I took my youngers (5yo and 3yo) through a whirlwind tour of the icons of my childhood, courtesy of YouTube. Now, my children are pretty TV-deprived compared to your average American–we get absolutely no reception in Small Town, Vermont; we’re too cheap to pay for cable; and I’m getting crankier about commercials and silly shows in my old age. So, when I bombarded them with a stream of 80s cartoon imagery–from Inspector Gadget to Duck Tales to Silver Hawks–they pretty much sat there in stunned silence. Even my pink-loving Miss M. was like O.o???!! at Jem and the Holograms–and I don’t blame her (oh the hair, the hair! The-the makeup…. and the clothes *shudder*).
However, they did love the opening theme of Thundercats. And I can see why. The simple striking imagery, the uncluttered background, the clear character distinctions (no doubts as to who’s the Leader Dude and what type of cat he’s supposed to be!) and that darn catchy tune (a real mindworm, that), Thundercats has aged pretty well. The classic still looks better than the updated version.
And besides, it has Cheetara in it. Wouldn’t you want to be able to run so fast that you’re a blur, turn flips high in the air, whirl your staff around, and strike a cool pose? Without having a hair of your spotted style out of place?
Other 80s children, which cartoons do you look back at fondly?
That sounds familiar lol. While I was trying to get my ten vlogs, the kids totally hijacked YouTube and found Mickey Mouse within seconds. No doubt I’ll end up with the odd Mickey Mouse one as a result 🙂
I have a 6 yr old and a 3 yr old. Hey, do you fancy swapping some old posts for guest posts for the assignment?
Have a great day!
Catherine,
That sounds great! I’ll email you. 🙂
Oh I loved Thundercats, and Inspector Gadget. And Sooty and Sweep! But my favourite? Mysterious Cities of Gold! I’ve always wanted a giant flying golden eagle.
*falls off the chair in shock* There’s an 8os cartoon I don’t know anything about? What is this Mysterious Cities of Gold show, pray?
Wow, I can tell I was a 70’s child! I don’t recognize any of those cartoons you mention! We really only watched Bugs Bunny and gang, Tom & Jerry, Roadrunner, and those type cartoons. I couldn’t even name an actual animated series! The Flintstones, maybe? We watched that only occasionally.
But you got into movies pretty early, though, didn’t you? Btw, I don’t comment on your film blog at all, but I do enjoy reading your take on all these old movies that I’ve never heard of. You actually made me want to watch The Viking movie (and this from someone who never watched old movies!).
Very true. We were watching movies from my earliest memories. My parents were big classic movie lovers, so they just passed that love right on down. I have my parents to thank for my three greatest loves: old movies, opera, and books. (My dad had collected a library of over 3000 books, 99% non-fiction — it was great for research for school assignments, provided the assignment had something to do with astronomy or science!) I’m glad you enjoy the movie reviews. I think I write the worst reviews ever, they’re so unfocused, but if it interested you in seeing one, maybe I did something right! LOL!
Your passion and expertise shines through in your posts. That’s what make them so much fun to read!
Thundercats Hooooo!! 80s child here. My husband loved Thundercats! The cartoons I remember seem to be of the bugs bunny, tom and jerry, flintstones type : )
They really need to get back to these simple cartoons on tv!
-Kim
I watched some of the Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry stuff, but I found I preferred heroic to simply comedic. I was also into Voltron, even though it was pretty frustrating a lot of the time!
I tried to do that with my 4 yo. She wasn’t impressed by the Polka Dot Door and Today’s Special. By the way, have you considered Netflix? It’s really cheap and no commercials.
Yep, we have Netflix. Hubby and I watch it a lot more than the kids do. I’m big into letting kids be bored and learning how to occupy themselves.