Almost exactly 30 years ago, Disney's DuckTales introduced kids everywhere to Uncle Scrooge and his grandnephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Now, Disney XD is bringing the fowl family back in a big way with a new cast, new spins on familiar characters, and all new animated adventures. But to truly appreciate all the homages and updates that the new DuckTales is bringing to the table, we wanted to revisit the classic 80s cartoon to bring you the best possible episodes to watch in order to get caught up!

With just about 100 episodes over the show's three seasons, along with numerous multi-part specials, DuckTales centered on the gold-hungry Scrooge McDuck and his globe-trotting adventures with his grandnephews, his dim-witted pilot Launchpad McQuack, and a number of other allies. Antagonizing them along the way are such villains as Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glomgold, Magica De Spell (and her raven brother) and more. You can expect a lot of these characters to arrive in the new series, so it helps to see where they started so that you can better appreciate them when they pop up!

It was also a lot of fun just to revisit the 80s DuckTales in general. I had forgotten how exciting the adventures were, and how much mythology and fantasy and even a bit of sci-fi the show dipped into with each and every episode. And DuckTales' own internal mythology is worth getting a refresher on as well. Most fans will remember Scrooge's vast Money Bin with enough gold to dive into and swim around in, but do you remember his Worry Room or his Number One Dime? I did, but it was nice to revisit them just the same. I've included some excellent episodes in which all three of those elements are featured. (Oh, and if you're a fan of Bubba the Caveduck, feel free to check out the episode titled "Time Is Money", but it's best to consider it an Honorable Mention.)

Series Premiere: 'The Treasure of the Golden Suns'

Originally broadcast as a two-hour TV movie, the five-part episode serial served to kick off the entire DuckTales run in the fall of 1987. This epic intro starts off with one of the show's most recognizable scenes, that of Scrooge McDuck swimming through his vast Money Bin of gold and cash without a care in the world. That carefree lifestyle is soon thrown into chaos as Donald Duck, recently enlisted in the Navy, bids goodbye to his nephew Huey, Dewey, and Louie ... and sends them to stay with Scrooge!

The only one happy with this arrangement is Donald himself, and he's off having adventures on the high seas. It's a great source of dramatic tension and comedy throughout the series as Scrooge and his nephews get into all manner of adventures. Helping Scrooge to look after the triplets are his butler Duckworth, the nanny Mrs. Beakley and her granddaughter Webby, along with the genius gadget man Gyro Gearloose and the talented pilot (except for the landings) Launchpad McQuack. "The Treasure of the Golden Suns" does an excellent job at setting up all of these heroic characters, but there's a heaping helping of villains on display, too.

Which villains? How about the Beagle Boys, El Capitan, Flintheart Glomgold, Joaquin Slowly, and even an anthropomorphic penguin mayor. There's a mix of classic, recurring villains here alongside one-shot adversaries who mix it up with Scrooge and his allies, and it's a great introduction to the types of conflicts you'll enjoy throughout the series.

And those conflicts don't only occur in the city limits of Duckburg but rather across the wide world. This quest to find a sunken treasure ship full of gold takes them to South America and Antarctica, and back again, all while folding in mythology like the Valley of the Golden Suns and their mystical tokens, the Sun Coins. Sure, Scrooge's lust for all things gold is an undercurrent to just about every adventure they goes on, but by the end of this introductory story, you get the feeling that the one thing Scrooge might just value more than gold is his family.

'Once Upon a Dime'

Speaking of mythology, one of my very favorite stories from within the world of DuckTales is the origin of the Number One Dime. In "Once Upon a Dime", Scrooge tells his nephews the story of how he made his vast fortune. Scrooge, at first blush, seems like an elite 1% type who's never worked a day in his life but rather put his money to work for him. That couldn't be further from the truth.

This tale is an important one in understanding Scrooge and his origins. As a young lad in Scotland, Scrooge makes his first dime as a tip while shining shoes at a local barbershop. That time, his number-one dime, is prized by Scrooge all his life, even as he loses it and wins it back time and time again."Once Upon a Dime" is an entertaining rags-to-riches, American Dream kind of story that gives viewers a whole new perspective on Scrooge.

The running gag throughout isn't that Scrooge is both incredibly lucky and unlucky at turns when it comes to gaining and losing his fortune, but rather that, with every windfall, the nephews ask if that's where all his riches came from. Each and every time, Scrooge says, "Nope." It turns out that he reinvested just about every cent he ever made into bigger and bigger opportunities. Most of them are realistic, right up until Scrooge uses peanuts to summon up a herd of elephants, whose combined weight crushes the coal in the ground into diamonds. Cartoons!

Two things stick with me after watching this episode: "Work smarter, not harder," a mantra that seems to fly in the face of traditional advice from the pre-internet age. And that Scrooge never felt truly rich until he had a family. Aw!

