Five for Friday, Vol. 8: Saturday Morning Cartoons Edition

OK, running late on the Friday list again. Today I examine the JP Favorite Saturday Morning Cartoons.

Kids today have an embarassment of cartoon riches. Several entire networks dedicated to showing cartoons most, if not all day. Then there are DVDs and videos... I know this is sounding like a "when I was a kid I walked to school barefoot in the snow...uphill both ways" but dang it, I did grow up in the pre-cable era (at least in my home town, where Family of JP didn't get cable until I was in 4th grade). So in those early grade school days, Saturday mornings were a sacred cartoon ritual. Getting up early and getting into the living room without waking mom and pop. I'd get comfortable on the couch and watch cartoons all morning. Now remember, I'm a guy here, so no smurfs or girly stuff.

Here were some of my favorites through the years:

1. Challenge of the Superfriends/Superfriends - Oh, yes, they were cheesy. But to a grade schooler in the mid to late 70s, they hit the spot. I was all about superheroes. Batman was always my favorite, although his character was not as developed (along with the others) as they were in their own comics. But this was the Justice League facing off against the Legion of Doom, a rougue's gallery that lived in what looked like a giant Darth Vader head in the swamp.
2. The Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner Show - I saw these classic cartoons in several formats over the years. But to me the heyday opened with Bugs and Daffy in tuxes, singing "Overture, hit the lights..." Always preferred Daffy to Bugs and Wil E. Coyote to that wascally Roadrunner. These are the gold standard of cartoons.
3. Scooby Doo, Where Are You! - There have been many incarnations of scardy-dog Scooby and his mystery solving pals. The earliest, made before in 1969-70 but reaired forever remain my favorites. Many of the stories were actually kind of spooky to a youngun. That space ghost was my favorite for the longest time. Then along came cousin Scrappy (him being the badguy was the only redeeming quality of the forgettable recent life action movies, in my book) and it all went downhill from there.
4. Thundarr The Barbarian - The coolest at the time. Post-apocaplyptic superhero with a light saber err-- sun sword. Sci-fi cartoon goodness. The post-apocalypse views of famous landmarks was always something to look for. Now it's just funny to realize they had the earth ending in the mid 1990s. Oops.
5. Dungeons and Dragons - I was just starting to get into the game Dungeons and Dragons when this cartoon hit. Synergistic coolness. I was even able to overlook the cheesy plot setup of the group of friends teleported from an amusement park to Dungeons and Dragons land. It was just a fun show and one of the last Saturday morning cartoons I cared for before "growing up." (Only later did I realize I never grew up. :) )

Honorable Mention:
Laff-Olympics
Blue Falcon