I don’t know about you but when I’m really depressed I like to lie in bed and turn on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network and enjoy hours of great cartoons. But in recent years I’ve noticed a disturbing trend of not finding a cartoon that I enjoy watching.
What happened to "Rocko’s Modern Life?" "Courage the Cowardly Dog?" "Angry Beavers?" These cartoons could keep my mind off the troubles of life for hours, even days.
When I was growing up, I lived for the weekends. Not because it meant no school, but rather because it put brand new cartoons in primetime. Who doesn’t remember when Cartoon Network aired Emmy-worthy cartoons like "Dexter’s Laboratory," "Johnny Bravo," and "Ed, Edd and Eddy?" Shows like these were the highlights of my life.
Cartoon Network wasn’t the only channel to steal my heart during my childhood days. Nickelodeon had plenty of fantastic cartoons that brought a smile to my face. Shows such as "Doug," "KaBlam," "Hey Arnold!" and "Rugrats" were all memorable.
Midway through the new century it appears that the art of creating good cartoons has vanished. The cartoons of our youth have evaporated and have been replaced by subpar animation. Besides the cult-like following of "SpongeBob SquarePants," neither Nickelodeon nor Cartoon Network have been able to reproduce the successful cartoons of the 1990s.
The cartoons of our generation have disappeared off the face of cable TV. It’s almost impossible to find cartoons of the 1990s. Sure, you could go to YouTube and watch them in two or three part segments, but it’s not the same.
Luckily for me, the industry of illegally downloading is still booming during this tough economic time. BitTorrent sites have given me the opportunity to reconnect with the shows I came to love. Now anytime I want I can watch Blossom Utonium save the day, Johnny Bravo get rejected by every girl he sees, Ginger Foutley deal with the dilemmas of high school and the baby adventures of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil. There’s nothing better than kicking back in pajamas watching these great cartoons with popcorn in one hand and a Diet Pepsi in the other.
