I grew up on G1, girl who would become my fiance showed it to me.
Never watched PPG either and I thought FiM was okay; I didn't like it until season 2.

This journal is not magic!

Pffft <3 Shoosh you XD

The new MLP was primarily a source for YTP material.

LOL!

I couldn't agree more with you on this.

<3

Really? I mean, I watched MLP Gen 1 when it first aired. It was...pretty, visually, but hardly substantial.

Also, aren't you letting the nostalgia filter blind you a little? GI Joe, Thundercats, He-Man...the '80s incarnations of all of those were hokey and cornball as shit. I loved the recent remakes of Thundercats and less-recent He-Man for going a little less childish and being a little more in-depth, and I like some of what several of the GI Joe reboots have done.

This era's had at least one masterpiece in Avatar: TLA, and the sequel-series is no slouch. Admittedly, American animation has gotten weaker since the '90s and early '00s, but it's still has potential in a lot of places, you just have to give it a chance. Admittedly, there isn't much NEW that's good, but I feel like between relaunches and a few choice series, it's still hanging on.

I agree there are some NEW shows that are good... but its like the furry fandom itself. Some furs are pretty cool but the mass majority is messed up in some form or fashion. Whether its an odd fetish normal people aren't into, hygiene issues, overweight, socially awkward, etc. Most people join the fandom because they would not be accepted any where else. MOST furries, not all. I know quite a few who are pretty cool people =P But this is being in the fandom 12+yrs and learning which people you can trust, etc. Anyway, back to the cartoons - I am not letting nostalgia get in the way, I've tried giving some shows a chance, I just can't stand them LOL!

LOL! ghey ;) =P

Not a fan of the ponies, but several if my friends are. I liked the visual style of the new thundercats and thought the story was pretty good, the recent heman rehas was pretty good too. G.i.joe was A-Team with different people, crack squad of Herod framed for a crime. But you are right, the majority of modern animation is crap and we only have our generation to blame.

ty - glad someone sorta knows how I feel lol

I don't really have an opinion as far as the MLP goes but being a fan of storytelling in general, and animation in specific, it is difficult to swallow the idea that the merchandise-centric 80s were a golden age from which we've fallen like angels who wore out their divine welcome. I grew up on those shows as well, and I still get a tingle whenever Stan Bush serenades my seemingly remarkable tactile skills. But I also recognize those cartoons for what they were: marketing ploys.

Don't get me wrong, Peter Cullen, Frank Welker and Christopher Collins/Latta (long will he be missed) basically made my childhood, at least the portions that Sandy Frank wasn't busy setting on fire. But if you were looking for an era of animation where the commercial took a backseat to the content, you're off by about a decade or so. The Disney Afternoon (some of which did start in the 80s, it wasn't all toy pushing,) Jackie Chan Adventures, MIB, the various comedic Warner series, Batman: The Animated Series (basically all of the DCAU,) and even the quality of the half hour commercial cartoons rose significantly during that time. Mighty Max was ridiculously well written for what was basically "Polly Pocket for Dudes."

From the early 90s to the mid 00s, the quality of animation and story telling continued to grow. Bruce Timm and Paul Dinni took their audience seriously, and while you might have found a few repaint toys on the market, what you mostly got were noir tales told with Mark Hamill howling up a storm. They invented Harley Quinn (before the new 52 ruined the character) and reinvented C-listers like Mr Freeze into A-list threats. Let's not even get into what Teens Titans did for Starfire which the new 52 (again) destroyed.

As for now? Well just look at the latest TMNT. I love Uncle Phil's Shredder as much as it is possible for someone who owned cherished reprints of the Eastman and Laird comics, but the new show is better. It has the comedic sense of adventure that the 80s series handled so well, but meshes it with stronger storytelling and stronger characters. I'm sure it sells a lot of toys too, but for once, it is worth the retail price.

Pulling up Sponge Bob was a peculiar choice, given it was put against several action oriented series from the 80s. The better comparison would have been Rocko's Modern Life, which it would certainly fail to live up to. But then again, Rocko was from the 90s. What did the 80s have that was comparable at the time? Maybe Rude Dog?

