Whatever Happened To The Mind-Opening Cartoons I Used To Watch As A Kid!??!!

reply to post by grimreaper797


Pretty much on the ball, except that I don't believe there's too much insidious indoctrination going on, except maybe "Beg your mum to buy our toys for you!". They're trying to sell a product to you, and to your parents. That product is their show, which they get paid for by advertisers. Toy lines and merchandising is just money in the bank. Parents that limit their children's TV time and monitor their programing... that's not their target audience. They're targeting the kids who watch a ton of TV and who's "busy parents" use it as a surrogate babysitter. They do quite a bit of painstaking research and test samples to find the best ideas that are both what the broadest spectrum of parents want or find acceptable and something that will be interesting to the child.

Of course, this breeds mediocrity and products sterile of originality or independent vision. Nobody ever created anything of artistic worth by trying to please everybody... which is basically what's happening. It was as true in our day as it is now.

Personally, I didn't care for Captain Planet either. Again, this show was just a cash-in on the "Earth Day" craze which was going around. At the time, it wasn't sure if it was just a fad or a trend. Someone saw an opportunity for profit, and cashed in. You find environment friendly messages in many shows today, but they're not nearly as prominent because it's no longer a new concept to the masses that would create such an opportunity again.

And honestly, that show was full of ^@#$. Thinking that Captain Planet's ecosystem only bore a vague surface recognition to our own. It didn't have anything to do with the way the world actually regulates itself is, and what effects our activity is having on it. Hell, science is still figuring this stuff out as it goes along... and it's not like science at the time was really correlating with CP either.

Having your kid watch Captain Planet as a means of teaching them how the ecosystem works and how to manage it is like trying to teach them about Homo Floresiensis by letting them watch "The Hobbit".

And considering how many YEC's are around, I'm still not sure if I want to blame the Flintstones for some measure of responsibility.

Originally posted by thefutureisuncertain
i learned about physics from looney tunes.....wille e. coyote vs roadrunner as an example....an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by another force......coyote runs off cliff....continues forward momentum(inertia)...until her starts falling (gravity takes over)....

Dude, then you learned physics wrong. I know it was a joke... but still.


Also... maybe it's just kinda the topic that got me thinking... but does anyone else think that the "livid" smilie should be renamed "Goku" or "9001"?

(btw: I never liked DBZ)

[edit on 2-2-2009 by Lasheic]

Originally posted by Odessy




Oh, also, Japanese cartoons is where its at. Sure, the older ones are much better than the newer ones, but if you havent checked em out yet, I recommend watching:
-Neon Genesis Evangelion
-Cowboy Bebop
-Full Metal Alchemist
-Samurai Champloo
-Death Note

Thats a good start.

Of course I gotta agree with you!

Great thread Majorion.

Originally posted by BigfootNZ

Originally posted by scorpionxx
yeah those were the good old days when cartoons were actually worth watching, nowadays I think they just put on whatever idea comes into there head. and how can you cliam to the love the 80's when you forgot one the greatest 80's shows of all time?

GHOSTBUSTERS

Links a little borked

but the question is which one, the one with the Ape or the one based on the Movies

.

Both had merits but I liked the one based on the movies more.

As a 30 year old who watchs cartoons even now (Heck i watched Rockos Modern life this afternoon since theyve been repeating them here in NZ) I can admit alot of them these days are pretty shallow, BUT as an artist the quality of work is FAR superior to most of those 80's cartoons... hell then there was that dark dark dark period in the early 90's where every American cartoon looked like it was produced in a single day with crayons and 12 chained korean slaves in a basement.

Anyone remember 'The mighty Ore Bots'? single handedly one of the best of the 80's bunch, heck it even had a conclusion in its final episode.

Anyway to the OP, i wouldn't bash Sponge Bob to much since its got some pretty subversive stuff in it (or at least the earlier series, 'I want to touch.. your.. art?' .. granted thats not a good example but gave me a chuckle) you just have to look closely, and yes the American dub's of alot of the Japanese cartoons are pathetic plot and morales wise beyond 'collecting em all' or 'Arrrrrrrrgh!!! **boom boom*' but for the most part that's due to the American translators altering the context to much or rewriting episodes plots to 'appeal' to what they think the kids want. I was reading and watching anime and having it translated by a friend through out the early 90's and on back when anime was fringe culture in the west and lets just say its a travesty what the American media does to some of those shows states side. And i hate it when they choose to bring anime over to the west that is purely for marketing a toy or game... theres alot of non merchandise based corporate slanted anime that just gets passed over unfortunately

Will admit it was a great time for watching TV as a kid in the 80's but i wouldnt bash every kids show now days, some haven't completely sold out to 'merchandising' and **boom boom* . Avatar as one example comes to mind, and say Samurai Jack... loved series 1.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by BigfootNZ]

I've enevr heard of a ghostbusters show that had an ape in it unless your refering to ghostbusters extreme. I think the one I'm refering to is based offa the movies.

I think you guys should also check out the following more comical cute ones;

Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers

I think I could still listen to the theme song for that one another hundred thousand times. Same goes for the rest below also

Duck Tales


TailSpin


Dark Wing Duck


I didn't include these in the OP, because they're mostly early 90's stuff which completely differ from those ultra creative 80's ones. But nonetheless.. superb.

Wow, and none of you have spoken of the most subversive use of mind control in cartoons - The Smurfs. Do none of my 1980s co-horts remember the sheer volume of Smurf materials? It was like they were trying the subliminals shown in the movie They Live.

Quite a few programming things depending on your viewpoint:

- follow the eldest no matter what (Papa Smurf)
- the other is always evil
- homosexual overtones (all those smurfs were guys until they stole Smurfette from Gargamel)
- women are trouble (Smurfette brought divisiveness)
- buy Smurf products
- as long as you substitute another word, "smurf", you can say anything you want



It was one of the biggets marketing successes of all time - only to slowly disappear in the next decade.

reply to post by muzzleflash



Hardly. Puh leeze.

I think it is sad that people use television as a moral compass.

I guess I should I should be grateful that I have enough of my own education that I don't need a drawn animated character telling me what is right and wrong.

And if you believe that a drawn animated character for profit can tell you what is right and wrong, just go ahead and keep tying the towel around your neck and saving Gotham.

The fact is, the REALLY good shows have a character that is human, that does bad and good and struggles between the two. Now that is realisitic.


And if you do have to use television as your moral compass, well. I guess it is good you are going out of your way to find the right cartoons.

But since I can sit and watch televison without being corrupted or evangelized in any way, and just have sheer entertainment, I will consider myself one of the lucky ones.

Don't you have to go watch Veggie Tales or something?






[edit on 3-2-2009 by nixie_nox]

reply to post by DarrylGalasso


Are you sure you watched the same Animaniacs I did? LOL

Now Animaniacs was hysterical mind numbing entertainment. ANd I loved every second of it.

Pinky and the Brain shall rule the world....

And my favorite line of all: HHHHEEELLLLLOOO NURSE!


There must of been one educational episode.