09:03 AM
Saturday mornings are for hot breakfast, lounging in bed, and cartoons. If there is a thing I miss as an adult, it’s Saturday morning cartoons. I know kids cartoons are still around, but I wonder if the ritual is still there. All the kids I knew growing up had their ritual. Some prepared a bowl of cereal before heading into the living room. Others turned the TV to low volume and waited for a parent to prep breakfast. My favorite was a glass a milk, the bag of Oreos, and the CRT’s warm glow.
I are up on Merry Melodies, MGM Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Tex Avery, GI Joe, He-Man, Captain Caveman, Space Ghost and the Herculoids, Super Friends, and so many more. My Saturday mornings were locked in for a least three hours every weekend.
As an adult, I find that again with shows that are more sophisticated, but still accessible to kids and adults. Gravity Falls, Netflix’s She-Ra and Princesses of Power, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts. The messaging of these shows is so positive and unadulterated by commercial bias. I think I have more pleasure in the shows.
What I miss is the urgency. If I missed the Saturday morning cartoons, I would be left out of the watercolor conversations later in the day when I rallied with my friends. If I missed this week’s cartoons, I’d have to wait until re-runs in the summer to catch up. It fueled rising out of bed and rushing to the living room. Feet padding as quietly as possible down the hall.
Today, as an adult, I have the luxury of watching cartoons at any time I like.