'Send in the Clones'

Remember that Number One Dime? Well in the very magical episode "Send in the Clones", perennial villain Magica DeSpell--voiced by the late, great June Foray--makes her first animated appearance and she has designs on stealing it. I picked this episode since it's a fantastic portrayal of the villainess created by Carl Banks and appearing in the comics back in 1961. In the issue "The Midas Touch", Magica tried to steal the dime in order to make an amulet granting her the power to turn everything she touched into gold. Her plan in "Send in the Clones" also revolves around stealing the dime with the ultimate goal being to rule the world and restore her raven-shaped brother Poe--voiced by Frank Welker-- to his human form.

Assisting her, though not very well, in this venture are the Beagle Boys, of course. But owing to Magica's spell-craft, she opts to transform the burglars into clones of the nephews in order to sneak them into the mansion and steal the dime. As you might imagine, confusion and hilarity ensues. There's a lot of magical comedy at play here but I also found it interesting that Magica infused a lot more importance and power into Scrooge's Number One Dime than even he may be aware of. Hopefully she'll return to make an appearance in the new series, too!

'Catch as Cash Can'

Another major villain that needs a spotlight is Flintheart Glomgold, a sort of dark version of Scrooge himself who was voiced by Hal Smith in the 80s series and will be voiced by Keith Ferguson in the modern take. The race to become the "World's Richest Duck" will continue as these two arch-nemeses clash again and again!

In "Catch as Cash Can", otherwise known as "The Firefly Fruit Contest", Scrooge and Glomgold compete to win the rights to market and distribute a cache of rare, glowing fruits. (Cartoons really are just the best.) This four-part episode serial sees both uber-rich ducks scheming to get their vast fortune to the competition's scales in order to prove that they're the richer of the two and thus win the prize. It's a great opening for all sorts of ridiculous things, like a sea monster supposedly sinking a ship loaded up with "ice cream" that's actually carrying half of Scrooge's fortune!

This four-parter involves the Navy (and thus Donald makes an appearance) and their top-secret super-sub, the SS Moby, invented by the diminutive Dr. Horatio Bluebottle. Two guesses who he's in cahoots with! Oh, and there's also "fish folk", and their gigantic guard Glubzilla, who are very upset about the "trash" being dumped into their sunken city. And that mythology I keep mentioning? Yeah, this is definitely Atlantis.

This is a super-fun serial, something that DuckTales became known for throughout the show's run. Fingers crossed we'll see more of these in the 2017 series. Hopefully David Tennant has been perfecting his delivery of the line, "A sea monster ate my ice cream!"

'Launchpad's First Crash'

I haven't talked enough about Launchpad McQuack yet. The ever-optimistic but not-so-smart pilot not only accompanied Scrooge McDuck in the 80s series but also assisted Darkwing Duck in the spin-off that came later. He's introduced in the series premiere, of course, but in the episode "Launchpad’s First Crash", we get to see how Scrooge and Launchpad first met.

After surviving their 100^th crash together, we get a flashback to a time when Scrooge was a little bit younger and Launchpad was quite a bit slimmer. Having built his first plane, the Sun Chaser, by himself--held together with questionable glue--Launchpad was looking for employment. Scrooge hired him to fly to the Thick-of-It Rain Forest to help him locate the Lost City of Diamonds, all at the highly discounted rate of a penny per mile.

This adventure takes the duo into the Earth's core and captivity of a bunch of Amazon warriors, before discovering a massive underground city made entirely of diamonds. Having sufficiently relived their first flight (and crash) together, Launchpad and Scrooge soon escape their current predicament ... and soon survive their 101st crash as an inseparable team. They're still going strong in 2017 with Beck Bennett conjuring his best McQuack.

'Double-O-Duck' / 'The Masked Mallard'

I didn't mean to tease you by mentioning Darkwing Duck, I merely intended to pique your curiosity as to how the Terror That Flaps in the Night was connected to DuckTales in the first place. A pair of episodes in the 80s series paved the way toward the Disney superhero spin-off a couple of years later.

In "Double-O Duck", Launchpad gets the spotlight as a James Bond-esque secret agent who uses his resemblance to another spy in order to infiltrate the villainous agency known as F.O.W.L. It's a solid episode that has a lot of fun with the Bond theme (like Gyro standing in for Q as the spy's gadget-maker), film noir tropes, and even pays homage to the classic Casablanca, but it also acts as a sort of test run for what would become Darkwing Duck.

The second episodes of DuckTales that really sets up DW is "The Masked Mallard", an episode which saw Gyro outfitting Scrooge himself with gadgets and a costume in order to combat a similarly costumed thief plaguing Duckburg. The costume changes drastically from DT to DW, but the aesthetic, the humor, and even the partnership with Launchpad is carried over. If you're a fan of the hero of Saint Canard, do yourself a favor and check out these proto-episodes. We might even get a reboot of Darkwing Duck before it's all said and done!

