What happened to all the cartoon shows?

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Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,162
126
I've been complaining about this for years. There's still some out there, but you have to look. My son and I LOVE watching cartoons together. I explained to my kids how Sat. morning used to be a ritual of waking up an hour before you ever could on a school day so you could flop downstairs in your pajamas (with the plastic bottomed feet in them), and start watching cartoons from 6am until noon.

Now, there's nothing but news shows on, and the quality of the few cartoons on network TV is GOD AWFUL. Everything is animae inspired and unwatchable. There was a bright spot in the 1990's on WB for a while (shows like Batman, Superman, Life with Louie, Animaniacs, etc were top notch), but they were all replaced with Power Rangers and Pokemon type shows. Then, not suprisingly, when the schedule was saturated with this junk nobody watched anymore and it was taken off their morning schedule. Now they have info-mercials and lame Holywood news shows.

Cartoon Network has a contract with probably the most brilliant animator in the last 40 years: Gendy Tartovsky He's responsible for Dexter's Labortory, PowerPuff Girls, Samurai Jack (AMAZING), Clone Wars, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. These shows are top notch, well throught out, and were not designed to "Just make money." Much like the Bugs Bunny cartoons of the 40's and 50's, they were designed to entertain. Seek out these shows and you will do well.

Nickeloden's Spongebob Squarepants is actually very funny and well done as well (however, it's become pretty commercial and the quality has gone down in the last couple of years). Jimmy Neutron is not bad either.

The good shows are out there, but there's just not enough of them, and it's really sad because cartoons played a major part in the development of my creativity.
 

Kelemvor

Lifer
May 23, 2002
16,928
8
81
Someone told the networks that lame Japanimation cartoons were what everyone wanted and they listened. Now everything sucks and they're all the same. But find the Cartoon network. They still run the good old cartoons. I ever turn on Tom & Jerry every once in a while just for laughs.

They are also releasing lots of the old cartoons on DVD now so you can look for those. I just wish they'd release the Gummi Bears but haven't seen any word on that yet.
 

sonoma1993

Diamond Member
May 31, 2004
3,414
21
81
I remember watching ghostbuster, tmnt, doug, rocko modern life, Johnny quest, ducktales, darkwing duck, tale spin, and whole bunch of other cartoons.
 

JohnKimble

Banned
Mar 2, 2006
208
0
0
Originally posted by: Fritzo
I've been complaining about this for years. There's still some out there, but you have to look. My son and I LOVE watching cartoons together. I explained to my kids how Sat. morning used to be a ritual of waking up an hour before you ever could on a school day so you could flop downstairs in your pajamas (with the plastic bottomed feet in them), and start watching cartoons from 6am until noon.

Now, there's nothing but news shows on, and the quality of the few cartoons on network TV is GOD AWFUL. Everything is animae inspired and unwatchable. There was a bright spot in the 1990's on WB for a while (shows like Batman, Superman, Life with Louie, Animaniacs, etc were top notch), but they were all replaced with Power Rangers and Pokemon type shows. Then, not suprisingly, when the schedule was saturated with this junk nobody watched anymore and it was taken off their morning schedule. Now they have info-mercials and lame Holywood news shows.

Cartoon Network has a contract with probably the most brilliant animator in the last 40 years: Gendy Tartovsky He's responsible for Dexter's Labortory, PowerPuff Girls, Samurai Jack (AMAZING), Clone Wars, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. These shows are top notch, well throught out, and were not designed to "Just make money." Much like the Bugs Bunny cartoons of the 40's and 50's, they were designed to entertain. Seek out these shows and you will do well.

Nickeloden's Spongebob Squarepants is actually very funny and well done as well (however, it's become pretty commercial and the quality has gone down in the last couple of years). Jimmy Neutron is not bad either.

The good shows are out there, but there's just not enough of them, and it's really sad because cartoons played a major part in the development of my creativity.

Foster's Home.. that's the one show that stands out from all the rest on Cartoon Network. No wonder, because now I know that's the same person who made Dexter's Labratory.
 

Jikininki

Senior member
Mar 21, 2006
655
0
0
Originally posted by: her209
Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Originally posted by: her209
GI Joe! Go Joe!
Transformer > GI Joe :)
TMNT > * :p

XMEN > *

I used to wake up early in the mornings and my cousin and I would watch Xmen before school started. XMEN was awesome..and I hate that I was too little to really remember any of it. But at 8 years old I had a huge ass crush on Gambit. I still do. lol.
 

AMCRambler

Diamond Member
Jan 23, 2001
7,717
31
91
It was Pokemon that killed cartoons. The whole "gotta catch 'em all" merchandise marketing ploy built right into the cartoon. Now you've got all these cartoons with all different kinds of things the characters have to collect or win.
 

kogase

Diamond Member
Sep 8, 2004
5,213
0
0
Originally posted by: Jikininki
Originally posted by: her209
Originally posted by: Zim Hosein
Originally posted by: her209
GI Joe! Go Joe!
Transformer > GI Joe :)
TMNT > * :p

XMEN > *

I used to wake up early in the mornings and my cousin and I would watch Xmen before school started. XMEN was awesome..and I hate that I was too little to really remember any of it. But at 8 years old I had a huge ass crush on Gambit. I still do. lol.

Wait... what? Isn't Gambit a guy? With an extremely annoying cajun accent?
 

spikespiegal

Golden Member
Oct 10, 2005
1,219
9
76
Justice League, Batman Beyond, and that crowd is all well written stuff worthy of any classic cartoon fan. My gut feeling is the better the writing, the less the attnetion span with the younger audiences watching it, and hence the more advertisers gripe.

I honestly miss SwatKats though. Those guys were cool.

As per my handle, Cowboy BeeBop is better than anything produced by an American studio, and far removed from cliche' Japanese anime', which I can't stand either.

Anybody remember 'StarCon' in the 80's? How about 'Young Sentinels' in the 70'?