The good ol' toons

I have always been of the irrefutable opinion that to be born in the ‘90s is to have grown up with quality cartoons. Any ‘90s kid who did not become an ardent fan of Cartoon Network during its glory days has missed out – and I’m sure the rest of my fellow die-hards will agree with me – on the chance to have made a huge chunk of common nostalgia with the rest of their peer world. For some unfathomable reason, cartoons today have mostly become all about the good guy – bad guy battles. There’s almost always a hero and a villain and a fight of some sort. I wonder if this is what “kids these days” are really into (sorry guys, I know that makes you feel old, but let’s face it we are in our TWENTIES), or whether they have no choice but to make do with this for a childhood. It seems rather unfair that they are denied the luxury of variety, while we took it for granted.

                One thing that I’m quite indignant about is the way they have narrowed down the notion of a happy ending. A victory in a fight is the only thing that seems to qualify as a happy ending these days. Back in the good ol’ ‘90s, any of the following could make us kids beam in joy – the birth of Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm to the Flintstone and Rubble families, little Elroy Jetson’s confession that Astro, his canine sidekick, was his best friend in the world or even the high spirited albeit predictable dash past the finish line by Scooby’s team in the All Star Laff-A-Lympics! Even when it did involve the good guy – bad guy tale, like Popeye making mincemeat of Bluto to rescue Olive Oyl, it still had a certain charm to it, simply because it was not so commonplace back then. Why, we even had our own vigilante back then, good old Stanley Ipkiss a.k.a The Mask, who was the despair of all authority and yet their saviour in times of need.

                Granted, no one ever watched cartoons for educational reasons. Nevertheless, I like to believe that Cartoon Network did teach us a few things. No fan of Captain Planet can possibly deny that they do not even feel the slightest tinge of indignation when they witness somebody littering the streets, or when they watch pollution spread freely like pollen in our industry dominated cities, or when they hear news about global warming or endangered species of wildlife.  On the other hand, the Addams Family taught us that a family that plays together, stays together. A most jolly bunch of weirdos, and a huge, happy household were they, despite the fact that they had a witch-like grandmother, an uncle who kept exploding, a disjointed human hand for a pet, a huge intimidating troll-like butler, and not to mention, a walking bale of hay for a cousin! And of course, Johnny Bravo taught us what happens when you flirt with girls way beyond your league! ;)

                Despite all these humorous yet unnatural shows, we sure did have our share of programs that we could relate to as well. Every sibling will probably have had a Dexter – DeeDee moment in their lives, fighting like it was the end of the world and yet always having each other’s back. And every single female child in this world is a powerpuff girl! Every little girl is either a confident and authoritative Blossom, fiercely protective of her sisters, or a shy and innocent Bubbles, sunny and positive and helpful towards everybody, or a stubborn and short tempered Buttercup, fond of bullying and always on the lookout for fun and mischief. Every girl out there who has watched The Powerpuff Girls has certainly found themselves in one of these large-eyed and fingerless kindergarten superheroes.

                As far as Scooby Doo goes, it seems to be a universal favourite. And why wouldn’t it be, what with it being most people’s first ever introduction to tales of mystery and detectives. Scooby Doo has definitely got to be one of the most mentally stimulating shows that I have watched as a child! It was a most thrilling experience to watch a group of friends and their gullible yet lovable dog, hot on the trail of some dangerous villain in disguise, and piecing clues together to solve the mystery behind it all. And the more you watched, the more you loved it, as you started to get to know all of them better – Fred, the leader figure, always dependable and turned to for help; Daphne, the pretty girl of the group, with her occasional brainwave that helped save the day; geeky Velma with her freckled face and big glasses, wearing an excited grin on her face every time she said the words, “Jinkies! I found a clue!”; Shaggy, with his shabby attire and his shudder of fear at every little thing, finding courage in nothing but his dog pal; and finally Scooby-Doo, the funny and frightened dog, who adores Shaggy, and could be coaxed into anything as long you gave him a Scooby snack!

                The Looney Tunes (my personal favourite!), merits an entire post for itself, in my opinion. The unbelievable multitude of characters and catchphrases are the work of pure genius. So much humour and wit, in a form that reaches little children so effectively is extremely hard to achieve and these guys have done a top notch job of it! And the great thing about them is that the other related shows like Baby Looney Tunes, Merry Melodies, and The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries suffered no dip in standards! The Looney Tunes, is what I would call a classic in the cartoon world.

