I don't often rate things a pure 10, but I may have to with Duckula. It's one of my favourite cartoons _ever_. Unlike many of the other posters here, I didn't run into it in my childhood, but instead in my teenage years--a perfect time, as that's when I was twisting into the sarcastic, British-humour-loving, slightly Gothic science fiction/fantasy geek I am now. It was EXACTLY what I was in the mood for, and my brain just ate it up. I've seen a lot of cartoons, and no other show gets quoted _half_ as much by me or members of my family, as Duckula. Over a decade since we were able to last see an episode, and we'll still toss out random lines whenever we feel like it.
What makes it not only good as a children's cartoon, but so very appealing to the older child or adult's mind? Simple--the writing. It was simply one of the snappiest, wittiest things I've ever seen. You have goofy puns and Abbott-and-Costello back-and-forths. You have colourful, bizarre characters and time-and-space travelling adventures to exotic locations. You have vampires and a creepy castle, for those to whom the Gothic elements might appeal. And even some slapstick that small children can understand and laugh at. It had everything.
And, on a more "serious" note, the writing was good because it didn't fall into stereotypes. Duckula was a monstrous fiend...who wasn't monstrous. But not a saint either; he had _lots_ of personality faults! Dr. Von Goosewing, the vampire hunter, would NORMALLY be a good guy, but in this situation he's cast as the antagonist! (Notice I don't say "villian".) He's also a mad scientist, which is even more fun. Occasionally we'd get an episode in which we would learn something about the background/past of a main character, or see a _real_ vampire, an actual bloodsucking fiend--the show didn't take itself too seriously, but that grain of seriousness in there makes the comedy that much better.
Put all that together with lovely detailed backgrounds, appropriate music, wonderful voice-acting from all involved, the delightfully creepy narrator and his classic sign-off line, and, as a cherry on top, the occasionally goofy credits, and you've got a classic for the ages.
What makes it not only good as a children's cartoon, but so very appealing to the older child or adult's mind? Simple--the writing. It was simply one of the snappiest, wittiest things I've ever seen. You have goofy puns and Abbott-and-Costello back-and-forths. You have colourful, bizarre characters and time-and-space travelling adventures to exotic locations. You have vampires and a creepy castle, for those to whom the Gothic elements might appeal. And even some slapstick that small children can understand and laugh at. It had everything.
And, on a more "serious" note, the writing was good because it didn't fall into stereotypes. Duckula was a monstrous fiend...who wasn't monstrous. But not a saint either; he had _lots_ of personality faults! Dr. Von Goosewing, the vampire hunter, would NORMALLY be a good guy, but in this situation he's cast as the antagonist! (Notice I don't say "villian".) He's also a mad scientist, which is even more fun. Occasionally we'd get an episode in which we would learn something about the background/past of a main character, or see a _real_ vampire, an actual bloodsucking fiend--the show didn't take itself too seriously, but that grain of seriousness in there makes the comedy that much better.
Put all that together with lovely detailed backgrounds, appropriate music, wonderful voice-acting from all involved, the delightfully creepy narrator and his classic sign-off line, and, as a cherry on top, the occasionally goofy credits, and you've got a classic for the ages.