It’s Cartoon Time! (The Childhood Series #4)

Yet another school day is over. As the clock strikes 5 p.m., brother and I automatically relocate ourselves in front of the television. As it switches on, the familiar black-and-white logo which reminds me of a chessboard flashes. The next hour or so passes by swiftly. Our eyes are glued to the television, mouths agape, as we watch the shows with full concentration. Everything else takes a back seat. This is our time. No homework, no studies. Just cartoons.

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Hello readers!
This blog post will be the last of The Childhood Series. Read the older posts of the series here:
1. Nostalgia (The Childhood Series #1)
2. Where Learning Meets Fun (The Childhood Series #2)
3. I’ll Be There For You (The Childhood Series #3)

Cartoons and children have always been inseparable. It will not be wrong to say that they were one of the best things in our childhood. This is true especially for the 90s kids who had no other form of entertainment.

I clearly remember how cartoons shaped our decisions as kids. For instance, whenever we squirmed at the thought of eating spinach, mother would tell us that we will become strong and powerful like Popeye if we ate spinach. That would set the benchmark. (How many of you can hear the background music of Popeye as you read this? 😄)

No matter what the cartoon was, we always found something to look up to in each of them. I always dreamt of being one of the Powerpuff Girls (Bubbles, to be specific). I would watch that show with rapt attention, totally in awe of the powerful little girls who went about tackling problems and saving people in trouble.

There was Dexter’s Laboratory. I guess all those who have watched it secretly nurtured an ambition to become a scientist when they grew up. The antics of his sister, Didi, who always found ways to mess around his laboratory, left us laughing.

The Scooby-Doo Show was such an interesting watch. As Scooby and his gang of friends went about solving mysteries, we couldn’t help but marvel at their intelligence and detective instincts!

The Flintstones, set in the Stone Age times, was a delightful show! I would always laugh out loud seeing the way Fred Flinstone drove his car. Contradictorily, there was this show called The Jetsons, which was set in the future, with robots, flying machines, a moving floor. It left us wondering whether our future would look the same way.

How can we forget Pokemon? The stir it created when released was unbelievable. Every child was smitten by the show. The adventures of Ash Ketchum (I would always giggle at the name and associate it with ketchup!) along with a hoard of “pocket monsters” (hence the name Pokemon), was always a treat to watch. I loved Pikachu, the cute and adorable companion of Ash Ketchum and Jigglypuff who would put everybody to sleep with her incredibly sweet and soothing voice. And not to mention, she was oh-so-cute!

Beyblade too created such a huge stir. We would buy Beyblades at our toy shop and play with them for hours together. That was how much we were obsessed with that cartoon.

Then there was Teletubbies. Remember the four cute little alien-like creatures, Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Lala and Po? We loved that show so much. The laughing sun baby, the “tubby toast” gobbling vacuum cleaner and the adorable antics of the four Teletubbies was a treat to watch.

Of course, this blog post is incomplete without mentioning Tom and Jerry, everybody’s favourite cartoon. They are one of the most iconic duos of all-time. Even to this day, they are stated as an example of friendship. No matter how much they trouble each other when a third person (or animal) came their way, they teamed up. That’s what true friendship is all about, right?

I remember the excitement which ensued when Pogo was introduced much later. A new channel meant newer cartoons, and I couldn’t wait to watch all of them! Was not disappointed at all.

Miffy and Friends (my personal favourite), Oswald, Noddy, Kipper, Pingu, Bob The Builder, Mr Bean, Baby Looney Tunes all caught our attention. There were even a certain few real-life shows like Takeshi’s Castle, Beakman’s World, Art Attack, M.A.D. which were amazing beyond words.

I cannot help but sigh loudly as I write this. Nostalgia is at its peak. Maybe I am a bit emotional too. I feel like an old lady to be saying this. But those were the days. Where life was simpler, and we, happier. Cartoons made our lives exciting and gave us the inspiration to a lot of virtues we have now developed as adults.

If I were to be granted a wish, a single wish, it would undoubtedly be to have my childhood back. I want all of it. The school, the homework, the cartoons, the stress-free life, and the contentment and bliss.

Would you want your childhood back? Please let me know in the comments!

With this, The Childhood Series comes to an end. I’ve relived my childhood through the entire series. This series has been highly enjoyable and satisfying to write. It was like a time warp where I was transported to the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Nostalgia is indeed overwhelmingly beautiful.

Until next time, stay blessed!