                Some other shows worth watching were Swat Kats - with a couple of feline brothers saving the world together; Richie Rich - the son of a millionaire, and his funny adventures with his friend, Gloria, his dog, Dollar, and his butler, Cadbury; Top Cat - and his bunch of cat-buddies who live in a few dustbins on the road and are the despair of the local police constable; Foster’s home for imaginary friends - with the cylindrical Bloo, imaginary friend of the little boy called Mac; Wacky Races - and its damsel in distress, Penelope Pitstop.

                All these cartoons were such a huge part of my childhood, that I find it shocking that no kid has even heard of them these days. I have never watched “Ben 10” or “DragonballZ” myself, but I think I have seen enough to guess that they are no match for the ‘90s cartoons. I used to enjoy long and intense discussions with my cousin about all these shows, and it felt good to relive them all once more in this post! And I hope it was a pleasant blast from the past for you guys as well :)

The Manor

He walked towards the manor apprehensively, kicking himself repeatedly for getting involved in this mess. He pushed the gate open gingerly and tiptoed in, careful not to tread on thorns that infested the overgrown garden. How can a place bursting with trees and bushes feel so utterly lifeless, he wondered. He shuddered as an insect buzzed in his ear. Waving it away, he quickened his steps towards the main door.

It creaked open as he gave it a push. He walked in with an increasing sense of foreboding, and the eerie lull in the air did nothing to calm his nerves. Looking up at the faint stream of light trickling into the hall through an opening in the wall, he followed it with his eyes until he saw it illuminating a dusty table with a book on it. He went up to the table and started flipping through the pages of the book. His curiosity was aroused when he saw that the pages were completely empty, and some were torn out partially. There was something in this book that was not meant for people to see. He had to tell the others about this. He was about to toss the seemingly empty book onto the table again, when the last page caught his eye. He opened it. There was a drawing of a girl sitting on a horse. For some reason it sent a chill down his spine. He shuddered again and fought the urge to go running back home. It’s in the bedroom. I just need to get to the bedroom, take it, and then I can get the hell outta here. He reminded himself about why he was there, and proceeded towards the staircase.

He reached the top and looked from side to side. Three bedrooms. I have to find out which one. He walked into the nearest bedroom, and opened the window to let some light in. It was a dingy little place with a musty smell about it. The room was quite empty but for a single bed and a night stand next to it. On the floor, there were half a dozen cardboard boxes with something written on them in red. Three letters, in a language he didn’t recognize. Heh. As long as it doesn’t say "TNT", I don’t care what’s in them. He stared at them for a few moments, and was suddenly gripped by fear. He hurried out of the room and went into the next one.

As he walked in, he saw that it was already well lit by a large window facing the sun. This seems more like a study than a bedroom. The room, apart from the tiny bed by the window, was full of nothing but shelves with books stacked upon them. He picked up a huge leather-bound book from a nearby shelf and blew at it. He coughed as the cloud of dust lifted from the copy, and read the name on the cover. The other side. He grimaced. The other side of what? He could feel that familiar urge to read and find out and lose himself in the book. He stared hungrily at the scores of books on the shelves for a moment, and looked at the cozy little bed, wishing he could curl up in it and read everything in sight. He shook himself, and returned the book in his hand to the shelf he had taken it from. Enough. Let’s go.

The next bedroom was clearly the master bedroom. There was a massive double bed with an ornate headrest, and multiple cupboards with intricate carvings on them. The room had an ancient glamour to it, and it stood oddly apart from the rest of the dilapidated house. It also had a warm and welcoming appeal, unlike the frostiness of the other rooms. There was a small balcony that overlooked the garden. He went and peeked over the railing to see a little clearing among the bushes which, he mused, would probably look very nice once tended to. This place might have been really nice to play in, as a kid. His gaze wandered to the other end of the garden – the one he had entered through - and he drew a sharp intake of breath. The dark side. His fears came rushing back and he set about to find what he had come for. He scanned the room, thinking about where it could be kept. He had been told that it would not be hard to find. Then, he spotted the cupboard door, slightly open. He pulled it open and looked inside. And there it was.