Monday, November 16, 2009

Blast from the Past

Do you remember when...?

When you got more than 4 lollies for 20 cents?
When Wizz Fizzes actually has some kick to them?
When kid's movies and cartoons were the good, old fashioned kind?...

On our holiday to Queensland a few months back, my kids got introduced to those cartoon characters all but forgotten in today's kid's telly and DVD society. Bugs, Sylvester, Tweety, my namesake Taz...My folks bought them a Loony Tunes DVD. OK So it was modified and set in a Survivor type setting but old cartoons were laced through it...and the kids loved it!

No Yo Gabba Gabba, Ben 10 or really bizarre talking sea sponges in sight. None of those hideous Beavis and Butthead or Ren and Stimpy cartoons that appeared (and thankfully disappeared again) a while back.

My 4 and 6 year old were entranced.

My folk's latest addition to our DVD collection is a Tom and Jerry one. I explained to the kids that I watched these cartoons when I was their age. But there is something warm and fuzzy about kids of today liking and appreciating anything from yesteryear (excuse me while I just find my walking cane...that sounds so old!) I am not sure that it is PC given the amount of violence occuring but there isn't much realism for kids to file away in a coyote strapped to an oversize rocket chasing a road runner over the edge of a cliff.


So what did you watch and remember watching when you were a young kid?

I remember my pop loved those cartoons- and still does- chuckling away even more than us.
And he's now nearly 80.

I remember...

The Flintsones...Jetsons...Yogi Bear...Banana Splits...Calimero (it's an injustice, it is!)...Kimba the White Lion... Bat Fink (my wings are like a shield of steel)...Chip and Dale...HR Puff'n'Stuff...Captain Pugwash...the original and best The Magic Roundabout...Felix the Cat...Rocky and Bullwinkle...

Then there were those ace shows like...

Batman (thwack, bam biff!)...BJ Mackay (forget his best friend Bear...I had the hots for BJ)...Goodies...Dr Who...Good Times...Monkey...Partridge Family...Mork and Mindy...Lost in Space...Land of the Giants...Addam's Family...I Dream of Jeannie...Bewitched...The Partridge Family...guess I'd better mention The Brady Bunch...and does anyone remember Catweazle? I loved that show!

(And my still guilty pleasure of The Restless Years when I was an early teen)

A few weeks back, The Sound of Music was on telly on Saturday afternoon. I remember thinking that I want my kids to have the chance to see the older movies. I profess to loving them- Hitchcock, musicals, epics, anything with Audrey Hepburn- and yet I can't tell you the last time I got the chance to sit down and watch one. As a kid, I grew up watching Robin Hood (where Robin was a fox) Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan..and those were the days when kids' lower budget movies were released to cinemas just for a holiday run (and nan and pop dutifully took the grandkids to see "The Electric Eskimo" and the like) No big budget animated flicks but entertaining and magical to young kids all the same. And I have hazy but happy memories of going to see the local "Snow White and the 7 Dwarves" holiday pantomime.

Man, I'm sounding old!

My oldest child is already 7 next year. I really want my kids to grow up and appreciate the quality and entertainment value of movies made last century (yes, some of them are mid-last century!) I think I underestimate their reaction. I thought that they would be bored with the old Loony Tunes cartoons and I have been happily proven very wrong. So I think that I will dig out Peter Pan or The Jungle Book and pull up a Bob the Builder beanbag (yes, I see the irony) with the kids and see what they think!

At the very least I know that I will enjoy them. Sing with me: One banana, two banana, three banana, four...

6 comments:

Lou's Mum said...

My parents owned a delicatessan when I was a kid, and I sure remember getting a bag of lollies for 20c! and when arcade games took a 20c coin to play - we always had one in the shop. On channel GO! (I think) they are showing the Jetsons, Flintstones, Tom & Jerry - my kids love them! My favourite was probably Hong Kong Phooey lol We have a great collection of my favourite "old" movies - Mary Poppins, Wizard of Oz, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music (my fave!) - the kids love those too. WE love the Banana Splits around here too (well, me and DH!) - we are often caught humming their theme tune LOL

Tania said...

I couldn't STAND the Banana Splits! But I do love many of those you mentioned, most especially Monkey. The Mr and I still do the spiel whenever we want to freak out the kids.

Helen said...

We loved Calimero (we were always quoting the injustice line too lol) and I loved Catweazle and Worzel Gummidge. I still often say "electrickery". Funny you should bring this up as over the weekend the kids pulled out the videos, which hadn't been played in years. It was fun watching old stuff taped off the TV and laughing at the commercials. There was a Mighty mouse tape with Betty Boop type vintage cartoons and shaggy skinny wolves and round faced sheep. I love the old vintage cartoons too.

Tanya said...

hmmm, should I be embarassed to admit that I recently looked up the theme songs from 'Top Cat' and 'Secret Squirrel' on YouTube, ahhh, the good ol' days. I am 37 and was so so scared of catweazel!!

zofia said...

Ahh, what a great post! It's all coming back to me...
Magic Roundabout was a fav, as was Banana Splits, yep. remember Catweasel too! There was another cartoon on before Dr Who, what was it...hmm it will come to me...
Also, remember the kids movies? like The Railway Children and The Secret Garden, etc.
I try to pick them up for the kids so one day they can enjoy them too, although maybe more for me to revisit! ;)

Danelle said...

oooh, I remember Catweazel. And Monkey magic, and astro boy. This all brings back so many memories. And a superheros cartoon with the twins who wore rings and said "wonder twin powers, activate" then they could turn into things. My sister and I used to wear our special rings and do this all the time!! Thanks for letting me rabbit on....