Saturday Morning

    So much has changed since I was a kid. Sadly there is a lot that my children will never get to experience. Who would have thought something as simple as those great Saturday mornings would be one of them.
    I remember so vividly waking up early on Saturday, wiping the sleep from my eyes and plodding to the living room in my Spider-Man pajamas. By the way I still occasionally sleep in Spider-Man boxers, eat your heart out ladies.
    First thing I'd do was turn on the TV before grabbing my bowl of Lucky Charms (OK, SOME things never change) and plop down for a great morning of cartoons. The charm of those days are undeniable.
      Some of you remember Saturday morning cartoons right? Now there are more than a half dozen whole networks dedicated to 24hour a day cartoons but no more great network toons on Saturday morning.  All those channels feeding non-stop kiddie-crack is just not the same as those mornings that we saw as our special time.
      I still smile wide if someone remembers 70s cartoons such as the Krofft shows like Electra Woman and Dyna-girl, or Land of the Lost. Holly Marshall with those pigtails, plaid shirt and bell-bottoms, was very hot to a 6 year-old, in fact she was my first imaginary girlfriend. I've grown up since then of course, now Angelina Jolie is my new imaginary girlfriend, unless Felicia Day or Megan Pryce are reading this, then...Hey, how you doin'? 
    what about Wonderbug. Come on whats not to love about a cartoon starring a magical VW Beetle, just awesome. Who doesn't laugh at the call of Captain Caveman! or its concept of being Charlie's Angels with a caveman. Not to mention the epic Super Friends and Josie and the Pussycats. Anyone remember The Secrets of Isis and Shazam! live action?
      Do you really think ours kids are gonna have those kind of fond memories of Chowder or Adventure Time. I highly doubt it, in fact most modern cartoons are so disgusting that I'm offended watching them. It's not just my sensibilities that are offended but my intelligence as well. How many snot jokes can you fit into a half hour anyway? Not to say that there are no good cartoons in recent memory. In fact I thought that Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends was fantastic.
      The 80's was a little harder because my sister was old enough to fight for TV time. So as much as I loved Transformers, GI Joe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Real Ghostbusters she had her own ideas. I mistakenly thought that being older and bigger it would be no problem to get my way. I highly underestimated the power of my sisters right foot. To this day I am amazed that I was able to have children.
    After one of her power kicks the TV would eventually end up on something like Strawberry Shortcake, Smurfs or Snorks not to mention Rainbow Brite, and Pound Puppies. We did eventually agree on shows like My Pet Monster and K.I.D.S. Incorporated though.
       There was of course the king of cartoons, pound for pound still the greatest animation in the history of Saturday mornings and beyond. The Warner Brothers Looney Tunes. Was anything better ever created than that catalog of toons?  Bugs Bunny along with Spider-Man are still heroes to me. 
    Bugs, Daffy, Wile E Coyote and Road Runner...Beep Beep Zoooom. Taz, Marvin the Martian, Porky, Sylvester and Tweety all still rule the cartoon kingdom in my opinion, and even these greats have disappeared from the Saturday morning schedule and it breaks my heart.
      Saturday morning and it's simple charms is just one of many things that have disappeared from our children's lives, and it's a shame. My neighborhood no longer has daily pick-up baseball games, or even a paperboy. It makes me sad to see simple things that were part of American life fade away and be forgotten.
       So next time your children are watching some lame Nick or Cartoon Network show that has more body function references than a Kevin Smith movie, take a moment to mourn for what your children are missing and what you had the honor of enjoying. So until next time...Th...Th...That's All Folks!

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