For some, it was a simple escape from a long week of school. For others, it was entertainment geared expressly toward you while mom made pancakes. For others still, it was the gateway to a larger world of pop culture, movies, comic books, and video games. Maybe for some it was all of the above, and even remained so into adulthood.
The sad part is that it no longer exists. It’s certainly not the first thing to be added to the list of yesteryear. The Atari 2600 made way for Nintendo, and now the Xbox One. Cassette tapes made way for CD’s, and now digital music. We could just chalk it all up to “times change” or “time to grow up,” but what if we pose the question of not whether this is good or bad, but what does it say for tomorrow? Ironically, sometimes the people who express the most civil obedience when it comes to everything ranging from workplace hours and wages, to gas prices, all the way down the line to Saturday Morning Cartoons, are more often than not people with children. One could argue that they, above others, may have more of a reason to question things.
Now, things do change for reasons. We can Occam’s Razor the idea and look for the simplest solutions, but often it is more complicated. Take this example of Saturday Morning Cartoons for instance. They no longer exist not simple because of low ratings but because of Cable television sapping some of those ratings, or Netflix, or DVDs, or DVRs, and even the FCC ruling back in the 90′s that networks must broadcast three hours of “educational programming” a week between the hours of 7am and 10pm. (And we still manage to cram in all that reality television, talk shows, or sensationalized news programming.) One could even argue that those Spider-Man cartoons “with great power must also come great responsibility” taught quite a lesson, or those bouncy Gummi Bearssticking together through adversity demonstrated a great look at family, or even the Smurfs working together imprinted the idea of a small society functioning with each other toward an end goal. Heck, let us not forget the wisdom and simplicity of School House Rock’s education without even realizing it approach.
All of this may or may not be true. I would argue the former, but again just pose the question of whether this change is for the better or not. Ask further, what else has disappeared and we threw up our arms with that “things change” attitude and it wasn’t necessarily for the best. Best yet, what has disappeared and we didn’t even notice it, or its repercussions — small or large.
Depending on your age, remember fondly those Saturday Mornings of the 60′s, 70′s, 80′s, 90′s, and 2000′s. Look back at those mornings spent eating those Fruity Pebbles during commercial breaks and choosing what to watch next with the friend who had slept over and had the better sleeping bag. Remember the weeks before the Fall premieres when the Big 3 networks would showcase their Saturday Morning lineups and you were put in that awkward position of having to choose one favorite show over another when scheduling didn’t permit you to watch both. (Some tried in vain to shift that cable box slider from channel to channel until a parent yelled at them in mid effort to watch both shows.) Remember fondly, but also lament what future generations will never know. Not twenty years down the road either. Lament the present children without the cable television whose family cannot afford the DVDs or the Netflix subscriptions, for they’ve lost something too no matter how small. When we are no longer simple citizens, or artists and creators, or teachers and firemen — when we are all simply consumers — remember when Saturday Mornings were more than just a break from school or work, or an intermission until another weekend chore. Remember fondly because that, as we used to say, is one to grow on.
The Guy in the Hat