I Miss the Old Scooby-Doo Cartoons (A Nostalgia-Infused Post)

Like most kids, cartoons also played a huge part of my childhood.  

During the days when cable TV was not as readily available to the masses as it is now, the kids of our generation had to patiently wait for our weekly dose of cartoons which came at specific schedules only (particularly every Friday nights and Saturday mornings.  If it was summer break, an occasional hour in the AM and oftentimes in the afternoon too, if we were lucky enough.)  So yes, the concept of a Cartoon Network / Nickelodeon / Disney Channel, 24-hour cartoon zombie fests were but only the stuff of our sweet dreams then, and of which we fervently wished would happen in our lifetimes.

Fortunately (or is it?), we now have cable TV to cater to our every entertainment tastes.  And since the children of the 80s and the 90s are the ones handling the pen (i.e. in the forefront) of new creative / cartooning ideas, we, once again, find ourselves sitting in front of the boob tube watching remakes of our old-time favorite toon shows. 

Why just last year the new anime-d (as in reinvented in the Japanese anime style) version of Thundercats was shown in Singapore on okto, a local channel catering to kids.  To say that the story was a little different, well, is an understatement.  The basic introduction was there (i.e. reasons why Lionel and his team had to leave their planet etc.), but their adventures after that is slightly altered.  And then a new My Little Pony (Friendship is Magic) show is being shown now, too.  And yes, I'm not so much of a fan of the present show as compared to when I was still a little girl (Heck!  I actually even had the doll!)

I guess I may have come from a different time; and if you’re all wondering where I’m coming from, well, this post came about as I was watching an episode of the What's New, Scooby Doo? show.  

SOURCE: IMDb.com website

 

The What's New, Scooby Doo? cartoon is a remake of my all-time favorite cartoon ever, the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! show.  So my delight in finding out that our Boomerang cable TV channel was showing it held no bounds. 

But upon watching an episode, I was a little dismayed.  I found out that in the new version Fred and Daphne were in a relationship, Velma and Shaggy recently broke up because of Scooby Doo (loonnng, weird story) and a mysterious Mr. X keeps on sending them confusing, cryptic messages at the end of the story.  

Those confusing relationships, and the corresponding angst and despair and whatnot simply didn’t sit well for me.  Whatever happened to the concept of cartoons just being fun, wholesome entertainment?

SOURCE: Wikipedia.com

  

I know kids nowadays are smarter and definitely much more sophisticated than when we were their age; but why develop cartoons that are clearly not very much kid-friendly.  I'm not just talking about this show.  There are others now too.

Why do we depict kids in cartoons, and other shows, anything but.  Kids acting as adults... not my cup of tea.  In fact, I was one of the few who found the old McDonald's ad (with the kids seemingly wanting to be in a relationship) well, inappropriate.

Call me a prude; but what’s so wrong in wanting to let kids be kids for a while longer?  Heaven knows that they’ll live as adults longer than being little ones.  So isn't it their right to enjoy the carefree days of youth more?  It’s really beyond my basic comprehension.  L