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Old Cartoons vs. New Cartoons

mscriv

mscriv

macrumors 601
Original poster
Aug 14, 2008
4,933
622
Dallas, Texas
My son just turned 4 years old and he loves cartoons. But, to be totally honest, I just don't get some of the stuff that is on today. It got me thinking about what I grew up watching and how totally awesome some of those old cartoons were. So now I'm trying to get my hands on older stuff he can watch. This way when his friends are talking about Pokemon or something crazy like that he can blow their minds by talking about cool stuff like Thundercats, Voltron, Tom & Jerry, or vintage Spiderman. Seriously, what are some of your all time favorites and how do you think they compare to what is out today? I'm not talking about hard core anime or adult cartoons, but what you grew up watching. I know this community has a big age range, so I'm very interested to hear what people think.
 
mscriv said:
My son just turned 4 years old and he loves cartoons. But, to be totally honest, I just don't get some of the stuff that is on today. It got me thinking about what I grew up watching and how totally awesome some of those old cartoons were. So now I'm trying to get my hands on older stuff he can watch. This way when his friends are talking about Pokemon or something crazy like that he can blow their minds by talking about cool stuff like Thundercats, Voltron, Tom & Jerry, or vintage Spiderman. Seriously, what are some of your all time favorites and how do you think they compare to what is out today? I'm not talking about hard core anime or adult cartoons, but what you grew up watching. I know this community has a big age range, so I'm very interested to hear what people think.
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Oh my.. I have this argument with kids all the time now!

What is out today is very watered down compared to what we had growing up in the late 70s/early 80s. Gods.. thinking about it, not only would you not see a gun of any type in a cartoon today (I remember an episode of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! in 2002 where a gun had to be made transparent in a guy's hand, though his hand was in the position of holding a gun!), but not even fireworks can be seen, let alone used! To be honest, you have to blame parents in the early 90s for it. Why? because they were too stupid to let the TV raise their kids who thought it was cool to copy Beavis and Butthead putting dynamite/fireworks up a cat's butt.

So everything today is completely watered down and considered 'safe' because parents still don't want to take responsibility, and let the religious right scare them into impunity. Anywho, shows back then that would blow everything today out of the water: Thundercats, GI Joe (GI Joe would have been a huge piece of propaganda for the past 8 years; glad Bush missed that one!), Voltron, Transformers, Tom and Jerry, Droopy, Looney Toons (that have NOT been altered by Turner), Spiderman and his Amazing Friends, Silverhawks, Tranzor Z, Robotech, too many more than I can post. And all of them had good lessons in them too, that applied with something we had that parents now don't teach: COMMON SENSE.

You're doing the right thing, because when it comes to toons (anime withstanding), the classic rule.

BL.
 
bradl said:
So everything today is completely watered down and considered 'safe' because parents still don't want to take responsibility, and let the religious right scare them into impunity.
BL.
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Maybe I misunderstood you, but I completely disagree if you think cartoons these days are "watered down". I am always flipping through channels just to see cartoon teenage girls with thongs showing in kids shows! All these characters in cartoons only care about dating, and teenage drama, when the majority of the show's viewers are probably <12. :(
 
I don't know. I think it's human nature to reminisce about how things were better in the "good old days." I liked cartoons when I was growing up, and there are some cartoons now that I actually watch pretty regularly.

Kim Possible, Phineas and Ferb, and The Replacements, just to name a few.
 
Most of the cartoons I see that aren't based on Marvel or DC characters seem to be centred around brainwashing kids into either buying games or trump cards. I remember when I saw that new ghost busters cartoon once and it was like an advert for touchy-feely political correctness.

I'd say a kid is missing out if they don't at least see the following shows:

He-Man :- Even if Skeletor's constant mincing mannerisms and obsession with Adam gives the impression he's actually madly in love with him :D

Jayce & The Wheeled Warriors :- It will put them off eating their greens for life.

Battle of the Planets / G-Force :- Give them some REAL anime cartoons to watch that won't scar them for life.

Dungeons & Dragons :- The first thing they'll probably do is ask why harry potter is hanging out on a theme park.

Ren & Stimpy :- Because Tom & Jerry just isn't extreme enough and the artwork is fantastic.
 
Ntombi said:
Phineas and Ferb
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This is the only cartoon in years that i actually enjoy. I think the reason is because it's like "older" cartoons so much.