'Sir Gyro de Gearloose'

One character I've always loved from the original series who I thought got the short end of the stick is the genius gadget-maker, Gyro Gearloose. The chicken-man, voiced by Hal Smith in the original series and by Oscar-winner Jim Rash in the reboot, keeps the citizens of Duckburg happy and productive by maintaining just about every device from toasters to cybernetic crime-fighting suits.

But in the episode "Sir Gyro de Gearloose", Gyro's decided that he's had enough with being a "gadget man." An endless stream of needy citizens and faulty gizmos forces Gyro to travel to an alternate timeline where he might pursue another line of work: that of a knight.

But despite landing in an era where King Artie (who likes to party) of Quackalot is amazed with his abilities, Gyro quickly learns that his athletic skills leave much to be desired. His natural gift with gadgets and innate  understanding of machinery, however, ultimately saves the day. It's a great story in which Gyro embraces his strengths and learns to love who he is, while even gaining an admirer in the process!

In the reboot, he'll be more of a "mad scientist" type in the employ of Scrooge and will be assisted by Fenton Crackshell, whose name might ring a bell...

'Super DuckTales'

Speak of the duck devil! This episode, "Super DuckTales" is another five-part serial that finds Scrooge McDuck in a curious position. Because of some red tape, he has to move his entire Money Bin off its current premises. In order to make that move work, he'll have to liquidate his assets (there is no shortage of jokes about this in the made-for-TV movie). The only way to accomplish this herculean task is to hire an accountant: Fenton Crackshell (Hamilton Camp).

This is a fun serial from start to finish, especially once GizmoDuck literally comes together, but there's also a cool bit of show mythology featured in it. While Scrooge is figuring out how to move his Money Bin, he's taking a circular walk in his Worry Room. It's a classic scene from the comics and it makes a fun appearance in this episode. (I kind of want one myself, honestly.)

If you want more of GizmoDuck, you can also check out the DuckTales episode "New Gizmo-Kids on the Block." Or, tune in for the new series which stars Lin Manuel-Miranda (!) as the suited superhero!

'Back to the Klondike' / 'Duckie Mountain High'

DuckTales isn't all adventure and action, however; there's actually a good dose of relationship drama and even romance throughout. One of Scrooge McDuck's long-lost loves appears in a pair of episodes that harken back to his past as a gold prospector in the Klondike, a wild place where he fell for the crafty, hardworking, and equally gold-hungry Glittering Goldie.

In "Back to the Klondike", a Valentine's Day-themed episode, Scrooge retells of his old valentine who stole his heart--and his fortune--while working a claim in the Klondike. Returning to the site of his old claim, the contemporary Scrooge and his pals find that Goldie has once again jumped the mine he had abandoned and holds a grudge for him doing so. Clearly there's some sort of misunderstanding here, and it turns out that a ne'er-do-well by the name of Dangerous Dan was at the root of all their troubles!

Scrooge and Goldie once again rekindle their lifelong romance in "Duckie Mountain High." This episode sees Goldie tricking Scrooge into returning to his claim which has suddenly sprouted golden trees. (Goldie's a lumberjack now, of course, since gold-mining was becoming a bit too difficult. Good change!) This time around, Glomgold is complicating matters along with the Beagle Boys, but despite their interference, Goldie and Scrooge patch things up like the lovebirds they are in the end.

It's delightful to see Scrooge and Goldie's complicated relationship unfold over these episodes, so I hope we get to see a bit more of it in the new series!

Series Finale: "The Golden Goose"

DuckTales began strong and, arguably, ended even stronger. The two-part finale "The Golden Goose" was a fun adventure on the surface, but spoke to the heart of Scrooge's obsession with gold in a profound way. This episode was like the Midas Touch on steroids since the legendary Golden Goose, which granted the ability to turn anything it touched into gold, could also completely destroy the world if it got loose.

So, obviously, that's exactly what happens in this final globe-trotting adventure for Scrooge and his nephews.  While Scrooge absolutely loves the easy alchemy that comes with possession of this goose--thanks to the misguided efforts of a thief named Dijon--when it runs amok, Scrooge and his family soon pay the price. It's actually kind of tough to watch his nephews turned to solid gold along with the rest of his friends--and Duckburg and the world itself--as the curse sweeps across the globe. I'll leave it to you to see how the whole thing ends up because it's still a thrilling bit of storytelling with a heart of gold at its center.

I'm optimistic that the 2017 reboot of Disney's DuckTales can continue the success of the classic series and even improve on it. We'll get to find out more about the nephews' parentage, travel on even grander adventures with the family, and meet new and old characters alike. Be sure to tune in Saturday, September 23rd on Disney XD with two new back-to-back episodes starting at 7:00 a.m. EDT/PDT. Be sure to let us know your thoughts!