Looking back on my childhood, I watched a lot of TV. I mean a lot. That is part of the reason why I am so apprehensive about TV these days. The general rules is that I do not turn on the TV, although I have been known to sit down and watch along with someone. Notable exceptions are college football and my daily dose of "Scrubs." Anyway, having seen so many cartoons in my lifetime, it is time for me to put down my opinion on the ones I loved and made everything great. Just for fun, we will do it top ten style.
EDIT: I proofread this this morning. I hope it is a little more tolerable. Someday I will have a rant about how people judge the quality of an idea based on the quality of the presentation, not the actual content. Anyone who can successful sell a load of malarkey is well aware of this.
EDIT: Other honorable mentions include Batman, Spider-man, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (No joking, they made it into a cartoon), and Rocko's Modern Life.
11. Beetlejuice (honorable mention)
Let's start this off with a show that I honestly have no idea how it got made. The network executive that approved this one had not seen the movie, because there was no way Beetlejuice should ever have been on a children show. I admit they toned him down, made everything less macabre, and gave people healthy relationships. The result was a show where anything could happen and usually did for our egotistical hero on his pun-filled adventures. I think in many ways the brilliance is that the story followed Lidia not Beetlejuice even though he had most of the action. This allowed children to see the wacky world through a child's eyes. Instead of been a sidekick, she was the link into the wacky world.
I totally, had a Beetlejuice action figure growing up. Strangely, they made them for the movie. Like I said, the movie was not for kids.
10. The Tick
Everybody loves superheros. More importantly, everybody loves superhero parodies. The Tick was an awesome character. When one is generally impervious with superhuman strength, why not become a superhero, and why not flaunt it? The great part about The Tick was that he had fun with it all. If you so little to fear, you had better. I also appreciate that the superheros tended to have more of a professional annoyance than an outright rivalry. I mean, if saving the city is a job, then office politics are not far behind. How, can anyone not love a show with the line, "We may be out of our element, but we aren't out of our league. Spoooooon!" Also, the show was laugh-out-loud hilarious at every turn, especially with our dimwitted hero leading the way.
9. Dark Wing Duck
Let us set the record straight. There are superheros, and there is Dark Wing Duck. I tend to get annoyed with superhero creators who always try to create some dark origin story or personal daemon to give the character depth and drive the hero to do good. It sounds great, but it is a load of malarkey and very overused to boot. The hero doesn't actually have depth, it is just driven by some force outside of it's control, and what does living in the past have to do with being a hero in the present? Of course you can always have the hero on the other side of the extreme: the personality-less "Captain Awesome" who is about as two-dimensional as the paper on which he is printed. Then there is the perfect balance, Dark Wing Duck. He has no coherent origin story, but that isn't what is important. Nothing made him be a hero. He is a hero because he chooses to be and chooses to do good. What a concept! For kids, I love this, no one has to give you permission or make you do good; you can just be that awesome person. He also genuinely loves the people (or rather anthropomorphic animals) around him. Yet, he is not perfect. He has weaknesses, fears, limitations, and his own faults which he must overcome. The biggest of these being the conflict not of some personal daemon, but rather the conflict of his love of self and his love of others. This is as meaningful to kids as it is to adults, especially since our faithful hero is a parent. This is actually more meaningful, than all of the anger, alcoholism, and existential crises of all of the other superheros written during the same time period combined. Oh yeah, the shows were funny with great supporting casts and unpredictable episodes.
8. Garfield and Friends
I guess that there is not much to say about this show. We all know the characters and the premise. What still impresses me about this show is how it kept it's comic strip pacing. In comics, things have to go from normal to absurd in three panels. The show effectively did that. Somehow, in every show they would take the simplest everyday concept and push it to the extreme. How can renting a movie possibly a big ordeal? Well you would just have to see the show to find out. With Jon Arbuckle somehow stepping into ridiculous situations, and Garfield somehow finding a (usually lazy) way out, the show somehow was a satire on the mundaneness of life.
