Photo courtesy of sxc/Annalog85
Did you watch cartoons as a kid? Which were your favorites? Do you STILL watch them?
Well, today would have been the 101st birthday of William Hanna, one of the great television cartoonists. Along with his partner Joseph Barbera, they, and their studio, created the classic cartoon series Tom and Jerry, The Huckleberry Hound Show, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, The Smurfs, and more. They won seven Academy Awards and five Emmys.
Along with the books read to us as children, Saturday morning cartoons were some of the first “stories” many of us listened to. Friendship, conflict, character development, description, good vs. evil – all these elements of a good story were introduced to many of us through the television shows of this man. Of course, I didn’t notice as I sat, butt glued to the chair and eyes to the TV set, but there’s little doubt those “stories” influenced us.
So, happy birthday, William Hanna.
Who is your favorite cartoon character (Hanna-Barbera or otherwise)? Why? If you could be any cartoon character, who would you be and why?
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5 Comments until now.
The first thing that comes to mind for me is Wile E. Coyote. Probably because he entertained my son VERY early on Saturday mornings so I could sleep in. I remember waking up to the sound of Mr. Coyote falling off that cliff or blowing himself up yet again.
I would probably rather be the roadrunner, though. Wile E. Coyote had entirely too many mishaps. The roadrunner was always ahead of the game.
My favorite cartoons when very little were Woody Woodpecker, Mighty Mouse and Popeye. I loved spinach! As I got older I learned to appreciate the easy going ways and southern drawl of Deputy Dog.
Personally, I’ve always been a huge Bugs Bunny fan – in fact my kids are watching him right now (with Taz!). Love that we all can appreciate the same sense of humor.
Not sure I’d want to be him. Though the more I watch, the more I think he would be the wisest choice of who’s on TV at the moment LOL
I loved Underdog as a kid. Probably because I WAS the “underdog” and through him believed I could be super.
Rocky and Bullwinkle was another favorite.
The cartoon I remember most watching, besides the roadrunnr, is Popeye because it was my brother’s favorite. Did I mention he was the older brother so what he watched I watched. I liked Popeye and Paul would watch it with a guy named Tom Hatton? teaching how to draw in between episodes. My big brother was a pretty good artist himself.
Don’t know who I’d like to be.