I started my life in the era before the prominence of VCRs and cable TV.  Before my family bit the bullet and bought cable, I remember that you could only catch cartoons (or children’s programming) in the afternoons usually sandwiched between reruns of Gilligan’s Island and (ugh) Andy Griffith.  (Note: In the 1980s, if the program was still being aired in black-and-white and it wasn’t The Munsters or The Adams Family I was immediately, by default, NOT INTERESTED.)

I relished those post-school latch-key days when I could veg out on Scooby Doo, G.I. Joe, G-Force, He-Man & The Masters of the Universe, The Transformers, et al.

But Saturdays, oh boy, those were the days of glory!  On Saturdays, at least four networks could be counted on to deliver between 4 to 6 hours (or more!) of animated bliss.  I used to go to my grandma’s house, gorge myself on highly-sweetened breakfast cereals, memorize the TV guide for the morning hours, and lose myself in the imagination of Hanna-Barbera and others of their ilk. 

Thundarr the Barbarian, The Super Friends, Mr. T and Friends, Spider Man and His Amazing Friends (there were a lot of friends now that I think about it…) Johnny Quest,  Plastic Man, Captain Caveman, Rubik The Amazing Cube, Thunder Cats, Space Ghost, Land of the Lost, Hong Kong Fooey, Dungeons & Dragons, Pac-Man…

I could go on, but I can’t give all of them the justice they deserve by only mentioning them in a list.  (Here’s a pretty good list
I found though…)  They were great shows that would spur my
imagination for the rest of the day and week.  That was a sacred time
and place in my young life.  In that brief window of time I had
something to take part in (even if it was in a passive way) that was
beyond my front door and back yard, and I think because the window was
brief and infrequent it made it all the more valuable to me.

My kids, on the other hand, are growing up in an entirely different
generation.  They are growing up in a post-Cartoon Network, post-VCR,
post-Disney (sure-to-be-the-anti-Christ-somehow) not-just-a- theme park
anymore media mogul, post-DVD (even?) culture.  It’s crazy when you
think about it.  Kids these days (if their parents can afford the cost
of basic cable) can watch cartoons 24-hours a day.  With DVDs and
digital media (available online with a push of a button!) there is
unlimited choice and availability.  There’s no waiting involved; not
much anyway.

This concept became very apparent to me today when Anna was watching
Chinese television.  She seldom watches Chinese television since we
have DVDs readily available, but we are noticing that it is a good way
for her to listen and comprehend Chinese.  (Yes, it seems television
can be educational to some degree.)  Anna had watched an episode of
Automahn (that’s how they say it here in China, not sure exactly how it
is spelled, but basically Automahn looks very Power Rangers-ish with a
lot of Godzilla-low fi-type special effects.  Not sure why it would be
of interest to a princess, but it was her only option.) Then an
infomercial about skin-care came on.  It was a LONG commercial about
how this particular skin product makes Chinese girls’ faces look
whiter.  A desired effect it seems (?)

Anyway, a little later, after another battery of commercials, Anna asks me, "When is Automahn coming back on?"

I said, "It’s not.  The show is over."

Anna’s brow furrows, "No, it’s going to come back on I think."

Pretty confident that she’s wrong, I reply.  "No, it’s over, Anna.  We both saw it end, remember?"

Anna points to the same skin-care infomercial currently playing
again on the TV, "Well, why did this show come on again then, if
Automahn isn’t going to come back on?"

My innocent little girl had no concept of the irritating principle known to us older generation as commercials.  Lucky!

To her, watching your favorite cartoon ad nauseum only
requires parental permission and a functional DVD player.  There is no
scheduled program that you must wait for with bated breath.  There are
no interruptions that can’t be solved with a little help from the Pause
button.  There’s no prolonged Charlie-Brown SIGH at the end of the
episode–because she knows that tomorrow or some time in the near
future will bring more where that come from. 

Whereas, her father’s generation had to tighten their belts, eat
light fare on the weekdays, and wait for the big smörgåsbord served
early every Saturday. 

The world was pretty primitive back then now wasn’t it?  It’s
amazing that some of us survived it.  I know it’s not walking to
school…both ways…uphill…in the snow, but hey, I’m a generation
X-er.  Our primary form of suffering is tolerating our own sarcasm.
This is something at least.

Kids these days…