7. Talespin
You will notice this as the second Disney show on the list. There is a reason. In the early 90's, Disney was cranking out pure television gold. They had some of the greatest adventure shows, with amazing characters. Every-time they stepped up to the plate, you knew it was going to be a home-run. Let's be honest, if you tried to pitch the idea of a stylized show about a 1930's transport pilot you would be directed towards the adult-drama department. If you said you were interested in doing a children's adventure show people would ask you how you were planning to break into a market ruled by GI Joe and Transformers. Well, thankfully, Disney was giving out some creative freedom. What you got was a healthy does of amazement with a little nostalgia mixed in. Much like Dark Wing, they knew how to create a balanced lovable characters with relationships that were accessible to children and adults alike. Add in a plane that can take you anywhere and a job that requires it, and you have a formula for high-flying adventure every single episode that is one part Indiana Jones, one part Cowboy, one part Star Trek (original series), and all fun. While, as a child, I probably never picked up on any other cliché episodes there had, not a single one was boring or failed to delight. Seriously, while better toys, transformers and GI Joe just didn't make for better stories than this.
6. Ghostbusters
If there was a ever a movie that needed to be made into a children's show, it was Ghostbusters. First off, the characters were ready to translate, just make Peter and little more egotistical, Ray a little more childlike, and add Slimer as a permanent comic relief, and you have a ready-made show with endless adventures. While the show could have easily fallen into the monster-of-the-week routine which is the death of many good concepts, Ghostbusters stayed new and unexpected with every episode. What was great about it was that there was pretty much no limit to the potential world that they could have. So, the writers never limited it. Take that, formulaic writing that dominates TV these days. Want to jump into the world of the dead and visit Boo York, the Big Pumpkin? That's cool. Want to visit the house essentially haunted by citizen Kane? Why not? Need to confront the childhood fear that drove you into paranormal investigation to begin with? Naturally, that will come up. My point is, just let the awesome flow. Oh, yeah, I had Ghostbusters action figures growing up. They were awesome.
5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
While there is much I can say about this show, I feel that there is very little that needs to be said. As an adaptation, it took a very solid premise to begin with. Additionally, the world, was huge, and the characters were colorful in both personality and, well, color. Seriously, everyone had a favorite and for good reason. Mine was Raphael because he was a wise-cracker. I bet you thought I was going to say Donatello. Anyway, nothing every felt flat with that show, it was solid in every adventure, and every character. More importantly, it opened a whole new world of adventure, with the underground Technodrome, Dimension-x, and a very nicely laid-out sewer system. I mean, seriously, it turned the every-day world into a fantasy world. It's just happened when you were not looking. The toys were cool, but I never had one. (Seriously, the show ruled on all levels) I just have one question, "What was with the Foot Clan robots?"
4. Animaniacs
I almost forgot about this show. What was wrong with me? I will only speak briefly on it. In the 90's Warner Brothers had an awesome show with characters inspired by Loony Toons, that show (Tiny Toons) never came as close to the matching the spirit of Loony Toons as Aminaiacs did. You see, the brilliance of of Loony Toons was not in having a bunny, a duck and a Tasmanian devil. The brilliance was in the "anything goes" sense of humor. Animaniac had this by the boatload. The show was non-stop fun from the self proclaimed parody of every comedic pair in show-business (Rita and Runt), to the hosts, The Warner Brothers (Yacko and Wacko) and The Warner Sister, (Dot), who, honestly, were annoying but in a very fun way. Being annoying but still enjoyable is a very hard trick to pull off. I think there is some proprietary secret Warner Brothers has to accomplish this. There is a reason I cannot stand many famous cartoon characters that push the annoying button. Some sets were more entertaining than others, such as the wonder that was Slappy Squirrel at Woodstock, vs. the mundaneness of Buttons and Mindy. Although, I do admit Lassy had it coming. There is one thing to which I am sure you will agree. There was no topping Pinky and the Brain. If you do not know who Pinky and the Brain are, then you must educate yourself.
