Memorable TV cartoon characters of the past and present – Part 2

Yes, Bugs Bunny and all his WB pals were great. The children loved the slapstick of it and even the adults loved the more mature overtones.

I think the most memorable TV cartoon characters were any and almost every toon released in the 80’s.

Lets list a few of the cult classics.

Voltron, Thundercats, He-Man, Dungeons & Dragons, Robotech, G.I.Joe, Transformers!

Toons from the 80’s have birthed cash crop toy lines and major movie productions. Come this July, Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg will release a live action Transformers movie!

Granted Bugs and friends along with the old Disney black and white shorts, I think the 80’s toons will forever be cult classics.

My vote goes to Optimus Prime! When transformes made its first animated movie, and Optimus was killed by Megatron, there was never such a moment or such an uproar of fans. That in its own is a major step in something as simple as a cartoon. In GIJoe the animated movie, Duke was speared in the heart by a snake thrown by evil Serpentor. I was in shock! It was another milestone that many will remember.

So, when Transformers is released and has had its box office run b4 its DVD release, we can look at this comparrison:

Looney Toons: Space Jam w/Mike Jordan…it grossed $90,418,342

Transformers 7/4/07…….?

My prediction of most memorable with a ‘Mice of Men’ twist…

Robot tend the Bunny!…crush!

 

Remembering the 80s cartoons – Part 4

Remember when Saturday mornings were worth getting up early for. In a time when the news and sports is all you find on Saturday and Sunday mornings, it causes me to look back and remember what it was like not too long ago. You couldn’t get me up on school days if my life depended on it, but Saturday morning rolled around and I was up at em before the rooster crowed. Back in the 80s, I had a good reason to be up at that ungodly hour, Saturday morning cartoons.

Rainbow Brite was saving the world with the color kids. The Smurfs were running from Gargamel and Azrael and getting into some mischief of their own. Gummy Bears were bouncing here and there and everywhere. Care Bears taught us how to kill evil with kindness. He-man was the Master of the Universe always defeating Skeletor, and had a twin sister She-ra Princess of Power. Snorks were the goofy looking cousins of the Smurfs, but still fun. My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake brought us warm, fuzzy feelings inside. Looney Tunes were on for almost two hours, and a new generation fell in love with Bugs Bunny and Tweety.

It was a much simplier time, which a lot less violence and higher family morals. Those were the days we got up at 6 a.m. and cartoons were over by noon; after which we would go out and reenact everything we just saw. We would fight over who would be Optimus Prime and who had to be a Decepticon. There were so many cartoons to choose from; it always led me to an entire afternoon of adventure. In the evening after bathtime, we got to tune into the Muppet Show for another family entertaining event in front of the television.

I have forgotten many of my old favorites such as the Wuzzles, who were two animals mixed together, Shirt-tales, Snorks, and Jem and the Holograms to name a few. My all time favorite was Turbo Teen, which many people don’t even remember. It is the story about a boy who turns into a car when he gets warm and then back into a teenager when he is cold. It was a fun cartoon, but I believe it only ran for one season.

Looking back at all the 80s cartoons, takes me back to a simpler time, my childhood. I have found that cartoons today do not even compare in any way to the ones back then. The animation may be better, but the quality and, dare I say, innocence is lacking in the cartoons of today. Saturday morning is not what it used to be and I even feel a bit sorry for those children who will never get to experience the joy of awesome Saturday morning cartoons.