Now as for Adventure Time, I really think you should give it a shot, though I can understand how the seemingly lol-random aspects of it are off putting. Thing is, Adventure Time managed to address dealing with a loved one undergoing the Hell of Alzheimers with all of the guilt, shame, and confusion that encompasses such a painful trial. It managed to do this with a vampire on bass and a wizard on the drums. Say what you want, that's not half bad for a cartoon originally created to simply entertain, not to push action figures. They've even managed to consistently advance the main character's awareness of the world around him as he develops from a child to a teenager in a way that's startling. As he grows, the world is growing with him, or more to the point, his understanding of that world grows.

It's not all adventures and games anymore, but Finn is starting to realize that maybe it never totally was.

I really wish Scooby Doo had been brought up because I so want to talk about how it developed into Mystery' Inc. Ah well, some other time. The point being, animation isn't headed toward the crapper. If anything, it's set up nicely to not only tell better stories, but be more experimental in the telling. Gravity Falls, Bee & Puppycat, Venture Brothers, Young Justice (alas,) Regular Show (any show that plays The Touch during a battle of duck duck goose is worthy,) the new TMNT, Korra, Symbiotic Titan (alack,) Mystery Inc and more besides, are evidence of that.

Now there is plenty of crap out there as well. I wouldn't wish Johnny Test on my worst Paw Paw Bear. Still, all in all, the current animated series are worth the look and while there will always be more coal than diamonds, I don't think it is fair to dismiss them out of hand. Particularly in favor of thirty minute commercials. I mean, the Inhumanoids? Robotics? They even managed to make an entire series just to sell Mr T's knock off Captain Crunch. However, Jem and the Holograms gets a free pass, if only for being so truly outrageous.

Though not as outrageous as John DiMaggio's Aquaman.

tl;dr The 80s weren't all that when it comes to animation and some of the current shows are definitely worth a look-see. Still, Disney's Adventure of the Gummi Bears was pretty great.

I won't fully go into posting a huge long answer - I will say, I didn't really mean to go into the toy selling aspect as I could care less about the toys. I may have had some TMNT, He-Man, She-Ra, and MLP toys growing up but I didn't have a lot growing up so the whole "omg they did all this just to make $$ of selling things from toys to cereal" didn't come up at all because I didn't care about all that. I admit, there are SOME good cartoons now but mostly CRAP. I have tried watching a few Adventure Time shows and just CANNOT get into it. Like that weird cartoon about a prison that's all messed up cartoony. I mean MTV went from playing music videos and cool game shows like Remote Control(i think) that I basically LIVED on that channel to playing teen pregnancy bullshit. Nickelodeon went from playing decent cartoons like You Can't Do That on Television to uber crap. =(

We grew up without wearing helmets when we road bikes, not having to check in every half hour where we went down the road and didn't come home til the sun was about to go down and street lights came on, when we didn't have to worry about kids people kidnapped by freaks, when we got spanked for being bad, when we got skinned and scraped up from playing and it wasn't "lets pour sanitizer over it," when we didn't stay indoors and play video games all day - we actually went OUTISIDE and played(for the most part - I did play some Atari and the like LOL!), our cartoons were violent but most of us KNEW dropping an anvil on someone was bad and hitting someone over the head with a mallet was a no-no... - we are weakening our kids' immune systems by being too overly "lets sanitize everything" and not letting them learn lessons and get hurt. Not only is our society suffering and kids have NO respect for authority anymore at all(they weren't beaten to a pulp for being a smart ass or a bully or calling your parents a name) but our cartoons have gone to crap as well, again, for the most part. It just really sucks to see how far in a downward spiral we all are falling and no one can see it. =/

So, no, nostalgia has nothing to do with my opinions. I think if we could go back in time to the 80s, 90s and MAYBE some of the early 00s, our society could start to grow and better itself again.

Dammit, I posted a huge thing anyway and didn't address half of what you stated. LOL! Oh well. I'm done. Thank you for your opinion, these are just MY opinions LOL! <3 =)

wow i agree with you so much about this. I grew up the same way. no cell phone no checking in just be home by dark and tell someone where i am going when i leave.

i was allowed to get muddy, got scrapes and bruises, and i have a strong immune system now. i barely get sick. i had a bb gun since i was 5 or 6 never shot my eye out! or anyone else's. never talked back to adults never uttered a curse work in earshot of any adult.

kids these days are a bunch of spoiled rotten brats that thinks the world owes just because they exist.

Oh "Kids Today" syndrome, will you ever not infect the generation who were the target of your scorn only a generation or so ago?

Signs point to "no."

It's harder to tell if "Kids Today" syndrome if more or less prevalent than herpes. Regardless, it is clearly still alive and well.

