Your cartoon is you: Our childhood TV memories say a lot about us

By Joshua Marcus and Ariya Taylor  

The Smurfs. Animaniacs. Tiny Toons. Rugrats. Kim Possible.

Do these names bring back any memories? Most people, whom we call “90’s babies” should have various feelings come to mind. These are just a few names of some amazing childhood TV shows. A childhood wasn’t really much fun unless you stayed up for hours just to see the new episode of Doug or, on Saturdays, Toonami. Sometimes you’d even be late to school if you knew your favorite TV show was coming on.

Childhood TV shows aren’t just a pleasure to watch. These shows have emotional effects on people. Just saying names like A Pup Named Scooby Doo or Courage the Cowardly Dog brings back many emotions of happiness, sadness, and nostalgia. People’s opinions on cartoons vary. We asked MSA students to think about their own favorite cartoons and characters, and to tell us how they feel about them.

Q: What was your favorite/least favorite childhood TV show, and why?
Christen Hill: My favorite show was Ed Edd and Eddy. My least favorite was Spongebob because it was annoying to me.
Justice Peoples: Recess was my favorite show because that's how recess was at my old school. I don't know if I had a least favorite show. I liked them all.
Waverly Symone: My favorite show was Courage The Cowardly Dog. My least favorite is Ninjago.

Christen Hill loved watching Ed Edd and Eddy.

Q: Who was your favorite cartoon character?
Christen: Bugs Bunny. That’s what I grew up on.
Waverly: Courage and Goofy because they were so funny and Courage was always getting hurt by something it was just too funny”.

Waverly Jennings said cartoons were way better than reality shows. 

Q: What effects did these shows have on you? How did they make you feel when watching them?
Christen: When I watched cartoons, it makes me happy. Made me feel good. Sometimes it could be
suspenseful in a way.
Justice: They made me feel happy like going to my special place. Every time I watched them I wanted to do something fun.
Waverly: It caught my eye the most and it was kind of a mystery. Especially because of my age. I was interested by a lot of things, like Powerpuff Girls.

As a boy, cartoons taught Justice Peoples not to burp out loud in public. Or to try running through walls.

Q: Why did you gravitate to this show? What made you watch this program?
Christen: As a kid, it was enjoyable and popular. As a kid, my parents would show me things like Sesame Street [or] Arthur when I got older, I turned to the Cartoon Network and just watched the shows.
Justice: I had nothing else to watch and they were funny.
Waverly: Most reality shows really suck and the cartoons had more of an imagination and teach you better life principles than reality shows.

Q: Did these shows teach any life lessons to you?
Christen: They have hidden messages in them.
Justice: Yes they did actually. I can’t name them but they did affect me. Some lessons I learned were not to burp out loud in public and I can’t fly or run through walls. Basic things that are now common sense.