Les Cités d'Or, known in English as The Mysterious Cities of Gold, is a French-Japanese animated series that first aired in 1982 and followed Esteban, Zia and Tao on a quest across sixteenth-century South America for the lost golden cities. Its opening theme became one of the most recognisable cartoon themes in France, where the show developed a devoted cult following through reruns and nostalgia. Decades later, the melody still signals childhood adventure, which is why creators reuse it for treasure, discovery and retro cartoon moments online.