Childhood Loves - Cartoons

While driving through rush hour traffic to get to the eye doctor yesterday, I saw something that lifted my heart. Since traffic was going nowhere fast, I was able to take a phone photo of this: The Mystery Machine. It was perfectly painted and decorated all around, but I was only able to get this shot of the rear of the van. I kept expecting to see Scooby Doo sitting in the front seat, or several of the other characters, but there was only a single driver. He continued going south as I exited.

I never expected to come up next to the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine
heading down Interstate 35W towards my eye doctor appointment.
What a pleasant surprise! 

Seeing such an iconic image of a cartoon I had loved when I was younger got me to thinking. What cartoon characters have you loved while growing up or are you watching with your children/grandchildren now? There's certainly a long history of cartoons and I grew up watching the entire spectrum.

Mighty Mouse and Merrie Melodies were what I grew up
with when I was a small child. 

I always had a thing for flying, but Superman wasn't a TV cartoon when I was growing up. Mighty Mouse, however, was my hero. I would pin a towel to my shoulder and jump down from the bed, climbing back up to do it again and again, and singing "Here I come to save the day...". I'm quite sure I drove my mother completely crazy.

Underdog was quiet, unassuming, and ignored, but he always
saved the day. My hero! 

Although I wasn't wearing the towel any more, I fell in love with Underdog. The Superman take-off hit all of my buttons - a flying superhero, a victim in distress, and a secret hero in disguise. It was about as perfect as I could ever imagine. I was watching early Superman on TV by then, but Underdog was my hero.

What a cast in Rocky and Bullwinkle. You had Snidley Whiplash, Dudley
Doright and Horse, and of course, Boris and Natasha. Fabulous cartoon
characters that actually sometimes made kids think! The horror of it all - LOL. 

Of course, I can't forget the third flying hero of the bunch - Rocky the Flying Squirrel. The zany bunch of Rocky, Bullwinkle and their friends (and enemies) entertained me for hours on end. I actually think I own the entire set on DVD and still pull episodes out every now and again to watch.

Warner Brothers had a gold mine when they had Bugs Bunny and friends. Here
is a small assortment, and I'll bet most of you, no matter where you live, know
at least one of these characters. 

But the giant in the room when I grew a bit older was Bugs Bunny and his friends. I learned opera with Bug's rendition of "The Barber of Seville". I pulled statements into my lexicon like "I'm hunting a wabbit," without even thinking. The Warner Brothers stable of characters was rich, varied, and beloved. I have these on DVD also, because they're absolutely classic.

"Tttttttttthat's all folks!"

What were your beloved cartoon characters? I could go on forever, but I have to get to the gym, and I'm sure your comments will allow me to remember others from my own past. Please dive into your childhood memories and share. Happy Thursday. Oh - and no surgery necessary on my eye! Happy, happy me!