Cartoons

Okay, so yesterday's post brought to mind my cartoon history.  It has been a long journey.  When I was a kid, there was no Cartoon Network.  No Nickelodeon.  No Boomerang.  It was just Saturday mornings.  Saturday mornings were the bomb.  You get up as early as you can so you don't miss anything.  My dad would make us bacon and white bread sandwiches and we would eat in front of the TV.  There is nothing like a white bread and bacon sandwich, all squished together, in front of the TV on a Saturday morning.  You knew no one was out playing until the cartoons were over.  That was just the way it was.  

Scooby Doo, where are you???  And the Laugh-Olympics.  And of  course, Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner.  I always loved the ones where Wiley coyote would talk in that British accent.  Like he was so smart.  He never did get the Road Runner.  Tom and Jerry were some of my favorites too.  The Jetsons.   My favorite Jetsons episode is when George doesn't want his daughter to win this song writing contest to meet her favorite rock star, "He's so dreamy", so George puts in Elroy's secret code instead of Judy's song, and she still wins.  Eeep, Op, Ork, means I love you.  You cannot forget the Flintstones, Grape Ape, and the Justice League.  Wonder twin powers, activate.

I actually feel sorry for my kids because they have cartoons all the time.  It's not special like when we were kids.  Cartoons and Saturday mornings.  And squished bacon sandwiches.  Saturday afternoons were spent re-enacting the Justice League episode, not playing the Justice League video game.  I loved it.  It was the only time my brother and I would get along.  Because if we fought, we would have to turn off the television.  In Phoenix, after cartoons, we would have this Sci-Fi movie show.  Hilarious.  All those Jason and the Argonaut movies, with the Cyclops and stuff.  They also showed Godzilla movies, the real ones from Japan.  Hysterical.  All before computers and green screens.  There was the Godzilla puppet stomping on a miniature Tokyo, cut to screaming hoards of people, cut back to puppets fighting.  You have to love that stuff.

My biggest fear is that my grandchildren will have no such memories.  No special days, because everything is right there right now, whenever you need it.  No waiting in anticipation.  No continuing story next week.  No bad graphics and puppets and miniatures.  We looked at the world in anticipation of something wonderful happening week after week.  My kids can access anything on the web anytime.  It makes me sad.  

Although, Cooper does mark his calender for the new Chowder episode.  And Sponge Bob is going to surf and Johnny Depp is guest starring on that episode.  I do love me some Sponge Bob.  Maybe it wont' be so bad when they get bigger.  

What was your favorite cartoon or Saturday morning ritual?  Let me know.

God bless you and yours.