How WotC Is Bringing Back The D&D Cartoon
Little by little, the nostalgia of 1983 creeps into 5th Edition. Here’s how WotC has brought back the D&D Cartoon, and what might be next.
In 1983, a group of teenagers went on an amusement park ride and found themselves in a world of Dungeons & Dragons. This brightly colored adventure, sponsored in part by Marvel at the time, kicked off decades of both enjoyment and revulsion. In 1983, gamers loved the cartoon characters and the glimpse into D&D. In the 90s, when everything was dark and edgy and covered in pouches, nobody liked it anymore.
They met an untimely end off camera in Baldur’s Gate 2, for example
Now though, it’s back. And Wizards of the Coast has steadily been bringing the D&D cartoon characters back into the canon of 5th Edition. It started a while ago, in the list of trinkets in the Player’s Handbook, but this trend continues to this day, with some eagle-eyed fans spotting the characters in the promo art for a Hasbro investor video for the new starter kit, Dragons of Stormwreck Isle. Here’s how WotC is bringing back the D&D Cartoon.
Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
The latest hint that the cartoon is back comes from an image pulled from a new starter set, due out later this year. Many have said that the two characters pictured above resemble Hank the Ranger:
And Diana the Acrobat
Now, we don’t know for sure if this is the final art. It might be. The title seems accurate. And we know that D&D wants to create a “cinematic universe” like many other entertainment companies have done. With one tv show on air and another in development, that’s a big step in that department.
But would a D&D cartoon reboot be a part of the plans? Possibly. WotC seems to be bringing these characters into the limelight.
Or, at least, the Witchlight.
WotC Teases D&D Cartoon In Beyond the Witchlight
As we’ve seen before, some of the cartoon characters have been in tavern adventures. In Wild Beyond the Witchlight, we got a glimpse of the heroes and villains from the cartoon/toy line.
And, the carnival ride that transported our intrepid teens features in the Witchlight carnival.
So, could we see the characters in the new starter? They’d make for easy pre-generated characters. And they’ve already been all but established. So, make yourself ready, perhaps sometime in the not too distant future, we’ll be returning to the world run by Dungeon Master.
Until then, happy adventuring!
