Why I like cartoons–A look at the past.

 

Why do I like cartoons? That is the question I ask myself. I am 60 going to be 61 in a couple of weeks and I still have not lost my taste for cartoons. I have enclosed a picture. A drawing of a original cartoon character created by my son Mark Santos.  Due to copyright restrictions, I cannot post my favorite cartoons but you can look them up in the you tube website. As a child, my mom used to turn on the TV and I would watch Popeye cartoons. I remember the original Popeye cartoons that were made in the late 30’s and early 40’s. They were black and white but at the time, our TV was black and white so it made no difference. Then, I started watching Popeye going into a transition. The cartoons were in color. This, in turn, enhanced the character further.

Other cartoons.

As time passed by, I got to watch other cartoons such as Walt Disney. I remember going to the movies with my mom to see Pinocchio. It was well made, the colors were great as well as the animation. I remember when the puppet came to life and the plot thickened. I am not going to tell you what happened but you can check it out, probably, on you tube.  Then, through the years, came the Looney Tunes. Cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd came on the scene to further entertain me. It would be amazing that in some of these cartoons, there would be classical music in the background. The cartoons were, at times, violent but very funny.

Who can remember Harvey cartoons? Casper the friendly ghost and Baby Huey? They were entertaining and very funny. Baby Huey was an over-sized Baby Duck who seemed to, always, get into some trouble. The Hanna-Barbera Cartoons came to the scene with some classics such as Abbott and Costello as well as Laurel and Hardy. It seems that every year, there was a different cartoon in town.  Who can remember the Flinstones and the Jetsons?  Hanna Barbera made an impact with these cartoons in the sixties and early seventies.

 

Superheroes come to the scene.

When the middle of the sixties came, there was a deluge of Superheroes. DC comics came on the scene with well made cartoons of Superman and Superboy. I would try to watch every episodes on Saturday mornings. Then came Batman, Aquaman and the Justice League of America. Great plots and stories never failed with these heroes. Marvel comics came on the scene around that time with Captain America and other great heroes. On a Saturday, you might see the Fantastic Four and Spider man cartoons back to back. Saturday mornings was the place to be in front of the TV for great suspense and adventures.

Superheroes still have a place in today’s cartoons. The Batman animated adventures are very well made and entertaining. The Brave and the bold, Spiderman and other superheroes are still around and with better quality of animation. I still like to watch cartoons because they entertain me–Pure and simple. I have enclosed a picture of my son Mark with Iron Man. This was taken at a wax museum in California. Anyway, what are your favorite cartoons? Feel free to share.