I'm a 90's kid, so i'm in love with things like Rugrats, Doug, Rocketpower, Arthur, and Hey Arnold.

Most cartoons today are some of the creepiest **** i've ever seen.
 
Meh, there's nothing charming about these new cartoons and they all look like they've been drawn in Flash. I'm not keen on them. Seen a couple on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel if my sisters commandeered the TV for dinner.

The last genuinely funny cartoons IMO were stuff like the Angry Beavers, Jonny Bravo, Ed Edd and Eddy, The Tick and them smart little shorts like The Cat Came Back (the very next day). After them, say 2001ish, nothing really stuck for me.
 
I don't think any cartoon now or in the past designed for television was really any good. Yea I watched HeMan and the Ninja Turtles and such as a kid. But what I really preferred then and would only watch now are the cartoon shorts made for the movie theater in the 30's, 40's and 50's.

Bugs Bunny, Popeye basically all the Merry Melodies, Disney and other shorts from that time were great. I would get all I could on DVD for your kid to see real cartoons those that have never been made available for DVD can usually be seen on Youtube.

I would not even bother with showing your kid these shorts on broadcast TV as they have been hacked and cut to shreds to remain politically correct. Many of them are basically blacklisted.

With that said even 70's/80's cartoons designed for TV are better than the politically correct garbage on the air now.
 
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Nothing can beat Ulysses 31. Ever.

Bucky o'hare was also awesome, I miss cartoons from the late 80's early 90's, they were so much better :(
 
Mord said:
Nothing can beat Ulysses 31. Ever.

Bucky o'hare was also awesome, I miss cartoons from the late 80's early 90's, they were so much better :(
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I loved Ulysses 31 when I was a kid. I used to change to words of the song to, "useless knee-ee-ee-ee-eeeeeez!" The fact I still find that funny at 31 is pretty sad I suppose :p
 
I think today's cartoon suck, maybe because I'm getting old. :D

I love Tiny Toons, Astro Boy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Smurfs, He-man, Bugs Bunny, Snoopy, Tom and Jerry and I'm sure there are alot more. But then, if you show a kid He-man now and he brings a plastic sword to school, the principal is gonna call the swat team and block off a 50 sq mile area. :rolleyes:
 
While I grew up on The Flintstones, Tom & Jerry, Looney Tunes, etc. there are some cartoons that I still watch today.

My son (8 years old) and I like to watch The Avatar, Star Wars: Clone Wars and a few others on Nick or Cartoon Network.
 
ucfgrad93 said:
While I grew up on The Flintstones, Tom & Jerry, Looney Tunes, etc. there are some cartoons that I still watch today.

My son (8 years old) and I like to watch The Avatar, Star Wars: Clone Wars and a few others on Nick or Cartoon Network.
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Holy Moley! The same down to the 8 year old son... My only addition would be He-Man:D which you can watch on Hulu. It's pretty crap watching it as an adult.
 
I just remembered a few more. The Hanna Barbera Cartoon Hour, I think that was the name. :confused: Great stuff like Hong Kong Phooey, Captain Cave Man, Space Ghost, Grape Ape, and the Superfriends. I also remember liking Thundar the Barbarian, Silverhawks, and as someone else mentioned Dungeons & Dragons. Wow this is a fun trip down memory lane. :D
 
My biggest issue with today's cartoons is the lack of quality animation and the use of Flash to substitute for it. It seems there was a sweet spot for traditional animation in cartoons that was hit about ten years ago. That's not to say there aren't some nice looking cartoons these days, but there's more and more of a reliance on computer-based shortcuts that just look cheap. I have similar complaints about the prevalence of CGI, as well, like it's use in Iron Man or a few of the Spider-Mans.
 
Yes, Looney Toons for sure, esp. Wile Coyote and Road Runner, Sylvester and Tweetie, Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny etc., my all time favorite, Scooby Doo! The Flinstones, the Jetsons, of course Tom and Jerry. Hmm, can't think of anything else right now...
 
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Dragon Ball Z, Dexter's Lab, Cow and Chicken, Johnny Bravo, Pokemon (first series), Rugrats, Rocco's World, Kablam!, Sailor Moon, Yuyu Hakasho, Powerpuff Girls, ah man, this thread is awesome.
 
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