In an effort not to monopolize your journal with another half-assed essay on my part, I'm sending a reply via note. Feel free to read or delete it at your leisure. I do respect your right to those opinions and frankly, if we were talking about modern music, I would probably be full of more agrees.

Then again, I'm an ELO fan so I might not be the best judge.

Well, you don't have to watch it. :)
Unfortunately many people on here - and especially dA - post nothing but pony stuff now.

I know, and I have only watched a handful of episodes from all the seasons and choose not to even TRY to like it lol

I have to say that I liked it. At least it has a thing to it, but I also know how it feels to have something you grew up watching to be completely changed to the point you hardly recognize it so I still feel you.

Aww ty ^^ Glad someone sorta knows how I feel =P

Lol yeah well I've seen it plenty of times XD

Rebel.

you LOVE me ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dQW6f2hUjM

I have to admit I have found myself strangely captivated by the whimsical nature of the show. Mind you I grew up watching the 80's MLP with my sisters way back when, but they would also sit there and watch Transformers and HeMan with me, that is until She Ra came along. ;P

I guess its the sillyness of it all that gets me to watch it once in a while. And this coming from a man who is about to see 36 in a months time. At the same time though I used to hate with a passion M*A*S*H but now I really enjoy the show.

LOL! Atleast I have TRIED to watch the show... several times... I just CAN'T like it... =(

Yay for someone liking the original MLP better than this FiM thingy!

<3

As much as you dislike the animation style, what about the really positive messages it sends young girls in particular? There's very little cartoon wise out there which has even remotely appropriate messages, but at least MLP doesn't teach that girls should all be pretty pampered princesses?

I really don't see the "really good positive messages" it's sending that's blatantly out there or different than any other BETTER cartoon there is - its still as violent as the rest of the cartoons AND the original MLP, Rainbow Bright, Care Bears, Gummi Bears, Smurfs, Snorks, etc. and all the other girly 80s, 90s, 00s cartoons gave girls positive messages as well.

OMG THANK YOU! I am so over all this MLP stuff and the fandom only being about ponies anymore. Please find something else, I don't like MLP now and didnt then. Please furries bring your creativity back and move forward!

LOL! <3

Aptly stated, my lady.

I am so glad to see someone say this. Not only do I agree with you about MLP but also about the degradation of cartoons generally.

Oddly enough, however, my main gripe against MLP is not with the show itself but the design of the characters which doesn't look anything like actual equines. Also with how MLP art is gradually taking over all the equine art in the furry fandom. It's getting ridiculous and I really resent it. I prefer REAL horses, or at least something that actually looks like or is recognizable as a horse. It's getting so bad that I am genuinely worried and depressed by this trend.

you would like 's art shes a good friend of mine who is amazing with realistic equines!

I don't have much of an opinion over the new ponies, other than the few episodes I watched were well written, but I know exactly how you feel. Long Long ago there was a cartoon called"Johnny Quest". It was originally broadcast in 1964 in prime time, because it was a globe trotting adventure show where people got shot and killed all the time. Perfect show for me, when I caught it in re-runs in my childhood. Loved the shows. In the early 1980's another studio, Ruby Spears, tried to resurrect the show, but parent's groups had so castrated children's television, that the remake was crippled by an excess fo Political correctness, pro social values, new age mysticism, and a distinct lack of shooting and killing people. It didn't last, even though members of the original production team had been somewhat involved.

With the rise of Cable in the mid 80's, syndicated, independent programming on UHF shriveled up and died, and old TV became a money maker for Cable. Well the power's that be decided that they would resurrect the show again this time in Cable where they didn't have to adhere to broadcast standards.
Fast forward to a Late 1990's Comic-con. I was there, and I notice that Cartoon Network, was promoting a new release of Johnny Quest, and would have a presentation in Hall H. I, and about 5,000 fans of the show filtered into the hall to watch the presentation, with high hopes. The smarmy grinning networks execs, and the earnest concept artists made a half hour presentation of the show, and By the end, those 5000 fans were skeptical of the revamp. When the show arrived for broadcast it was nearly universally panned by those that remembered the original. New viewers thought it was.. "interesting" but it tanked and eventually after a couple of attempted promotional relaunches was buried like a cat turd int he sand, never to be seen again (hopefully). so I know exactly how you feel.

Scott

P.S. that Icon is just achingly hot XD.

LOL! thank you and... thank you! XD

(makes grabby hands at your icon XD.)

More than welcome. :D