Blast from the past continues with awesome TV cartoon series. This is going to be a multi-parter, simply because there were so many of them.
This list contains cartoon series that we used to get on the telly in Greece, or (at most) at the local video shop - in VHS format, naturally... Stuff like file-sharing and DVD-rips did not exist back then, so you didn't have many options as to what to watch.
Now, I know that everyone has a special connection to the cartoons he or she was watching as a child and feels sort of indifferent towards other cartoons that came before or after. One might still appreciate the before-after cartoons for their theme or their animation, but they do not evoke the certain stirring feeling you get when watching and old favourite; you know, the "Oh my God, I used to watch this when I was 8!" sort of thing...
Having said that, I honestly believe that all the cartoons on this list really are the créme de la créme of cartoons E V E R! Later productions cannot even begin to compare with these gems. Again, this judgement is based solely on what I used to get on TV versus what later generations got on TV. Growing up in Greece during the mid-80's to mid-90's was hands-down the best time to be a child!
There is a very logical explanation to this. In the mid-80's the TV network in Greece was rather limited, consisting of the grand total of two channels, both of which were state-owned. So, options were simply not there, although both channels did air some good cartoon series. The big bang came around 1990, when private TV channels were founded. These were of course for-profit organisations, so they needed to attract customers. And what is a better target group than children?
This list contains cartoon series that we used to get on the telly in Greece, or (at most) at the local video shop - in VHS format, naturally... Stuff like file-sharing and DVD-rips did not exist back then, so you didn't have many options as to what to watch.
Now, I know that everyone has a special connection to the cartoons he or she was watching as a child and feels sort of indifferent towards other cartoons that came before or after. One might still appreciate the before-after cartoons for their theme or their animation, but they do not evoke the certain stirring feeling you get when watching and old favourite; you know, the "Oh my God, I used to watch this when I was 8!" sort of thing...
Having said that, I honestly believe that all the cartoons on this list really are the créme de la créme of cartoons E V E R! Later productions cannot even begin to compare with these gems. Again, this judgement is based solely on what I used to get on TV versus what later generations got on TV. Growing up in Greece during the mid-80's to mid-90's was hands-down the best time to be a child!
There is a very logical explanation to this. In the mid-80's the TV network in Greece was rather limited, consisting of the grand total of two channels, both of which were state-owned. So, options were simply not there, although both channels did air some good cartoon series. The big bang came around 1990, when private TV channels were founded. These were of course for-profit organisations, so they needed to attract customers. And what is a better target group than children?
What followed was a torrent of pure awesomeness. Of course we'd get all the Warner Bros/Disney stuff like "Looney Tunes", "Merrie Melodies", "Duck Tales" and "Darkwing Duck", along with "classics" such as "The Smurfs" and "Dennis". But we'd also get anime. Yes, that's right. Anime. The robots-fighting-aliens, sci-fi grandeur kind of anime. On TV. Every day. So, without further ado, read 'em and weep:
(1) Area 88
Well, Part-1 concludes here 'cause it's already getting rather long. There's more to come, stay tuned.
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