absence of [[ExecutiveMeddling network censors]] also meant far fewer restrictions than what cartoons airing on Saturday Morning had to deal with (Gadget, Penny and Brain were often put in peril, which would have been unthinkable on a Saturday Morning cartoon). As the cartoons that came after it were given even larger budgets and fewer restrictions, it may be hard for modern viewers to appreciate how much of a step up the show was.

** ** A MAD agent couldn't dare sneak blunt objects on a plane today, nor could Penny and Brain sneak into the cargo hold of passenger jets to get to destinations under Gadget's nose, without plenty of TSA office visits and permanent inclusion on the no-fly list. Not to mention the chances of Gadget ever getting past airport security what with all the metal and potentially deadly equipment he's got inside him. A fanfic called ''Euro Gadget'' (following up from the first live-action movie) points this out and explains it. He has to call the airport ahead of time to let them know- and even then, his extendable limbs accidentally activate while being screened.

* WeirdAlEffect: Anyone who has grown up watching the cartoon will recognize its theme song better than Edvard Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King", which the theme is based on.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: In the episode "Gone Went the Wind", Inspector Gadget finds Chief Quimby in the frozen chicken isle at the supermarket, but before Quimby appears, [[MindScrew one of the frozen chickens inexplicably gets out and walks away]].

* HarsherInHindsight:
** A MAD agent couldn't dare sneak blunt objects on a plane today, nor could Penny and Brain sneak into the cargo hold of passenger jets to get to destinations under Gadget's nose, without plenty of TSA office visits and permanent inclusion on the no-fly list. Not to mention the chances of Gadget ever getting past airport security what with all the metal and potentially deadly equipment he's got inside him (Go-go gadget scissors, anyone?)
** A fanfic called ''Euro Gadget'' (following up from the first live-action movie) points this out and explains it. He has to call the airport ahead of time to let them know- and even then, his extendable limbs accidentally activate while being screened.

** Someone like Inspector Gadget would NEVER be able to get on board a plane in a post-9/11 world with all the metal and potentially deadly weapons he has on hand. That’s not even going into how hard it would be for Penny and Brain to stow away in the cargo bay of planes and other vehicles.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The show was one of the first cartoons produced for first-run syndication, as opposed to being aired on one of the major TV networks. As such, it boasted a [[AnimationBump much higher quality of animation]] than Creator/HannaBarbera or Creator/{{Filmation}} were capable of at the time. The absence of [[ExecutiveMeddling network censors]] meant far fewer restrictions than what cartoons airing on Saturday Morning had to deal with (Gadget, Penny and Brain were often put in direct peril, for one thing). As the cartoons that came after it were given even larger budgets and fewer restrictions, it may be hard for modern viewers to appreciate how much of a step up the show was.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The show was one of the first cartoons produced for first-run syndication, as opposed to being aired on one of the major TV networks. As such, it boasted a [[AnimationBump much higher quality of animation]] than Creator/HannaBarbera or Creator/{{Filmation}} were capable of at the time. The absence of [[ExecutiveMeddling network censors]] meant far fewer restrictions than what [[SaturdayMorningCartoons cartoons airing on Saturday Morning on the major networks]] had to deal with (Gadget, Penny and Brain were often put in direct peril, for one thing). As the cartoons that came after it were given even larger budgets and fewer restrictions, it may be hard for modern viewers to appreciate how much of a step up the show was.