Instead of being a complete sloth last Saturday, I got up early – or at least early by my standards – and turned on the television set. Feeling a bit nostalgic, I opted to see what the Saturday television cartoon lineup had in store for youngsters.

 

I can sum it up in two words – not much. To be honest, I couldn’t find a thing other than a few infomercials and some very weak cartoon programming on one of the networks; which one I can’t remember.

 

Let me assure you, from the time I was old enough to watch and comprehend what was going on and even into my high school years, I would find myself watching cartoons Saturday mornings on the three big networks – ABC, CBC and NBC. I can always remember our friends talking about the cartoons later that day when we would begin what was usually a 10- to 12-hour quest of outdoor play time. I always assumed that as a youngster, I wasn’t the only one glued to the television watching Bugs Bunny, Space Ghost, The Banana Splits, Speedy Gonzalez, Dick Dastardly and Muttley, Hong Kong Phooey, Captain Caveman and perhaps my all-time favorite, The Little Rascals.

 

Thanks to our good friends at Google, it didn’t take long to find some old numbers that proved that I wasn’t alone as a kid. According to Animation World Network’s Web site, awn.com, those three networks would get up to 20 million viewers.

 

Now, not so much. Even if a kid wanted to watch cartoons on Saturday morning, their options are limited to the Cartoon Network, Disney and Nickelodeon. While that certainly sounds like a nice selection – and I’ve got no beef with Sponge Bob – it’s just not the same.

 

Saturday mornings were cartoon time until they got phased out. My same good friends at Google also provided no shortage on information as to thoughts on why the Saturday morning time in front of the television for kids is no longer a sure thing as compared to not really a thing at all.

 

Part of it is just a change in times. I’m not foolish enough to think every generation is going to watch and do the same things my generation did, but I can tell you a big reason for the change is that – and let me be politically correct here – today’s cartoons pretty much suck.

 

Somewhere along the line, someone determined that a quick skit involving flatulence and belching was better than Speedy Gonzalez, which takes me back to the previous statement involving things being politically correct. Our good friend Speedy, who couldn’t be caught for 50 years, was caught by the Cartoon Network and banned since 1999.It was deemed an offensive ethnic stereotype of Mexicans. Ironically, you can no longer see the show, in the states, but you can see it on the Latino Cartoon Network – where it’s hugely popular.

 

There are others, like The Little Rascals, which you may see at 3 a.m. in the morning on a Hallmark Channel. It, too, is offensive with too many things that promote an ethnic stereotype.

 

Unfortunately, the same standard doesn’t hold true to reality television. If so, there’s no way the Kardashians could have ever made the screen. If the choice is to watch Speedy Gonzalez running in a sombrero or Kris Kardashian running around in an overpriced car completely out of touch with the world, I know what channel I’m staying on.

 

Now that my ranting is done, let me know what your favorite cartoons are from the past and even today. I’d be interested to see who you like.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo is of the Little Rascals and shows, from left, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Darla and Spanky; in the middle photo is the beloved Speedy Gonzalez and bottom picture is of the always striking Captain Caveman.