The lost heroes?

They say if you still watch cartoons beyond the age you are supposed to, you are a nerd.  They just do not know how amazingly conceptualized and presented those cartoons were which still keep us expecting the same fun with the new ones. But, every time I try watching a new cartoon, I drown in an inexplicable misery and want to bang my head against the wall out of despair.   

The other day, I was having a conversation with my friend about the cartoons used to air in our not so distant childhood (yes, we are still not so old).

Do you recall those?

Of course you do, so how about a flash back? *yes drum rolls please*

Captain Planet: The father of all superheroes to me who used to appear mostly in the last few scenes of the episode when needed desperately by his stunning team of five "planeteers", but those last scenes were worth waiting for. Interestingly, no matter how much I loathed “blight” (the Vam), her hideous bangs and curly hair always stunned me. (Note: I did not need any campaign to teach me environmental sustainability, captain planet was enough, and I do wear “bangs”). 

Thunder cats:  As I write these lines, my brain repeatedly plays the very catching thunder cat soundtrack. Fearless lion-o was yet another star, who when teamed up with Cheetara could turn evil upside down. Besides, we did not care much if Cheetara wore not so modest clothes (trust me; today’s kids will not go indifferent to Cheetara’s apparently adult costume).  

Johnny Bravo: My first crush indeed, the muscular, gaudy, woman chaser did not irk me at all despite his despicable behavior. Instead, it was always amusing to watch his failed attempts and undying desire to go on a date, and the girls beating him up when he attempted so.  Would kids enjoy watching him today? My gut feeling says, why not? 

Looney Toons: With this name, all I can recall is daffy, bunny, porky, Sylvester, road runner and tweety playing witty pranks against their better others.  Most of my kinky behavior and wit is taken after them, so yes, blame them!

Jonny Quest: Ok, it was the most sophisticated sci fic cartoon of all of them, showcasing the future of science and information. We are living in one! Tada! This science fiction adventure taught one thing for sure,“Seek and never let go”. 

Well this is not all!

Wacky races-the one where mutley dog spell bounded us with his wicked laughter, Powerpuff girls, Courage the cowardly dog, Dexter-the know it all dude and the most infuriating creature on earth, Dede. Them and umpteenth others earned the fondness and love of kids.They were not merely cartoons, they were stars, idols, superheroes, bestest buddies, inspiration, love mongers and no less than a family. Oh yes, I wear my heart on my sleeve when it’s about them, so pardon my nostalgic, tear jerking and a very much melodramatic tone here.

Some of them like courage and Power puff are still aired but, do we ever see kids today going la-la over them ? I guess no! The fact is even if these kids are made to watch those cartoons again; they might not enjoy them as much as they enjoy the violent ones.  The graphic violence today show kids how they can do things, and indirectly this violence allows them to inflict harm for no reason just because their cartoon hero did so. (The one where a good guy starts a brawl with a bad guy just because the good guy does not own a state of the art “bey blade”).

Probably, this industry needed to adapt itself with time, but unfortunately it has not remained successful in holding onto the element of innocence, lesson, and fun. But we can always suggest the kids few good old cartoons to watch and befriend with. I hope they could carry forward our legacy of cartoon nostalgia *feeling old *.