Poll: Is it just me, or were cartoons better when I was a kid?

[SimuLord]

You know who gets to say "cartoons were better when I was a kid"? My grandmother. She got to take her nickel to the moving picture show and see Tex Avery's work and Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry on the silver screen.

I'd say that totally made up for the nine-mile uphill walk to school both ways in the snow that she keeps telling me about.

 

[Ninjamedic]

You know who gets to say "cartoons were better when I was a kid"? My grandmother. She got to take her nickel to the moving picture show and see Tex Avery's work and Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry on the silver screen.

I'd say that totally made up for the nine-mile uphill walk to school both ways in the snow that she keeps telling me about.

Slow down there billy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy.
(guess the reference).

 

[Crystal Cuckoo]

I actually thought that nostalgia was blurring my eyes and preventing me from seeing my favourite cartoons as crap, but I was wrong.

I still enjoy the cartoons from the 80s and 90s. And they are so much better than this Ben 10 crap.

 

[SimuLord]

You know who gets to say "cartoons were better when I was a kid"? My grandmother. She got to take her nickel to the moving picture show and see Tex Avery's work and Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry on the silver screen.

I'd say that totally made up for the nine-mile uphill walk to school both ways in the snow that she keeps telling me about.

Slow down there billy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy.
(guess the reference).

Daws Butler as the wolf with the Southern accent in that later Tex Avery cartoon with the billy goat? Crap...gotta Google it...

Found it!

 

[Arcane Snowman]

Well, I find that there's an interesting mix of good and bad cartoons, to a lesser degree today than in the yesteryears, but there?s still plenty of stuff you can enjoy:

Cartoons like Courage, Batman (Animated, Beyond and the Brave and the Bold, I mean come on it?s approaching Adam West territories, it?s that silly), Freakazoid, Animaniacs, Venture Brothers, Spiderman, Samurai Jack, Megas XLR, the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and of course, the Tick (animated, not live action) I watch and still enjoy to this day.

Speaking of the Tick, why hasn?t he been mentioned yet?

 

[RathWolf]

Well, I find that there's an interesting mix of good and bad cartoons, to a lesser degree today than in the yesteryears, but there?s still plenty of stuff you can enjoy:

Cartoons like Courage, Batman (Animated, Beyond and the Brave and the Bold, I mean come on it?s approaching Adam West territories, it?s that silly), Freakazoid, Animaniacs, Venture Brothers, Spiderman, Samurai Jack, Megas XLR, the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and of course, the Tick (animated, not live action) I watch and still enjoy to this day.

Speaking of the Tick, why hasn?t he been mentioned yet?

Live Action Tick was still pretty good. No idea why no one thought to mention him yet though.

 

[Racistman3d]

It's you, nostalgia just makes you think they were better.

 

[Vitor Goncalves]

In the 90's after the success of Roger Rabbit, for a short time, cartoons were respected and people became nostalgic of the 40 and 50's cartoons. Animation became something that can be for both children and adults, and doesn't have to look down on children like the last 30 years had been moving towards. However, that age quickly died with three things. Anime started to come over to America in large amounts, Pokemon, Digemon, what-ever-emon. They were getting as high, or higher ratings then locally made cartoons and were far cheaper to redub. Cartoons for adults also came about with the success of the Simspons, meaning that having sexual innuednos or other adult entertainment hidden in cartoons like Animaniacs was unneeded. Finally, the big boy of television animation, Warner Brothers, shut down most of the animation studio since their finical flop of the 90 animated films (4 out of the 5 animated Warner brothers films didn't even make money, and I think the filth was Space Jam). With all adult audiences going to other shows, and all the kids going to anime, Western animation did the only thing it could do to survive, cut-back budgets, copy anime, and lose all quality.

Anime itself lost quality, I mean the drawings are excelent but all seems pretty much the same, a misfit hero or heroin with a very twisted past goes on save a world in a paralel and very illogical reality, with his/her superpowers. And seems all are full of cliches that are not even fun. And half of it are like a pokemon/yu-gi-oh/digimon spin offs but with much much worse quality. I know there are many anime funs here but I gave up on it like 10 years ago.

And by the way, simpsons were not the first adult oriented cartoon, the flinstones were and as if not more successful. The innuendos were just very very very subtile, after all, it was the 60's. Later you had the jetsons, with a bit more risky innuendos but it still was the late 60's and 70's. So dont think the simpsons were the cause to live the adult innuendos. Actually Simpsons are from 1989 and many of the strongest innuendo series, like cow and chicken (1997), are from 94-98.