3. Gargoyles
Somehow, Disney decided to do straight up action-adventure, no more Jungle Book characters and no more ducks. Instead, they used magic and put it in New York City. Like all of the Disney shows of the era, the characters win out plane and simple. Looking back, a lot of them are somewhat formulaic, but they all had a role and a part in the show based on personality, not necessarily ability (a common mistake in adventure teams is to do it the other way around). There are a number of things I admired about the show. The first is that it required no prior knowledge, but the more one knew about world mythology and Shakespearian fantasy, the more one would get out of it. To use the show to explain mythologies and writings all over the world as incidents of a more powerful world was absolutely wonderful. As for the show pacing, I am amazed. For the sake of the kids, they kept the action good and shows episodic. While the first season contained a number of disjoint stories, the following season pulled them all together while introducing great new twists. While easy to follow and jump in, the show is surprisingly hard to summarize because of the layers of storytelling woven into it. Watch it for the action, love it for the characters (who fit rather well), and follow it for the story. It was an all-around awesome show. I will admit that the toys were cool, but I never got any. I think I was too into Spider-man at the time (who did not make the list).
2. Doug
You knew a Nicktoon had to have made it on this list. Are you surprised at which one I chose? Yes, of Nickelodeon's original three Nicktoons, Doug is probably the most undervalued. While Rugrats was cleaning up with the commercial success (although I always felt it was a little formulaic) and Ren and Stimpy were pushing the boundaries of acceptability, Doug was doing what it did best: be quietly awesome. I will explain it like this. Doug is told through the eyes of the everyman. Many writers try to create an everyman, but that everyman is either extraordinary in some way or just plane boring. Doug was not extraordinary; he was pretty normal (with some talents, some faults, hopes dreams, and fantasies, just like every other kid). He was created not to be a fantasy, but rather, someone to which the children could relate. What made him entertaining was him trying to interact with the wacky town of Bluffington in which he lived. I guess I just like shows that open up your eyes to the world, and the best way to do it is from a viewpoint you can understand. Doug did this. The adventures were small, but they were crazy, and plenty of out-of-the-ordinary stuff would happen, but it felt natural and identifiable. I swear it was like the honesty and identifiability of a well-written children's book protagonist (the kind that is written for fun and is not trying to indoctrinate or teach) meets the quirky small town of an indie film. The result is pure magic. Also, however did the music directing was brilliant. How often do you hear that when talking about a children's show.
And Number one is (Drum roll)
1. Exosquad
I fully admit it; I am a sucker for space and fantasy. The characters were pretty good, although, not the best on this list. Still, they had their moments, and their interactions and motivations (especially at the end) stayed solid. The action and technology was awesome. Who doesn't want an e-frame?
Let us pause for a second and discuss the e-frame. The giant robot idea is pretty worthless. Even if you could put enough power into it to make it move, it is still a giant target and can be taken out by a small fighter. That is essentially what e-frame were, small fighters. However, they had several things going for them. The first is that they were in space, configuration and aerodynamics are irreverent. Second, when they get planet-side they will be moving along the ground and through confined spaces. So, give them the ability to walk and duck. Finally, they should be versatile being able to perform many utility tasks as well as combat. The E-frame did these and more. Actually, this is part of the reason why I liked the writing of the show. The abilities and the technology were were created out of practicality, and new problems were solved by resourcefulness with an existing technology as opposed to inventing a new technology (Although, that may have happened once or twice.) Additionally, they gave reasonable explanations without falling into technobable.
OK, now I am back. Besides the prominent place of Chicago in the series, the main draw of the show was the storyline. I don't know how they convinced the network executives to approve a two-year continuous storyline, but they did. It was awesome. I guess what I admire most about it are the elements which it incorporates. It is not a true sci-fi, rather it is the aftermath of a sci-fi. The show doesn't address the moral issues of being able to create a genetically engineered slave race. The Neosapians had already rebelled and won their freedom. Rather, it addresses the more humanly pressing political aftermath. What happens when they want another go? It is somewhat like Star Wars meets WWII. Much of the main storyline appears to be inspired by true events, with the Neosapians being defeated and appearing to be dormant and conformist for a while only to rise more powerfully than before led by a madman (there is a lot more than that, but I do not have the time). On top of that it, added that nice Star Wars feeling of a rebellion having to fight back against a far superior force which appears to only be getting stronger. Yet, somehow, with all of the odds stacked against them, they come back from an unexpected knock-out blow and save the day. It isn't easy and it comes at a high price, but anything worthwhile usually does.
It is late, and while the "Wheel of Morality." from "Animaniac," says, "Early to rise and early to bed makes a man healthy, but socially dead," no one else is up, and I am really tired.
