Cartoons

The movie Speed Racer - based on the cartoon of the same name - debuts today, and apparently, it's a huge pile of crap. It spurred Lowell at one of my favorite blogs (http://www.raisingkaine.com/ - all Virginia politics, most of the time) to put up a video from his favorite cartoon (Underdog) and ask what cartoons other people remember and like from their childhood. That made me put together my Top 5 favorite Saturday morning cartoons (all from the early-mid 70s):

5. The Brady Kids A total knockoff of The Brady Bunch (with twin pandas!), and, like the TV show, only available in re-runs once I was of prime viewing age. I have all 5 seasons of the Brady Bunch on DVD, met Alice and got my picture taken with her and had her sign my "Alice's Brady Bunch Cookbook", got Marcia's country music CD signed (via my brother), saw the Brady Bunch play onstage at the Kennedy Center ("The Subject Was Noses"), so I've got my Brady Bunch bona fides. No luck with the Brady Kids on DVD...yet.

4. Magilla Gorilla. Not one that usually makes the lists, but I vividly remember watching this show on WPIX (Channel 11) that beamed out of New York City. They had all the cool cartoons, Japanese monster movies, Odd Couple reruns, Pocono commercials, and this video game they played in the afternoons, where kids from NYC called in and played something like Space Invaders yelling "PIX" into the phone to shoot things. It was as cool as it sounds...but WPIX might be best remembered by New Yorkers for this Christmas message (I honestly cannot imagine seeing anything remotely like this on TV these days) and the blazing yule log for apartment dwellers with no fireplaces.

3. Josie and the Pussycats. Totally cheesy all girl band who solved mysteries and/or fought crime. I really wanted to be the drummer. Rock on!



2. Scooby Doo, Where Are You! Loved watching this on Saturday mornings. I remember always being confused as to who the bad guy (or gal) would turn out to be - my younger sister was much better at picking out the criminals. "...and I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!"



And coming in at #1: Superfriends. Simply awesome. "Gathered together from the cosmic reaches of the universe, here in this great Hall of Justice, are the most powerful forces of good ever assembled: SUPERMAN! BATMAN AND ROBIN! WONDER WOMAN! AQUAMAN! And The Wonder Twins: ZAN and JAYNA, with their space monkey, GLEEK! Dedicated to truth, justice and peace for all mankind!" Take that, you Commie bastards!

Despite my feminist leanings, I was more partial to Aquaman for some reason, although Wonder Woman in her invisible jet and lasso totally kicked ass. Challenge of the Superfriends was also cool.