 

[marscentral]

I was lucky enough to grow up with the best cartoons in the 80s and 90s. He-Man, Thundercats, Transformers, Batman TAS, Animaniacs, Darkwing Duck and Freakazoid. I've probably missed a bunch. Of course there's also the fantastic WB cartoons like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. I think the thing that made all of them great was the fact that, even though they're aimed at kids, they didn't "dumb it down".

I was actually thinking about this the other day. I bought Volume 2 of Animaniacs and caught so many more levels of humor than I remember as a kid. Same goes for Freakazoid!.

Honestly, my favorite moment from Animaniacs is when Yakko is singing about all of the planets and at the end, Wakko pops up and says "You forgot Uranus." "Good night, everybody."

This has inspired me to use the phrase "Good night, everybody" in place of the (now) overused "That's what she said."

They loved getting things past the censors. There's also this:

Dot: "I saw Prince!" [holding him in her arms]
Yakko: "No, no, no! Fingerprints!
Dot: [looks at Prince] "Ahhh...I don't think so." [tosses him out the porthole]

 

[ethaninja]

I loved them when I was a kid. But thats usually why they are on the kiddie por channel. I miss Looney Tunes =(

 

[Agayek]

older cartoons are way better then *shudder* this

Spoiler

Ohhh, Freak out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpjXFF0zIJY

YES!

Best. Cartoon. Ever.

I really miss Freakazoid, was the best thing ever as a kid. I'm also told it's even more amazing when completely stoned, though I've yet to find out firsthand.

The real turning point, IMO, that really shows the end of "good" cartoons was when they canceled Cartoon-Cartoon. Every one of the shorts they showed on that was actually entertaining: Johnny Bravo, Ed, Edd & Eddy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, etc. It was probably their best "show" IMO.

That and when the Animaniacs were canceled. The only thing that comes even close to that tragedy is what happened to Firefly.

 

[kommunizt kat]

I miss invader zim... Its funny how that show got a lot of awards but was cancelled because lots of kids had bad taste (I heard that the show appealed to the 14-20 crowd...not sure but read about it in an article millenia ago).

 

[Schizzy]

Oh God! You guys are killing me... I feel old watching you guys say Johnny Bravo is nostalgic.

Visionaries, Centurions, Transformers (1st Gen), Inhumanoids, Mask, GI Joe, and yes, Looney Tunes and Tiny Tunes too... now THOSE are true classics.

Dexter's Lab and Powerpuff Girls were okay though.

Now Spongebob Squarepants... if I had a time machine, I'd go back in time and break the creator's fingers and mind.

 

[Schizzy]

I miss invader zim... Its funny how that show got a lot of awards but was cancelled because lots of kids had bad taste (I heard that the show appealed to the 14-20 crowd...not sure but read about it in an article millenia ago).

Yes, I was sad that they cancelled it. I heard that the real reason why it got canceled was that the network tried to push it to young kids when the creators meant it for young adults.

 

[Dott]

I miss anything from before .

For instance, what the hell happened to Tom and Jerry? It's been ages since I've seen them... Anywhere, actually. It's like wiped anything decent off the face of the planet!

 

[Baron_BJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kclq2zGQy4w

Children's shows with sexual innuendo that would make a grown man giggle like a little *****.

Sad part is that this is real footage, I'm sure you all know of it, some of you may remember it.

One thing I miss about cartoons (yes, even at 19 I still watch them, I cannot grow old) is that they never used to break the 4th fucking wall. I'm often hired as a baby sitter (hey, I may be a dude, but it pays very highly since the job is shit) and the easiest way to get the job done is to sit them down in front of the TV, play the TV and watch them. So much 4th wall breaking. It enrages me.

 

[RelexCryo]

Oh I love you for mentioning Johnny Bravo.

You're not mistaken. Cartoons are worse nowadays. Much much worse.

Totally agreed. Megas XLR was so much awesome, it must have have made the brains of CN's executives explode.

Either that, or they were stupid to begin with. Few other explanations for why they canceled it.

 

[Rayansaki]

No, it's all either nostalgia, or unfair comparison. Comparing cartoons from 20 years to the cartoons running in the last 1-2 years is unfair because you will remember a huge ammount of cartoons from the past, and you will only remember the good ones.

Compare the cartoons that are playing in 2010, to the cartoons playing in a specific year 10~30 years ago and I'm pretty sure you will not find many better years.

 

[Ninjamedic]

You know who gets to say "cartoons were better when I was a kid"? My grandmother. She got to take her nickel to the moving picture show and see Tex Avery's work and Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry on the silver screen.

I'd say that totally made up for the nine-mile uphill walk to school both ways in the snow that she keeps telling me about.

Slow down there billy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy boy.
(guess the reference).

Daws Butler as the wolf with the Southern accent in that later Tex Avery cartoon with the billy goat? Crap...gotta Google it...

Found it!

YES! thank you! A billion cookies!!